wheels are shot

Quoted message said:

my 2003 novara now has about 6500 miles and the wheels are true but getting
a bit oval from rough asphalt and unplanned curb hopping. my commute is
rough, the unstable soil here makes the streets very rough. i would love to
have some 700's that are tough for these conditions. any thoughts? i have
never bought wheels separate from bike...

Rims can easily become damaged from rough use, but usually that is
manifested in dents. If they are true, they are not "oval", and if they
are oval they are not true. These wheels were originally machine built,
and so were not properly tensioned or stress-relieved. De-tension them,
and build up the tension to proper levels, and stress-relieve. Use either
Jobst Brandt's book or Sheldon Brown's Website to figure out how to do
this. The wheels will last far longer than 6500 miles.

If the rims are indeed shot (dented, not nearly round when de-tensioned),
then replace the rims with the same brand/model. Don't replace the spokes
if you can avoid it.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | What is objectionable, and what is dangerous about extremists is
_`\(,_ | not that they are extreme, but that they are intolerant.
(_)/ (_) | --Robert F. Kennedy

"David L. Johnson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

my 2003 novara now has about 6500 miles and the wheels are true but

getting

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

a bit oval from rough asphalt and unplanned curb hopping. my commute is
rough, the unstable soil here makes the streets very rough. i would love

to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

have some 700's that are tough for these conditions. any thoughts? i

have

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

never bought wheels separate from bike...

Rims can easily become damaged from rough use, but usually that is
manifested in dents. If they are true, they are not "oval", and if they
are oval they are not true. These wheels were originally machine built,
and so were not properly tensioned or stress-relieved. De-tension them,
and build up the tension to proper levels, and stress-relieve. Use either
Jobst Brandt's book or Sheldon Brown's Website to figure out how to do
this. The wheels will last far longer than 6500 miles.

If the rims are indeed shot (dented, not nearly round when de-tensioned),
then replace the rims with the same brand/model. Don't replace the spokes
if you can avoid it.

thanks, i need to get that book. well i guess they aren't true then. they
are fine side-to-side but up and down there's a dent in the rear. dont
replace the spokes? i have already broken and replaced five of them, that's
why i want better wheels. i check the tension frequently and i mean it about
the roads. the bike lane i travel every day is worse than some single track
dirt trails i know...i would change the route but the bike lane is the
safest.
-alanS

Quoted message said:

thanks, i need to get that book. well i guess they aren't true then. they
are fine side-to-side but up and down there's a dent in the rear.

That could be a problem.

Quoted message said:

dont
replace the spokes? i have already broken and replaced five of them, that's
why i want better wheels.

That is an indication of poorly-built wheels, not poor materials
necessarily. You can have the best spokes and rim, but with a machine
build you will still break spokes.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | Let's not escape into mathematics. Let's stay with reality. --
_`\(,_ | Michael Crichton
(_)/ (_) |

In article <[email hidden]>,

greggery peccary' .@. said:

my 2003 novara now has about 6500 miles and the wheels are true but getting
a bit oval from rough asphalt and unplanned curb hopping. my commute is
rough, the unstable soil here makes the streets very rough. i would love to
have some 700's that are tough for these conditions. any thoughts? i have
never bought wheels separate from bike...

Earlier today for some reason, I was looking at this:
http://www.thethirdhand.com/Tips/index.cgi?p=current&n

Go to page 2 and scroll down to "wheels For Serious Loaded Touring
On/off Road," posted by Tim Schneider.

It says:

<quote (with a little line editing)>
hubs: shimano deore xt. 36 hole ft/rear 8/9 speed.
spokes: dt/wheelsmith 14ga 3 cross to 4 cross for strong wheels
rims: sunrims www.sun-ringle.com
700c: cr18 36 hole
26": cr18 36 hole
or
700c: rhyno lite 36 hole
26": rhyno lite 36 hole
<EOQ>

Sounds good to me. There's a bunch of other cute tips &
tricks explained at that site, too; most interesting.

David L. Johnson gave you a bunch of really good info.
I'll just add that you should check your rims for
wear, which will be indicated by a noticable and feelable
"lip" around the edge, just above where the brake pads
contact. If there is such a lip, it may well be time to
replace your rims.

IME, flat spots in rims are more difficult to true out
than side-to-side squiggleniess. I notice laser levels
are becoming quite inexpensively available. Maybe one
of those would be just the ticket for truing out flat
spots in rims?

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

Quoted message said:

that's
why i want better wheels

The wheels are most likely fine, but poorly built by machine. As the
previous poster mentioned, destressing the spokes (basically giving them a
little "pre-bend" where they overlap with a screwdriver or such) and
proper tensioning should give you a set of wheels that'll last a very long
time. You certainly could have a bent rim, but I agree with the other
poster, most likely it's just a truing issue.

If you have a good LBS, let them do it for 15-20 per wheel, and you'll be
set for a long long time. Or as the other poster said, learn to do it
yourself.

I'm a cheapskate and often buy wheels on sale at Nashbar for a hundred
bucks or so. The components are fine, but the wheel's build is a joke.
When I've got the time, in the first couple weeks of the wheels use
lifespan, I'll destress and retrue the wheels, often while still mounted
in the bike flipped upside down since I'm a lazy sob. I've been doing this
since high school (class of 89) and end up having to true such a tweaked
wheel on average, perhaps every other year. I ride in the city over lots
of construction on 700c's, so my bikes aren't babied.

Yeah, there are [censored] rims and hubs--but pretty much anybody on this group
is going to tell you the same thing: the most important factor in a
wheel's integrity is how and who built it. 😉

"maxo" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

that's
why i want better wheels

If you have a good LBS, let them do it for 15-20 per wheel, and you'll be
set for a long long time. Or as the other poster said, learn to do it
yourself.

it was saturday on my way to work i twanged a spoke on a fast downhill.
since it was on the drive side i had to take it to free range cycles (in
seattle/fremont). (i thanked them in a post here.) they replaced the spoke
and trued it for $10 us. the guy who trued the wheel was the one who showed
me the dent in the rim. this wasn't the first time they are trying to get me
to buy something new that i may not need, and i have had "tune ups" before
where they did very little and dont even adjust the dr's. i totally intend
to learn myself and this ng is a lot of help in that dept. thanks! hope i
can help others soon.
-alanS