Keep OE Wheels or Switch?

The idea that once you start truing wheels, it's a never ending process is not true. Unless you're itching to buy a new set of wheels just to get something new, keep your current wheels. I'd advise you go to the LBS, and let them true your wheels. Ask them if you can watch as they do it. I'm not sure whether those require a special spoke wrench or not, but if they do, it's something your LBS can easily order.

Thanks. I guess my hesitation is putting money into inferior grade equipment. Actually, I don't know if my wheels are inferior but what I read is that they are base level and some people have had bad experiences with them. At 6000 miles, I would assume if they were really cheap I would have already had some problems. I'll find someone to true them and keep going.

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Originally Posted by doctorold [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Thanks. I guess my hesitation is putting money into inferior grade equipment. Actually, I don't know if my wheels are inferior but what I read is that they are base level and some people have had bad experiences with them. At 6000 miles, I would assume if they were really cheap I would have already had some problems. I'll find someone to true them and keep going.

Find a good wheelbuilder who will check you wheel for problems and true it carefully. The key is to bring all the spokes back to even tension (within specs), while achieving acceptable radial and lateral true.

Agree your wheels seem to be holding up fine for you. I don't think you're on "bad" wheels, just not the worlds most durable from what I've read about them. A lot depends on your weight and where and how you ride. With a good truing, you might get another 6K miles before the rim develops a crack or spokes start breaking. OTOH, don't be too surprised either if the wheelbuilder finds evidence of a problem...eg, a crack starting in the rim or a nipple beginning to pull through.

In the grand tradition of online fear-mongering....." it could be later than you think". Either way, I'd ride them until they fail. If they last a good long time, you might decide you want another set when these go.

ps: Forgot to mention the bearings and hubs......they shoud be checked by the wheelbuilder too, before he does any truing. Bearings may need a clean/regrease, adjustment, or replacement. .

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Originally Posted by doctorold [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

....I have also read that once you start truing a wheel it becomes a neverending process. So I can either figure out what wrench to use and try to do it myself, take it to my LBS and pay them to do it OR take this opportunity to upgrade to something a bit better. I am not a racer. I ride 100~ miles a week with the occasional long-distance ride (met cent). Thoughts?

Well....
Re: neverending process - one key feature to durable wheels is that spokes remain in tension all the time.
The immediate concern for a spoke that occasionally lose tension is that while it's loose, it's free to unwind. If it starts to unwind, it'll have more chances to unwind, the wheel will go out of true and all that.
One trick to improve a marginal design is to use threadlock on the spokes, but threadlocks all have a limited life when adjusted after application.
If you have a marginal wheel that relies on threadlock, it'd be possible to put it through so much adjustment that the threadlock would just fail entirely, at which point trueing would indeed be a neverending process.
But for a healthy wheel, trueing should rarely be needed.

Many people keep double wheelsets, and either keep them shod for different ride conditions(weather, surfaces, distances etc). Or simply one nicer set for performance rides(=races) and a less expensive set for training/everyday use. Double sets - unless they're too specialized also means that if you should find one wheel sitting flat minutes before a ride, you can just toss the other in there and be good to go.

Keep in mind that being able to swap freely between rear wheels do take extra discipline when dealing with chain/cassette maintenance.