Is it normal for a new road bike to develop loose spokes and 2-3mm of rim warp after a few months and a few hundred miles? Or is it a sign of Italian workmanship and lack of preparation? Should I expect the LBS to fix it under warranty or is it normal maintenance?
Various bikes I have had in the past have never needed spokes tightening and have never had warped wheels.
Is it normal for a new road bike to develop loose spokes and 2-3mm of rim warp after a few months and a few hundred miles? Or is it a sign of Italian workmanship and lack of preparation? Should I expect the LBS to fix it under warranty or is it normal maintenance?
Its quite normal these days with machine built wheels. The LBS should fix it for you. The problem is they probably won't fix it. They will true it so that it doesn't wobble for a short time but unless they raise the overall tension in the spokes appropriately they will not fix the problem, just temporarily fix the consequences of the problem which is too low spoke tension.
Is it normal for a new road bike to develop loose spokes and 2-3mm of rim warp after a few months and a few hundred miles? Or is it a sign of Italian workmanship and lack of preparation?
My Gipiemme T Quattro rear hub bearings failed after 200 miles and a spoke nipple fell off. I binned them. The Campag Scirocco wheels that replaced them have been excellent after several 1000 miles. -- Simon M.
Is it normal for a new road bike to develop loose spokes and 2-3mm of rim warp after a few months and a few hundred miles?
It's normal, but it shouldn't happen. It's only normal because machine-built wheels are of very average quality.
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Or is it a sign of Italian workmanship and lack of preparation?
Yes.
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Should I expect the LBS to fix it under warranty or is it normal maintenance?
A good LBS should do this provided it really is just a few months. Most offer some kind of initial free check/tune up where this kind of thing should be fixed.
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Various bikes I have had in the past have never needed spokes tightening and have never had warped wheels.
They've either had very well-built wheels in the first place or have been ridden to bed them in and retensioned.
