A few weeks ago I hit a jump too fast and bent the rim of my Jamis on the landing. Everything was perfectly fine except the rim, so I took it to the shop where I bought the bike to get them to change the rim out for something equivalent. They held up a wheel, and it was rounder than the one I brought in so I agreed to them swapping all the parts to the new rim without doing any research.
Turns out I got a "Sta-Tru Speed 29er" which I find out is pretty standard cheap wheel, and they charged me $100. I looked around a little and saw that JensonUSA has my original rim for only $34, and significant improvements like Stans Flow rims for only $90.
Does shopping online really save that much money or did I just get a horrible deal? This happened a while ago so I'm not going to get mad over making a bad decision, but I would refrain from going back to that shop.
Online shopping will always be cheaper than LBS. I always buy my parts online for 2 reasons, cheaper no taxes and way more choices. Dont blame the shop cause they charged you what they did. Thats how they stay in business. Im sure the LBS fixed up your bike like new again.
$100 seems reasonable. You can buy a rim for $34, but then you need spokes and a hub. You already had them, but a different rim might require spokes of a different length. Then that wheel must be built. Building and trueing wheels is the most difficult aspect of bike wrenching, in my opinion. I think I paid the same amount for the same work about ten years ago. So, I'd say they treated you pretty fairly. It is a good idea to have the spokes re-tensioned after 100 miles or so.
$100 seems reasonable. You can buy a rim for $34, but then you need spokes and a hub. You already had them, but a different rim might require spokes of a different length. Then that wheel must be built. Building and trueing wheels is the most difficult aspect of bike wrenching, in my opinion. I think I paid the same amount for the same work about ten years ago. So, I'd say they treated you pretty fairly. It is a good idea to have the spokes re-tensioned after 100 miles or so.
This. Unless you know how to lace and true a wheel yourself, you can't expect to just pay for parts and not labor, and yeah labor on a wheel is one of the more time consuming things.
Do not succumb to the "I only buy online, LBS's are ripoffs!" thing. It is important to find a good LBS who you trust, and who is not greedy, and then balance your shopping so that you go to the LBS some to support them, and then some online to save money here and there.
I recently stopped going to an LBS I really liked once I saw that they charger OVER MSRP for a LOT of items. Like a pair of Shimano PD-M520 Pedals for $80, where online they start in the $30's, and fairly priced LBS's will have them for right at $50 maybe.
I found a different LBS whose work I trust, and I actually don't order parts online much anymore because he charges right at MSRP, which I am cool with paying, considering as a result of my patronage there have been more times than not that he doesn't even charge me for little stuff I don't have time to do, like tightening my hubs or adjusting my derailleurs/brakes if I screw them up.
That plus half the time shipping from an online company puts me right up to within a few bucks of what he would charge me at the LBS.
Now if I see a REALLY good deal online, and I know I can install the part myself, I will take advantage of it.
But supporting local businesses in your community is very important, IF they are worthy of your patronage.
Also- the "way more choices online" thing is not really true. Most shops have an account with Quality Bike Parts (QBP). I usually have LBS special order exactly what I want. I just bought an e.Thirteen Turbocharger bash guard and two Kenda Slant Six tires from my LBS who stocks neither of those things, and I paid maybe $50 more total than what I would have online.
Hubs are a pretty significant part of the expense of a wheel - actually the most expensive on fancier wheels - and spokes add some cost as well.
If you just had them change out the rim, $100 is not bad for the service. My local shops charge about $60 for a wheel build, which is pretty equivalent to their standard rate for an hour of work, so a lot of the time, I think it's actually a little cheaper than it would be to pay them for their time instead of a fixed fee. I'm sure I'd be a lot faster if I built wheels regularly, but as it is, it takes me at least the afternoon.
If you did just have them rebuild your wheel, I don't completely understand the reasoning. The HB-M475 is a better hub than the cheapest, but it's nothing fancy either - built wheels, either from stock or ordered from QBP - can be less expensive than buying a new rim and paying someone to rebuild a wheel with it.
This really depends on the wheel builder...
You wont have to touch a wheel if it's built right and if it's not, 100mi. seems like too much time
My $.02
^^^
Very true. 100 miles might be reasonable for a road wheel, but in off-road terms, that's a lot of banging around.
I prefer to revisit a truing stand with my wheels. But I'm not a commercial wheel builder. Usually, they haven't needed any attention. Strain relieving is an important step.
yeah, I always double-check mine, after a bit, but I'm so damn good at building wheels that a meteor once hit one ant didn't need truing one bit...ok, one spoke needed a half-turn - but THAT'S IT!
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