kmac27

I have a Trek Soho 1.0 2007 model and I have put about 6000-8000 miles on it and the rear wheel pretty much fell apart. I'm not sure if I want to buy a new hand built wheel for it since it is older and still has all of the original components on it except the cogs front and back as well as the chain. It will cost $230 to get a new wheel bought and put on.

My alternative is to buy a new bike and try to sell my Soho on craigslist. I am looking at the soho singlespeed since my area is pretty flat and a new bike with less components will be way less maintenance. Is this bike low quality since its only 500? or am I getting quality for this bike? The price at the bike shop is 550 which sounds good to me. I'm leaning towards the new bike. I'm open to opinions.

531phile 

$187 w/free shipping Awesome XT hub with bombproof Mavic TN719d disc rim wheel: https://www.universalcycles.com/shopp...0&category=245

I bet this wheel is way stronger/better than the one the shop quoted you.

You can go either way. If you are not too attached to your old bike, go new and sell the old bike and make some money back. Singlespeed is the way to go for commuting if you live in a flat area with less parts to replace/go out of wack. Singlespeed also means a lighter bike which makes it easier to accelerate.

kmac27

The tire is quoted at $200 hand built. They charge 30 dollars to switch it out. I'm not attached at all to it, I have had so many flat tires, broken spokes and problems with my brakes that I'm pretty tired of it. Its been in my room for 3-4 months while I have been walking to work instead.

Artkansas 

5-6000 miles is a lot for a wheel, but not for a bicycle.

If all other factors were equal, I'd say rebuild.

But it really sounds that what you want is a single speed and are looking for the excuse.

slcbob

Fix your bike, buy a singlespeed on CL, and have two and some money left over.

Why?
a) you're not sure you'll like the SS / Fixed life
b) you'll have options for various other rides

Finer points -- there are plenty of great wheels out there under $200, like the one 531phile (Reynolds-holic?) mentioned. While you're at it, I'd borrow a chain whip and cog tool and save the $30. If the shop is going to true and TENSION the wheel, then it's worth it. Otherwise, it's a 5 min job to swap the wheel.

grolby

Accelerating a 30lb bike from a stop in (say) a 36x19 gear is easier than accelerating a 15lb bike in a 46x19, and with the heavier geared bike you can upshift as you go. Nothing wrong with SS, but let's not be silly.

The Soho is a good bike. Even at $230, well worth fixing.

alan s 

My suggestion: (1) buy a new wheel online (or at LBS on sale), (2) buy the tools you need to replace the wheel (cassette removal/installation, disc bolt screwdriver (Torx) & tire levers - go with Park tools), and (3) learn to do the work yourself. Buying tools and wheel will cost about the same as your quote, and going forward, you'll have the tools you need to replace parts that wear out regularly.

monsterpile

To me it sounds like you are ready for your current bike to go, but I could be wrong. Based on that assumption here are some options you could choose from and obviously more.

1. Buy a new bike and you have already seleted one that would be fine. Sell your old bike on craigslist.
2. Buy a used singlespeed on CL and figure out what to do with your old bike sell it or whatever.
3. Put up an ad on Craiglist that you want to trade your Soho for a nice singlespeed.

#3 Might be a bit of a pain and you will get dumb offers, but you might also get a nice singlespeed from someone wanting something different. If you find the right person you might even get some cash back out of the deal or handy extra parts for the singlespeed. One nice thing is you don' have to spend any cash for what youwant. I picked up 2 pretty nice singlespeed mountain bikes for 1 Kona mountain bike a couple months ago. It ended up being a great trade for both of us so in one instance this work out well. Singlespeed 29ers might be a good thing to keep in mind also new, used or in a trade.

Commuting on a singlespeed is something I could easily do here, but I have decided to stick with gears. I don't rule out someday having a comuter bike thats a singlespeed. Whatever you decide hopefully you can resolve this so you can get out and ride. =)

exile

If you are not attached to the bike, then get something you will ride.

daven1986

Depending on how into bikes you are, you could learn to build your own wheel. Can be done pretty cheaply, and a good wheel doesn't take too long to do.

My answer to your problem is: repair AND get an N+1. There is always need for another bike

CACycling

kmac27

I have a fixed gear bike that was 300 bucks, but it has also had several broken spokes so I don't want to fix it since it cost so little and it is probably junk anyways. I rode it a lot, but since having so many bike problems I have been fed up with both bikes. My main reason for a new SS is that I want a bike with very little to go wrong, no derailleurs to go wrong, no shifters to screw up and just a smiple light weight bike.

My main concerns about a new bike is that I will be carrying about 20-40 lbs of extra weight and I'm not sure if many bikes can handle my 185 lbs plus extra weight without messing up the wheels. Most of my commute is flat ground so that isn't concerning. I just want a simple ride that is a good bike with little maintenance.

As for building and installing my own wheel I'd rather not. I've tried trueing wheels and it is very tedious work and I'd rather have someone else fixing the most important part of my bike to keep me safe.

My commute is pretty flat with one or two hills that aren't any steeper than 10%. I just want something simple, but also am not sure if I really need to spend the extra cash and try to sell the other bikes on CL.

What are the chances I can sell them anyways?

slcbob

If you've already made up your mind, go ahead and buy a new bike. But don't presume your new bike is going to have better wheels just because it is new. In the neighborhood you're spending, you'll still get a bike with some corners cut - possibly the wheels.

Your bikes might be junk. Or they might be good bikes where the manufacturer skimped on wheel parts or most likely wheel building and they're just snapping spokes because they're built like crap. If the latter, rebuild or replace with quality wheels and you're better off than you might be with another new bike. You say you're having a problem that's specific to one part, so fix the part. Heck, a fixed to SS conversion with a wheel swap is easy.

Again, spend the money and enjoy the new ride if that's what you want. But that's tangential to the problem you're raising.

monsterpile

It sounds like you should be looking for a more bombproof singlespeed maybe a 29er? I wouldn't get any wheels with a low spoke count if you are worried about that. You could run a lower tire pressure too. Maybe asking what would be a good commuter in the singlespeed fixed gear forum would be a good idea. It sounds like you legitimately ride alot so if thats the case stuff is going to break. If you want your bike to be more trouble free you probably need to sell both of your bikes or at least the Soho and spend a more on your next one or at least get a high quality wheelset. I would think your Soho would fetch a pretty decent chunk of money on craigslist even with its problems.

mconlonx

OK, so you want to trade your bike and get the Soho S? Here's the cheap way out: get a singlespeed wheel with a disk hub for your current bike. You got an eccentric bb, so you can adjust your chain tension--perfect for turning your bike into a ss. Probably part of why they made the bike the way they did--run it geared like it came, or convert it over to ss or IGH when the urge hits. Just like you're considering. Your bike would be like an uber-Soho S -- you'd be running disk brakes; Soho S is v-brakes -- for less than half the price of a new bike. If you really want to splurge, spend the money you would have spend on the new ss bike and get a matching wheelset--have some custom wheels laced up with some outrageous color aero rim.

The frame on your current bike is fantastic for messing around with different setups. A Soho S might actually be lighter with the v-brakes and no eccentric bb, but if you put the money into new wheels and maybe some other awesome mods on your current bike--hydraulic brakes...?---you'd have a way better setup than a stock Soho S.

PS: what size bike is your Soho, and if you're looking at ss Treks, have you given thought to the Earl...?

hubcap

I would spend the money to get a good rear wheel for your Soho. Get a good one and it will hold up to your use and weight. Then save a little more and buy a used single speed. If you are serious about commuting by bike, having multiple bikes on hand is highly recommended.

bhop

It doesn't sound like bikes are your problem, it sounds like crappy wheels are..

Seb71

The hub on that wheel can not be Shimano FH-M770 (Deore XT) like they say because that is a freehub without disc mount. Also, it can not be FH-M775. This has a disc mount, but Center Lock, not 6-Bolt like the hub from that link. It could be FH-M756 (older Deore XT freehub with 6-Bolt mount).

kmac27

I decided last night to not buy the new bike, but get the old one fixed. I am quite happy with it and I also learned more about my disc brakes and how to adjust them better. I've been saving for other things so I felt it was not a purchase of necesity to buy a new bike so I didn't.

My main decision factor was that I remember how noisy, crappy, and how fast v brakes degrade. I feel like my back tire is wobbly when I ride now. I'm not sure if its because I am getting use to the new wheel, if its because I haven't ridden a bike with free floating clip ins and instead I was riding the bike in the gym which had my feet on the pedals, not an spd. Or is it just getting use to how the new wheel handles?

Caspar_s

Turn it over and spin it. If you can feel a wobble, you should be able to see it. You can also check it is mounted properly. I don't see how a new, true wheel should feel wobbly - or how pedals should make it feel wobbly either.

Doohickie

You don't have bicycle problems, you have wheel problems. If you buy a new bicycle, you will be going through the same angst again in 2 or 3 years. The real solution is to buy better wheels for your current bikes.

gerv 

If there's left-to-right play, the hub cones might need adjusting.

ptle

I think you made the right decision. Buying a new bike will cost more and you'll still have cheap wheels. I did a quick search on Bikepedia and it looks the the components on it would be better than the ones on a newer $500 bike. Plus, you'll eventually have to deal with the cheap wheel problem.

Check if the wheel is out of true laterally, which is left the right. If that's fine, check the radial truing, which is up and down. You may have to take the tire off to check radial truing.

At our bike shop, we had one front wheel that had a hop in it, which was noticeable at high speeds. The wheel was trued radially and laterally, but still had a hop in it. The hubs were working smoothly. I don't know how this fixed it, but we took off the reflector and spoke magnet. The wheel somehow was fixed afterwards. I wouldn't think the weight of those two items would make a difference, but I guess it did.