Originally Posted by
zandoval
Andy is right...
Rats!!! Your out a rear wheel, you have never built a wheel, and ya need a good strong wheel. I am still totally surprised at what wheels are costing with just a normal hub. There was a guy over in Austin that was bragging about building a wheel set for his tandem for less than 600 USD. That seems like allot of money to me especially if your building it yourself, but what do I know?
So the shop estimates a cost of 80 USD to assemble a strong wheel for you using your old hub. Lets see, a strong rim (50+ USD) with 36 heavy duty spokes (40+ USD) so taking it in for assembly about 170+ USD total. Actually that's not bad. Remember that you are doing all the foot work, ordering, and waiting for the items to arrive.
Having been 285 and restricted to ChroMo frames and suffering multiple popped spokes often for no reason at all I completely sympathize with you. Teaching yourself how to build a good strong wheel is truly rewarding and a skill you can use over and over as I do not see the cost of wheel replacement going down, ever.
I personally would buy another wheel on the cheap side 120 USD and ride it as I put my future bullet proof wheel together. Ya loose less ride time and can also take your time learning wheel building skills.
Also note that when I got down to about 250 I stopped popping spokes. Now at 240 I still remain diligent in keeping my wheels true. I use 14ga DT Stainless Steel spokes and take no short cuts on my wheel inspections. I can build wheels but prefer not to. I just order economical machine built wheels and then when I get them I loosen everything up and rebuild them slowly and carefully.
Hi Zandoval!
Thanks very much for your feedback! I didn't know at my weight it means then having to use only the 4030 Cro-Mo frames because the other types like graphite etc would crack or break? Really though I can't afford the titanium and graphite type of frames. My frame the shop said is from 1998. I just weighed myself and at 280.6lbs right now and lost 5lbs by eating less and juicing once a day. I've lost as much as 33lbs juicing 3 times a day when I first got my juicer, but gained it all back. I lost other times with other diets 27lbs, 21lbs, 12lbs and always gained back. I might have that gastric bypass surgery and this is my last attempt. I fasted 4 days and 6 hours, but got very constipated after that. If I don't lose enough by 3-15-22 I will then decide on the surgery... only they reduce your stomach size to the size of a chicken's egg and for the rest of your life you have to live on supplements high in nutrients so you absorb enough to stay healthy. The thing is I'm 68 and with my Bucket List I want to go around the world and take several years to do it with either an ebike or the bike I now have. Losing the weight eliminates a lot of other problems too, so a trade-off.
So you buy a cheaper wheel, loosen all the spokes, then tighten them again? Is that what you mean? Why do you bother to take the wheel apart... if that's what maybe you mean, and put it back together again. You do that for practice? The Cliffhanger wheel for $119 I see does have the islets in the spoke holes. They say it's a "workhorse" wheel, but will like you have had happening... the spokes with no islets will pop through as at times I carry about 60lbs of groceries. I also want to pull a CoHo X trailer and go camping. I would have to build my wheel and take it to a shop to have the final truing, only the first shop I went to last Tuesday for a free estimate, that mechanic said it's very difficult to build a wheel right, and even if you do 75% of the building time is the final truing. It's $60 to build a wheel in Minnesota, so I guess I'd only save 25% of $60 unless I could get parts for less than the shop. The second shop I go to I get a dividend return at the end of the year, either that or in-store credit at any time on any parts I buy. I guess I could buy my parts through them, save on the dividend return, and 25% of $60. The first shop said if I built it and took it to them for final truing that they would not give their warranty, but I never asked the second shop that question. I still might buy a ready-made rear wheel, but not sure as I'll see what others say. Thanks very much for your feedback!!
Carpe Diem!
Winfred