Serotta makes headlines

On Sat, 26 Mar 2005 11:29:03 -0600, Tom Sherman wrote:


Why would the wheels need anything more than competent preparation -
this could certainly be found in the $1,000 price range from a good LBS.

Maybe this is just a matter of communication/terminology,

I would say that machine-built wheels would need more than truing and
stress-reieving. Instead they should be completely re-tensioned, dished,
trued, and stress-relieved. In reality they only come pre-laced. Most
shops would not consider this a reasonable thing to do for a bike costing
$1000, so it would be up to the buyer. For a $2000 bike I would expect
the wheels to be ready to use.

Most road bikes in the $1,000 range will have wheels with decent
quality hubs, spokes, nipples and rims.

It depends. Some of the hubs would be no-name, and the spokes would be
generic straight-gauge.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | And what if you track down these men and kill them, what if you
_`\(,_ | killed all of us? From every corner of Europe, hundreds,
(_)/ (_) | thousands would rise up to take our places. Even Nazis can't
kill that fast. -- Paul Henreid (Casablanca).

David L. Johnson wrote:
On Sat, 26 Mar 2005 11:29:03 -0600, Tom Sherman wrote:


Why would the wheels need anything more than competent preparation
-
this could certainly be found in the $1,000 price range from a good
LBS.

Maybe this is just a matter of communication/terminology,

I would say that machine-built wheels would need more than truing and
stress-reieving. Instead they should be completely re-tensioned,
dished,
trued, and stress-relieved. In reality they only come pre-laced.
Most
shops would not consider this a reasonable thing to do for a bike
costing
$1000, so it would be up to the buyer. For a $2000 bike I would
expect
the wheels to be ready to use.

Most road bikes in the $1,000 range will have wheels with decent
quality hubs, spokes, nipples and rims.

It depends. Some of the hubs would be no-name, and the spokes would
be
generic straight-gauge.

I've bought perhaps 5-6 pairs of machine-built wheels in the past few
years and paid betweem $40 and $200 per pair (new). All had Shimano
hubs, I think all had Wheelsmith or DT spokes. Bringing the tension up,
checking dish, stress relieving and tweaking the truing takes about an
hour per pair for someone like me who isn't terribly skilled. I would
expect all wheels to be inspected and gone over in a LBS-assembled
bike, it's not that big a deal. A $1,000 bike with no name wheel
components and untouched-by-human-hands wheels is a rip.

David L. Johnson wrote:


My road bike is a Habanero. The difference between that $695 frame
and a
Merlin or Litespeed are noticeable only by using serious instruments.
The
difference in weight is a few ounces (my frame comes in at 3.4 lb,
the
same size Litespeed Ultimate is 3.3, some other models get down to
3.0 or
a little below), but the difference in price is a factor of 5.

Sure, but at 4 or 4.5 lb, you can get a welded aluminum or steel frame
for under $100.

Check out Supergo, you can get a 105 equipped bike with Easton
Ultralite frame and carbon fork for $750.