# Strange Wheel Truing Price



## cycleman (25 Jun 2011)

I cycle in to the city of London. There is an independant shop there I use. It is in a prime location in a tourist area and the shop have numerous income streams other shops don't have, and 2 floors one of which has a showroom.

They stock top of the range bikes and accesories and even have thier own catalogue. I reckon they are turning over a high 6 or 7 figure sum and they have another shop out of London.

Anyway thier wheel true price which doesnt include any spoke replacement is £10 labour it's £20 including a spoke replacement.

I rang other places in south London where I live thinking I would get qoutes of a fiver and I got quotes of £17 & £20 from two LBS's and £14.99 from Halfords, these where all labour qoutes.

I was wondering why the place in the city was cheaper, I feel a bit too embarrased to ask them.


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## festival (26 Jun 2011)

£15 or there abouts is the usual price with additional charge for spoke fitting. 
Bear in mind your paying for time, if its going to take a skilled mechanic longer than a few minuets it generally beyond repair.

Some shops have the idea that a loss leader will create goodwill. Due to its location they may get a lot of this work from commuters and give the work to a junior.

Halfords do not employ skilled,qualified mechanics & you would be lucky to find one working in their branches.

Its a job that's simple to those who know, but too many places bodge it through lack of true understanding. 

Well worth paying a bit more if you are confident it will be done properly


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## cycleman (26 Jun 2011)

festival said:


> £15 or there abouts is the usual price with additional charge for spoke fitting.
> Bear in mind your paying for time, if its going to take a skilled mechanic longer than a few minuets it generally beyond repair.
> 
> Some shops have the idea that a loss leader will create goodwill. Due to its location they may get a lot of this work from commuters and give the work to a junior.
> ...



Thanks for your reply


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## cyberknight (26 Jun 2011)

Holy C**p what are those spokes made of , our LBS charges me a fiver to true a wheel.

You can keep on top of most of the wheel trueness yourself using your brake blocks as a guide anyway .


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## Brandane (26 Jun 2011)

cyberknight said:


> You can keep on top of most of the wheel trueness yourself using your brake blocks as a guide anyway .



+1. 

I basically re-built a wheel using the brake blocks as a guide. To start with just adjusted each spoke so that the tip of the spoke was level with the head of the nipple. The tension felt about right. From there it only needed small adjustments to get it true. Thanks to the Haynes bike book for the tip .


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## PpPete (26 Jun 2011)

£10 - £20 labour  to replace a single spoke....

My LBS charges £20 to build a complete wheel.

But replacing a single spoke and trueing a wheel is something you really ought to learn to do yourself.


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## Angelfishsolo (26 Jun 2011)

That's what mine charges 


cyberknight said:


> Holy C**p what are those spokes made of , our LBS charges me a fiver to true a wheel.


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## Dayvo (26 Jun 2011)

PpPete said:


> But replacing a single spoke and trueing a wheel is something you really ought to learn to do yourself.




I fully agree! It's not difficult and quick to do.

From novice to expert in minutes!


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## cycleman (26 Jun 2011)

cyberknight said:


> Holy C**p what are those spokes made of , our LBS charges me a fiver to true a wheel.
> 
> You can keep on top of most of the wheel trueness yourself using your brake blocks as a guide anyway .



Thats a great price. I think it's because your out of London it's cheaper. If a wheel is slightly wobbly it only takes between 5-7 minutes to true it. I went to a maintanence class so I have seen it done, and 15 quid for 7 minutes work can't be justified.

It's always worth having a go and if you find it too hard then take it to a shop as you have nothing to lose. If a wheel is really wobbly then I can see how it becomes problematic and take a lot longer


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## APK (26 Jun 2011)

cycleman said:


> Thats a great price. I think it's because your out of London it's cheaper. If a wheel is slightly wobbly it only takes between 5-7 minutes to true it. I went to a maintanence class so I have seen it done, and 15 quid for 7 minutes work can't be justified.




Whilst I partly agree, don't forget the cost is not just for the "mechanics" wages, presumably you spend a couple of minutes booking in?, then a couple of minutes paying? so suddenly those 7 minutes now look more like 15, so that works out at £60 an hour, less overheads/training etc having said that I would still like to earn £60 an hour!


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## Smokin Joe (26 Jun 2011)

In charging £20 to change a spoke and truing the wheel to a high standard the shop is not ripping you off, it's trying to stay in business. Overheads like heat, light, rates, wages all have to be paid for and bike shops charge an artificially low rate for repair work because people think of bikes as toys and won't pay a realistic price.

If you want a comparison, go the a garage and have the spark plugs changed on your car or ask a plumber to fit a tap washer for you.


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## HLaB (26 Jun 2011)

PpPete said:


> £10 - £20 labour  to replace a single spoke....
> 
> My LBS charges £20 to build a complete wheel.
> 
> But replacing a single spoke and trueing a wheel is something you really ought to learn to do yourself.



+1 Its been a while since I've took my bike to a shop but iirc it was £8 I was charged including the spoke. The last time I pinged a spoke (few weeks back) it was 65p for the spoke.


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