Hub gearing wheel rebuild advice

[lejogger]

Hi all, I've got a bit of a random question.

A colleague of mine bought a 'Real Classic' bike from halfords on the C2W scheme last year. It's a kind of Pashley copy with internal hub gearing.
Unfortunately she got hit by a chap on a mobility scooter and the rear wheel was severely buckled, and now Halfords want £150 to fix it. The bike only cost £230 new so this seems ridiculous. They've told her that they need to buy in a smaller size wheel and use the hub from that to build up a new wheel.
I obviously haven't spoken to them myself but a) I don't understand why they can't just source the right wheel in the first place, b) why there is an issue with the size of the wheel. She got the larger 19" frame but the wheels are still the standard 26". I would understand if they could only get a 700c and needed to build that hub into a 26" rim maybe?
She's told them not to do anything due to the cost, so now she's without the bike. She does have the number of the guy who hit her, but doesn't want him to have to pay over the odds.

Does anyone have any advice for what she should do or if an LBS would be able to sort it cheaper?

 

[festival]

Firstly, If the guy who hit her is at fault he should pay whatever the cost is to put it right.
I know these bikes and the quality is poor generally and would beware of spending to much on keeping it going as it could be uneconomical in time.
They import the bikes and to keep costs down, keep spares to a minimum, They are probably quoting for a better wheel from a supplier. While a s/a hub wheel is not unusual it is rare in the halfords range and probably only available to order from a supplier and not kept in stock.
Due to the cost of a s/a hub, when built into a cheap wheel its still far more expensive than the type of wheel found on a bike of similar price such as a town & trail or atb, so £150 is about right for something worthwhile.
Why not take the wheel to a good LBS for a quote on building a new rim on the hub?
Personally if its going to cost £150+ to put right I would put that towards a decent bike and apply again to C2W and avoid halfords.

 

[lejogger]

Personally if its going to cost £150+ to put right I would put that towards a decent bike and apply again to C2W and avoid halfords.

Our C2W scheme is with Halfords... I don't think that in itself is a problem as I've had two excellent Boardmans from them. It's about steering people clear of the crap the can sell and advising them on something that's a bit better quality.

Anyway, I would agree that the guy who hit her should pay... it's not her fault at all that she's in this position. Thanks for your advice

 

[simon.r]

If the wheel's buckled that would suggest that that the rim needs replacing, not the hub. A new rim and spokes and rebuild should cost well under £150 I'd have thought. I'm guessing now, but a cheap rim = £20, spokes = £20, labour = £10?