New Wheels!

[SPHDS]

Finally got the Raleigh back on the road (after about 3 weeks of one problem after another - puncture, tear in sidewall, snagged brake cable, collapsed cable outer, worn pads f+r, snapped spoke, seized free wheel, it just went on and on!)

I took the wheels into be trued, get the freewheel and spoke replaced - all is now goodish - couple of seized spokes, but wheels far truer than before! Anyway shop said that the wheels was ok but getting tired, so would need replacing at some point - they said they could that they could do a basic set for about £25-35 each, or a good set for more like £70 each and there was not real middle ground - is this true - obviously I want the bike to be reliable, but those top end prices are a tad dear!

I am running 700x25's tyre wise - what do I look for wheel wise!

Cheers
Sam

 

[Radius]

Not really a middle ground no, and for £25-35 each not sure how good they'll be. Have a look at the Quest Como wheels though, they seem to get a good writeup and be strangely cheap... (~ £65 pair)

 

[gbb]

Well i was going to suggest the Tiagra (R500) wheelset as a reasonably cheap wheelset that looks ok.....but i see the prices have rocketed since i got mine
I got mine last summer from Fatbirds at Hunstanton on a special offer, about £68 the pair. I now see (not at Fatbirds) they're about £120 a pair, maybe £100. WTF happened

I had a cheapo rear wheel for my hybrid (700 x 28) cost about £25. Its 'ok', but i do have to adjust the cones and bearings quite often.
The Tiagras have sealed bearings, i use them on the winter bike and theyve been fine...although they do flex a bit.

 

[e-rider]

Unfortunately £70 per wheel is the middle ground - some would even say budget! You can get really decent wheels for £140 per pair if you shop about. Might be more than you wanted to spend though.

 

[SPHDS]

Righteo, thanks, £140 is more than I really want to spend, seeing as I got the bike for about £90 including postage off Ebay! Anything to look for or avoid on there!?! Well see how it goes!
Cheers

 

[e-rider]

sounds like that bike was in a poor state, especially if you paid a total of £90 - for that money you would at least expect to be able to get straight on and ride it!

What is the OLN of the rear wheel? Thats the size of the gap between the rear dropouts. Road bikes are now 130mm (13cm) but older bikes are often different eg. 126mm or 120mm (mountain bikes are 135mm)

You need to get the same as you have already, or what the frame was designed for, so measure it.

You also need to get one either with a screw fitting for the freewheel or for a modern style cassette. What do you have? You mentioned freewheel before.

Buying on ebay is risky, even more so if you're not an experienced bike mechanic. AND you rarely get a bargain on there!

 

[e-rider]

I think 140 quid for a set of wheels for this bike would be over the top! You can get a cheap set of wheels that will be OK for occasional use for £60 - check at your local bike shops rather than ebay, and try a few, don't just go to 1 and believe everything they say!

 

[e-rider]

if you're in bath try total fitness, AVC or john's bikes. I find john's bikes expensive and not very friendly. AVC has gone down hill recently and although total fitness is a good shop, their stock is limited. Try all 3 and see which can offer a good cheap set of wheels.

 

[SPHDS]

I've had the bike for about a year, without any real hassles - slotted it all together and off I went, a couple of punctures has been the about the sum total of the problems really, just never seemed to get round to sorting the wheels and brakes, until recently - it then just seemed to be one thing after another - which was the catalyst to get it all sorted, particularly when I noticed the snapped spoke and seized freewheel, making the bike unridable! Will have a scout about for prices - AVC have always struck me as a bunch of disorganised chancers, never been to Total Fitness, and John's has always been helpful when I've popped in - was quoted ~£35 to do the wheels - truing and new freewheel, but only charged me £23 as couldn't totally true wheels for me - but they are a damn sight better than before!

 

[e-rider]

You could also try City Cycles if it's still there. Although it's not a good shop, it might have a good stock of cheap wheels!