How much $ is reasonable...

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Annika

Annika

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...to expect to pay for a lace-up?

Say I unlace, paint a pair of front and rear rims, and walk into my lbs with the hubs, spokes and rims in hand.

I'm quite intimidated at the thought of lacing them back up myself, and I haven't the equipment or knowledge to tension/true them...ballpark, how much does it cost to have it done?
 
the guy i deal with here will lace and tru for $25 to tear down and tru back up $30.
 
jon said:
the guy i deal with here will lace and tru for $25 to tear down and tru back up $30.
Click to expand...


For the pair, or $25 per wheel?
 
its a minimum of $50 here at most shops.
expensive!
 
My LBS charges a dollar a spoke for building a wheel.

So...$36 to lace each wheel.

They also charge a dollar a spoke if they supply the spokes. They have a spoke cutter to make the exact size you need.

So to have two wheels built and have them supply the spokes you're looking at $144 plus tax.
 
I relaced a 20 inch bmx 36 (i believe) and I was trying to finish and ended up one spoke off in sequence and it just got ugly I haven't had the desire to mess with it again as it is still sitting on my bench and my Royce Union freestyle is looking unhappy wheelless in my tool room, Just pay the man geter done less frustration that way ,unless you have a place to work with no distractions and a decent setup to build it on.....and pray first :wink:
 
chimichanga said:
Geez! I guess I got a deal. To relace and true my wheels I paid 40 bucks and he supplied they supplied the spokes and nipples.
Click to expand...

Yeah man...that is a seriously good deal.

My LBS even advertises on my forum and that's what they would charge me...LOL!
 
My LBS treats me right too, paid as little as $20 to $35 per wheel at the most. and ive seen other places average $50 - 75 around here per wheel :!:
 
My LBS usually won't even touch a used/vintage rim. But $30-40 is the going rate for labor. I usually take the rim and hub to them to measure and buy the spokes from. I only have used the LBS to replace spokes and true my Xtracycle rims.
 
So I'm looking at anywhere between $30 and $150. :shock: LOL...wow.

I just don't have the guts to sit and try to do it myself. I read a tutorial and just glazed over a third of the way through. :lol:

Thanks....I think I'll ask around at a couple stores and see what they say, especially given the fact that we're talking about postwar wheels.
 
Just find a friendly shop more interested in making a repeat customer, stay away from high end bike shops more interested in selling you a bike than doing repairs.

$ wise ... sometimes it is ultimately cheaper to buy a replacement set of wheels (new or used).
 
You need to be retired at home all day with no kids and a spouse who works before you can become a master at wheel building. :wink:
 
Hm.


Ok, sooooo....


How about carefully masking off the nipples and spokes with cocktail straws so I can prime and paint the rims? Tacky? Destined for failure?
(My goal here is custom-colored rims....I've got a nice set of WWII rims in my sights that were once painted white and are now rusty).
 
that way has been done here a number of times with good results.

also the prices i stated were for spoke replacement too
 
CCR said:
that way has been done here a number of times with good results.
Click to expand...


Them's the words I REALLY wanted to hear. :D Would save me a ton, and would be more in-line with the amateur custom restore I'm doing.
 
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=518

bottom of the first page shows how kev masked his off ... and the results :)

ill see if i can find some others too, i know someone here used the "slitted straws" technique.
id think main point is to use tape where the nipple meets the wheel though. the straws just mask the length of the spokes and is easier to remove than a long length of tape on a skinny spoke.

edit - found it (or at least one of them)
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=12435&p=131675&hilit=straws+spokes#p131675
 
Exactly - that's how I pictured doing it. tape at the bottom, straw to protect the spoke. It will take FOREVER....but it beats lacing a wheel. ;) Thanks!
 

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