[gorilla520]

Morning! I'm new to Ridemonkey and just re-entered the mountain bike 'scene'. Anyways, I just bought a new bike ('08 Specialized Rockhopper comp) 2 weeks ago. I wanted a hardtail that felt comfortable, was durable with good components and was from a reputable bike shop. I got all of that after shopping around for a few weeks, and if anyone from around here is from Connecticut, I fully recommend Vernon cycles... great guys there!

Anyways, I've been on 3 good singletrack rides since bringing the bike home, and have been very impressed with my new ride. I am 5 foot 20 and 265 lbs, so I take it relatively easy on the bike, not wanting to induce any breaks/cracks until I learn how to ride smoother and hopefully drop a few pounds.

My only complaint/problem is the rear wheel. It went out of true after my second ride, but the guys at Vernon cycles were very quick to take it back in, re-true it (at no cost) and send me back out on my way. Since getting it trued, I took another ride and now, although the spokes are all still good and tight, the wheel has picked up a slight 'wobble' when spun. Is this normal? I remember as a kid riding bmx my wheels usually wobbled, but I figure with a much more advanced ride the wheels just shouldn't sway from side to side. Admittedly, I'm probably heavier than any bike designer thought a rider of this (or any bike) would be, but the wheels have double-wall rims and I was under the impression this meant they could take more than the average set of wheels. If this sounds like it will be a repeating issue, I would appreciate some recommendations on a possible spoke/rim upgrade for the future.

Thanks guys, sorry for the long post

 

[Wumpus]

If you rode the wheel with some loose spokes, you have probably put a irreversible bend(wobble) in the rim. If it isn't bothering you while riding then I wouldn't worry about. The only problem would be if you have rim brakes.


You are a big guy so you might want to save up some money and get a nice custom wheel built for your size. Since you like your local shop, I'm sure they can steer you in the right direction.

 

[sanjuro]

I despise machine built wheels. I have several machine built wheels with top-of-line components (Mavic 717/DT 4.2d/XT hubs/DT hubs) that go untrue and need to be rebuilt in one season.

As someone who has built hundreds of Rockhoppers and similar priced bikes, the components are not as high quality and they are machine built.

The answer is simple: replace the wheel with a handbuilt wheel. You can reuse the same hub, but choose a better quality rim which is also appropriate for your weight and riding style. A Mavic 721 or DT 5.1 is my choice, but price at over $90 a rim. A WTB Laser Disc is cheaper at $60 and a Dual Duty FR is $40. I would also get new spokes, DT of course.

The key is getting a good wheelbuilder to do it for you. When I build my own wheels, I expect 3 seasons at a minimum.

 

[gorilla520]

Thanks for the responses-I'll look closer into getting wheels built for my size, most likely over the winter or next season. I think what I'll do, though, is sell the wheels as they are to help pay for new ones and just buy everything for the assembly. Being so big, I don't mind a little heavier bike if it means not having to worry about it, and I think I'll end up choosing components built to take more abuse rather than save weight, maybe even downhill/freeride specific. I'm becoming addicted to the sport, and after a 3 hour ride the other day I was bummed to find a few loose spokes again. I tightened em up when I got home, though I realize this is most likely pushing the wheel further out of true, meaning I'll be back at my bike shop soon asking them to re-true it. Anyways, I appreciate the parts suggestion, I'll look into those more and figure out a way I'd like to have my wheels built, then maybe run it by one of you guys to see if my make-up makes sense for the type of riding I'm doing. I'm assuming a good pair of built wheels could be tranferred onto whatever bike I'm riding primailry in the future so long as the build fits the style riding? Makes me think it's worth going taking a little bigger hit to get something better than I might need right now.

 

[Wumpus]

You might as well learn to true them yourself...they are going to keep going out of true quickly now.

If you have v-brakes, you could just use the pads as guides.

If you have disc, you can put a ziptie on the seatstay to use as a guide.

 

[fffuusky]

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