My wheels could use some love and as much as I’d like to finally get my head around wheelbuilding, I don’t really have the time at the moment. I’m a heavier rider who isn’t particularly gentle on my bikes, and I have a set of disc wheels that I use for commuting that need a tune (true, round, tension, etc.).
Can anyone recommend a shop and/or particular wheel guru who can get my wheels back into shape? I’m in Tianmu and would prefer to find someone around there, but can travel a bit for a good shop.
Oh yeah, and I’m rubbish at Chinese, so some level of English would be nice (but not essential). Thanks.
If you want someone that specializes in building and tuning wheels, there’s only one place in the city that does this and it’s Jie Lun. They’re a little farther from you over by Song Shan Airport, but it’s their specialty.
I haven’t personally gone there, but the entire cycling team goes there and have had zero complaints. Their only gripe is they are normally backed up and it takes up 1.5-2 weeks for a check-up or tune. No clue if they are able to speak English.
If you need a foot in the door, I’d be happy to help you out by giving them a call or FB message to ask.
To my knowledge, most stores will have a mechanic that is able to do a tune, so if you’re pressed on time and can’t make a trip to Jie Lun, you can try asking Auranden over on Tian Mu East Road across from Shinkong Mitsukoshi. They can speak English pretty well.
Awesome, thanks for the recommendations. I live right around the corner from that shop and had no idea it even existed. Guess I need to pull my head out of the sand and look around more. I’ll give them a shot and see how much abuse the wheels take before another round of treatment.
Unless you like doing it, probably not worth the money to buy one. 100-200NT for the service in which you might do 2 times a year? Nonetheless, if you don’t have any other means of transport to get to the bike shop if your wheel is deformed, it does make sense.
7 speed? Didn’t even know they went down to 7 speed.
You can give them an FB message and ask, they might be able to build one for you, but you’re better off searching for a used one. Probably cost you the same amount.
They’re not common, it’s an old design.Now most 7 speed hubs are used on cheap city bikes. I’d like to find out how much it would cost to have a set of basic road wheels with a 7s hub to make my Escape feel a bit more lively on the road. The frame is the right size for regular road wheels, but moving to 8s or more would force me to change everything xP
I was actually referring to a service for others. Before moving to Taiwan I worked in high-end bike shops in Colorado for around 15-16 years. Certified in wheelbuilding via DT Swiss and Campy.
I do enjoy building wheels, but haven’t had a reason/chance to do it in several years. Been here for 7 already so I’m out of the loop as far as the current tech. Kinda just thinking out loud.
That one is a 26" though, I need regular 700c size. But no worries, I’ll check on Ruten and in some of those stores that have old second hand bikes, maybe I’ll find something neat
Since you said the frame spacing is normal (130 mm?), you could always just throw a 7-speed cassette with a spacer on an 8-speed freehub body. Just make sure your limit screws are set so you don’t dump your chain.Though that should be done regardless of speeds.
The bike is a Giant Escape, wheels are regular 700c size, just a bit fatter (city bike). Haven’t measured the frame spacing, though, I’ll have a look at it when I get back home.
I wish I had a pair of cheap spare wheels at home to do some toying around, but at the moment I only have Shimano Sr31 wheels on my Defy and I don’t really feel like taking everything apart to see if they’d fit xD
Bit of a lurker around many parts of our little online community here.
Like I said, I’m out of the loop with the recent stuff, but still have some good old school knowledge. Haven’t been in the biz since I moved her 7 years ago.
Shameless plug for my buddy’s shop back in Colorado. Helped him open this around 2010 and it was the last shop I worked at. He’s since moved into a new building and splitting it with another friend who opened a microbrewery. Bikes and beers, what’s not to love?!
Correct if I’m wrong, but that’s a flatbar roadbike with a 3x9 drivetrain? What is your current setup on it? Your Shimano wheels should fit fine, but what cassette do you have on that? 8-speed and 9-speed use the same freehub body, but just different spacing between the cogs. The 9-speed just squeezes in one more, hence the narrower chain.
I have the 3x7 model of the Escape, and you’re correct, it’s flat bar. Wasn’t planning to do any upgrade so I bought the cheaper one to use for commuting and doing shopping, but I wouldn’t mind some lighter wheels and tires. If I had thought about in advance I’d have probably spent a bit of extra money to get the slightly more expensive model which comes with 3x9 (or 3x8…can’t remember).
I think you’ll be a bit hard pressed to find a decent 7-speed wheelset. I imagine they’ve been phased out with the 10 and 11-speeds nowadays. But like I said, you could just throw a spacer behind the cassette and run a 7-speed cassette on an 8-speed wheel. Would probably be your easiest route.
