# Need Better Wheels?



## Northerngal (Sep 10, 2013)

I just bought my first new bike since jr. high, a Raleigh Detour 2.5. I know you're supposed to get a tune-up after the first month or so of getting a new bike, but the front wheel warped badly enough during the first 30 minutes riding that it rubs the brake pads and if I spin it by hand it will only do 2 or 3 revolutions. The problem is all in one area, about 5 inches on one side. The salesman says that it's just normal settling, but it just seems wrong to need work after a single ride. I admit, I'm not small, 5'7" and 260 lbs. Is he right or should I look for double wall rims/better brand, etc.? Suggestions?


----------



## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Sounds like you bought it retail? Have the shop fix it. Should be a warranty thing.

It might not hurt to have them retension both wheels. You might have to kick in some more money for that.


----------



## Mr645 (Jun 14, 2013)

Sounds like my first bike that I bought at Sport Authority. It was a decent Diamondback comfort bike, but after three trips to have them fix poor shifting and a rubbing front brake, and waiting 2-3 days for it each time, I took it to a nearby real bike shop and for $30 they fixed everything in 30 minutes.


----------



## Social Climber (Jan 16, 2013)

Wheel needs to be trued. It is a common adjustment although a new wheel should not go out of true so quickly. New wheels don't "settle." It may not have been trued correctly when you first bought it. Have them fix it. At 260 you may be close to or above the maximum weight tolerance for those wheels. Can you check the manufacturer's specs?


----------



## mikerp (Jul 24, 2011)

There will definitely be some settling with a factory built bike. No sense in buying new equipment, depending on where you bought it have the shop where you bought it true it up or take it to regular bike repair shop (if you bought it from a big box store that doesn't service).


----------



## Northerngal (Sep 10, 2013)

Thanks for the input. Bought it at a private sporting goods store with a service shop. Unfortunately I live in small town, USA and it's 90 miles to said, or any, bike shop. There is no lbs here. When I called them to ask about the wheel, they said they would tighten the spokes or an alternative was to trade up to a bike with double wall rims since I'm so far away and can't run in every other day for maintenance. Is he just trying to make a better sale or are double wall rims much better? It came with Weinmann CN520 rims, but I don't know how good those are.


----------



## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Double-walled rims are much better.

Weinmann is an old Belgian brand that got bought out by a Chinese company. While all their rims are inexpensive, some are perfectly good, depending on application, and some are not so good. Do you have rim or disc brakes?

If you get new wheels, spend the money to get a set with either sealed bearing or Shimano hubs. Sealed bearing hubs are relatively foolproof. Shimano still uses adjustable bearings, but they're pretty well executed from Deore hubs up. When other brands do adjustable bearings, they're typically (IME) pretty poorly designed and manufactured.


----------



## Northerngal (Sep 10, 2013)

It's got rim brakes. He wants to upgrade me to the Detour 4.5 for $200 more which has Weinmann XC260 Double Wall rims on it, as well as a few other bells and whistles. Others have told me to forget Raleigh and go for Trek or Specialized bikes with double walled rims. It's the wheels I don't want to have to worry about anymore, so thanks for the advice.


----------



## Northerngal (Sep 10, 2013)

They don't have weight limits on specific bikes listed, just types of bikes and said limit is 300, but I'm thinking I probably am close to the limit, so I'm looking at getting different wheels, either separately or by getting a different bike.


----------



## Randy99CL (Mar 27, 2013)

That is a relatively inexpensive bike so the wheels may not have been tensioned well from the factory. I'd get the wheels trued, they make be OK after that.
They do have 36 spokes so they should be good for your weight as long as the rims are strong enough.

Buying decent wheels will likely cost around $150 plus shipping so you may be better off upgrading to the better bike. 
These look good: Vuelta Corsa HD Road Wheelset - Road Bike Wheels / Wheelsets


----------



## Randy99CL (Mar 27, 2013)

I just compared the 2.5 and 4.5 and you actually get a lot for the extra $200. 

It's not good that the 2.5 is only 7-speed.
If you'll be riding on hills you'd probably appreciate the triple chainrings on the 4.5 because it has lower gears that will make it easier to pedal and more fun to ride.
The 4.5 may be lighter with the aluminum frame and fork; the 2.5 is steel. A lighter bike is easier to pedal up hills.
Otherwise, a lot of the components are better than what is on the 2.5, including the wheels. I think you'd be much happier with the 4.5 in the long run if you can afford it.


----------



## Northerngal (Sep 10, 2013)

Thanks.


----------

