Heard a shop guy say wheel trueing is dying, got me thinking

Was picking up a cassette at a shop in Portland on Tuesday and overheard the mechanic telling someone that they barely get wheel builds anymore, everyone just buys prebuilt carbon hoops. He said trueing is becoming a lost skill. I've been doing my own wheels for like 8 years and honestly it made me wonder if I'm wasting time learning spoke patterns. But then he also mentioned he charges $65 per wheel for a basic true and still has a waitlist. Do you guys see custom builds slowing down or is it just the high end shops pushing prebuilt? Has anyone else noticed this shift?

1 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

1 Comment

williamw7523d ago

I used to figure trueing was on the way out too, then I actually tried to buy a decent handbuilt set last year and got quoted six weeks out from two shops. The prebuilt thing is real for sure, but the folks who want a wheel that fits them and lasts are still around, they just don't buy as often. That $65 and a waitlist tells you the skill isn't dying, it's getting scarce, which is a different problem. I'd keep at the spoke patterns if you enjoy it.

4