Can you buy cheap Shimano wheel spares?

FatCycleRider
FatCycleRider Posts: 58
edited March 2013 in Workshop
I've just cleaned my bike and noticed that there was a rattle coming from the rear wheel. I suspected the bearings so I took the axle out. The drive side bearings seals had obviously let water in as the grease was gone and the bearings had some rusty water on them. The bearing race on the freehub is worn and so is the cone. The answer is obviously a new freehub and right-hand cone.

The wheel is a Shimano RS20. I bought them as a set a couple of years ago for £120. However, a new freehub is £34.99 and a new cone is £5.99. It shares the same hub as the RS10 and RS30. Those parts alone are more than half the price price of a new RS10 back wheel (£72.50). Why are the wheels spares so expensive?

Any idea where I might get the parts cheaper?

Comments

  • majormantra
    majormantra Posts: 2,094
    Worth checking the German shops (Rose, Bike Discount etc.) for Shimano parts. The reality though is that companies like Shimano are more interested in selling wheels than spares. That said, their hubs are very good, and if your service them often enough to avoid that kind of damage they last a long time.
  • FatCycleRider
    FatCycleRider Posts: 58
    I've tried Rose and Bike Discount but they don't seem to sell them.

    I'm tempted to run the wheel into the ground as the rims don't seem to have much life left looking at the wear indicators.
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    I suspect you've just answered your own question. I'd stick some new ball bearings and a load of grease in them, and run them till the rims are worn out.

    I do a yearly strip / clean / regrease of my RS10 hubs. So far so good. Rims are going to wear out long before the hubs.
  • FatCycleRider
    FatCycleRider Posts: 58
    I'd done 1,600 miles in the last 10 months since I last replaced the hub bearings. I think I was just unlucky that the seal had been compromised.

    The wheels have only done 4,100 miles. Don't think the rims will exceed 6,000. Maybe my brake pads are too abrasive?
  • ukg3pxc
    ukg3pxc Posts: 37
    just to let you know i have a pair of almost new rs30's with two damaged rims. the hubs and spokes are near perfect. message me if your are interested. i was keeping them for spares myself but could be willing to send for the right price ;-)

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