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snottyotter
I posted on here for help about 2 months ago and thank to all that offered advice, just wanted to get this off my chest as the local bike shop have pissed me off again.
I asked them in May if they built wheels, they said they did so I dropped off the hubs and rims and left them to arrange the spokes. 2 months past by and I heard nothing so I went in to ask how it was going, I was told they couldn't get hold of the required spokes for the rear NDS, trouble with the distributer of DT Swiss... I walked away. Another month passes and I go back, this time the rear wheel is built except it is missing one spoke and they are unable to get the spokes for the front wheel but assure me the spokes are coming end of the week.
Every Monday I call in and they tell me the same and that it will be done by the end of the week. 5 months have now past. Finally I am told they cant get the spokes and that no-one has them anywhere - I ask for the lengths required, order them from SJS and return 2 days later to drop them off, explaining how annoying this has been.
2 more weeks go by and I am told my wheels are ready, I collect them, they spin nicely and I return home. I then notice that one spoke in the rear has about 4 threads showing. I ask on here and it is confirmed that this wont do - so I return the rear wheel, another week goes by, no news. Finally get a call saying it is sorted so I collect the wheel and bring it home and offer it up to the frame - it's dished waaaay over to the NDS.
I return to the shop the next day to say the dishing is out and the builder tells me he will pass it to their other shop where a more experienced wheel builder with all the spokes and tools will sort it out 'by the end of the week'.
One month passes and apparently the guy has 'snapped' a few of the spokes and is awaiting replacements... argh!!! the wheel has now been given to the mechanic's LBS in Orpington to be completely rebuilt.
Last week I collected the wheel and was refunded all the money I had paid, including the cost of the spokes they supplied - can't complain, though I wish they'd been more forthcoming with information from the beginning. I had noticed that the guy in the shop wasn't particularly confident and he knew he should have been doing a better job at communicating, I told him it was cool and that he just needed to be more realistic with timings and tell me it would be a month and not to keep saying 'end of the week' as he was relying on others and it was out of his control... I could see it was stressing him out and I wasn't really in a rush...
Lastly, and this is what has really pissed me off, I had dropped another bike off with them as they had said they were expert mud guard fitters and that this made up the majority of their workshop time - I had been fumbling trying to fit PDW under ultegra callipers and didn't really have the time so gave them the my other bike as well and told them that if the guards wouldn't fit with the ultegra to take the EE off the Parlee as they can be adjusted for greater clearance (eccentric bolt etc).
They told me that the guards couldn't be fitted under either calliper and gave me back both bikes. They'd re-fit the EE and I'm annoyed I didn't check the fitting myself at this point but the whole wheel build issue was still in its infancy.
I've put a few miles on the Parlee and now I have the oxic wheels I've swapped them out for the carbon/CK ones. I have just noticed that the rear calliper has been rubbing a little on the top of the tyre and the pads have been missing the brake track so I now have a scored line about 5mm below the carbon brake track on the rim :(