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Found out the average shop charges $75 just to true a wheel, and it blew my mind
I was looking through some industry survey results from the PeopleForBikes shop data report last week. Apparently the national average for a basic wheel true is around $75, and a full tension and truing can hit $150 easy. I had no idea it was that high. I mean, I've been working at my local co-op for about 6 months now, and we charge way less, like $30 for a simple true. But it made me wonder if we're underselling ourselves or if the big shops are just padding their rates. I asked my coworker Dave about it, and he shrugged and said "supply and demand, kid." Has anyone else seen these numbers actually match what their shop charges, or is the report off?
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daniel_walker16d ago
It's wild but honestly that tracks with how EVERYTHING is getting more expensive lately. I noticed my local shop raised their labor rates by like twenty percent last year and said it was for rent and insurance. What gets me is that wheel truing isn't even that complicated of a job once you know what you're doing but they charge like it's brain surgery. Feels like shops are trying to squeeze every dollar they can out of simple repairs because the real money is in full builds and high end part sales.
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alex_johnson16d ago
Exactly what I ran into last year after my LBS quoted me $45 to true a wheel that was barely out of round. Bought a spoke wrench for $12 and watched a ten minute Park Tool video. Fixed it myself in like fifteen minutes. The trick is to go slow and only do quarter turns at a time, and don't touch the spokes that are already tight. Most shops know that if you can true a wheel, you probably won't come back for that service, so they price it to make it worth their time. If you've got a decent stand and some patience, it's one of the easiest skills to learn and saves you a ton over time. Have you ever tried fixing a simple wobble yourself?
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riley_taylor16d ago
My buddy Jason took his bike into a shop in Portland last spring and they quoted him $80 to true a wheel that had maybe a 2mm wobble. He watched a YouTube video on his phone in the parking lot, went home, and fixed it with a spoke wrench he already had. Took him maybe 20 minutes. He still brings it up every time we ride together.
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