Spoke wheel debacle!

[pieter.oneill]

Hi all im usually in the gs section but id like some opinions on this issue. Ive just been to pick up a my 19inch harley sportster front wheel from a company that does spoke wheel refurbs local to me in staffordshire. I dropped it off a week ago and when i went to pick it up today i was shocked at its finish,i told him that powder coating is crap looks like they have gone straight over the rusted bits, when i questioned it he said ah yeah its because the some pitting and there were some rough parts.....i said yeah i know....thats why im having it refurbished!. I have a 21inch wheel that i had done two years ago, used to be chome now black and that company did a lovley job it was like new.
Anyway the more i look at it the worse it gets, take a look at the pictures mostly concerend now about how the spokes sit in the hub as they dont seem to be seated right checked my 21" thats on the bike now and they are spot on.
Opinions appreciated cheers

 

[pieter.oneill]

I should add i was told money had to be paid upfront before work could be done which i dont usually do but was told if i dont come back for the wheel hes stuck with a wheel i thought fair enough, £235 i paid for that work for reference.

 

[GTMorgan]

My opinion, very shoddy work on both the powder coating and the wheel building by the look of it, those spokes which are sitting proud can't be seated properly surely?
If the rim was pitted after blasting, presume they've been blasted, surely a call should have been made to warn of extra charge for more prep work.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Hi all im usually in the gs section but id like some opinions on this issue. Ive just been to pick up a my 19inch harley sportster front wheel from a company that does spoke wheel refurbs local to me in staffordshire. I dropped it off a week ago and when i went to pick it up today i was shocked at its finish,i told him that powder coating is crap looks like they have gone straight over the rusted bits, when i questioned it he said ah yeah its because the some pitting and there were some rough parts.....i said yeah i know....thats why im having it refurbished!. I have a 21inch wheel that i had done two years ago, used to be chome now black and that company did a lovley job it was like new.
Anyway the more i look at it the worse it gets, take a look at the pictures mostly concerend now about how the spokes sit in the hub as they dont seem to be seated right checked my 21" thats on the bike now and they are spot on.
Opinions appreciated cheers

Who did they employ ?

Stevie Wonder ?

 

[squibb34]

clearly a rubbish job. Somebody has rushed the lacing process. However the devil, as ever, is in the detail. If the rim & hub were obviously corroded, surely corrective surgery &/or rim replacement would have been discussed when pricing the job?

Then the spoke lacing - it's difficult to assess from the photos, but are the holes in the hub all drilled at 90 degrees, or is there some form of slight angle offset. Whatever, it should be possible to correct the sit of each spoke that protrudes, which probably relates to surplus powder coating, but that still leaves you with the poor prep question.

What would I do - probably buy a brand new rim & start again. How you choose to negotiate a whole or part refund depends on the accuracy of your instructions at the outset.

This should give you an idea of the cost, or check various videos on-line if you fancy trying your hand at the dark art DIY: -

https://central-wheel.co.uk/collect...KuIoSNA66zIO1cyfBeL3vGK44WcEFPyPPwI_warDLNGRW

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Central Wheels do a great job

If you want old school perfection, then Roy Theresby st Stockton does a great job

Both make their own spokes from scratch

 

[pieter.oneill]

Cheers for the detailed responses at least im not second guessing myself, discussion of works was as simple as taking him the wheel and telling him i wanted it fully refurbished that to me means comes back as close to new as can, im not able to assess the wheel in terms of whats involved thats why i took it to him, if he said "ah pal we got to do an extra few hours prep work before that gets powder coated" becuase of this,that an the other id have said yeah no worries. Seems to me a difference in finish i think hes working on, looks better then it did when i started and me comparing a job i had done previously with a different company who were about the same price so i didnt think ah this is much cheaper lets hope for the best.

With regards to how those spokes sit in the hub are they likely to cause an issue or move if i were to run it on the bike?

 

[Fireflyer]

I have no expertise in wheel lacing but the visuals certainly don’t inspire confidence any more than the finish of the powder coating.

Hope it wasn’t Central Wheels as I used to always go to them when I was close by and at the time their knowledge and workmanship was second to none.
It would be a shame if things have slipped, but it just doesn’t look like anything they would let back out to a customer.

Would be nice to read the final outcome on how it gets resolved

 

[pieter.oneill]

Not central wheels, im choosing not to share the name as hes a small business as am i and dont want to tarnish a mans business based on one interaction, i am just weighing up to cut my losses or get on the blower to discuss options to rectify, sometimes that can be more hastle then its worth. Luckily its winter so i was doing this little project while shes laid up till sunnier weather so plenty of time, i was thinking of putting it on and then seeing how much it bothered me but then seeing the spoke to hub connection i dont want things moving and becoming unsafe. Cheers for all the replys its been most helpful putting it in a order and knowing it is clearly a poor job.

 

[Oldrat]

Shite job, I’d be grumpy about that too.

 

[parkys100]

Crap finished ,my Van Van wheels.Before and After.Trestan finishers Southampton did the powder.My first attempt at Moto wheel building.I have built lots of velo wheels .

 

[squibb34]

With regards to how those spokes sit in the hub are they likely to cause an issue or move if i were to run it on the bike?

The spokes that protrude or don't sit correctly all need adjustment. Assuming (a dangerous word) the spoke angles were each set correctly, I would suggest it's a case of gently clearing each spoke hole in the hub with a drill, one by one, to clear any excess powder coating, then refit, seat & re-tension the spoke. Once all correct, check the rim remains true & adjust as necessary.

According the info I can find readily, the Hub and Spoke Specifications, the 19'' rim has a 40 hole design, but there are several variations: -

• Hole / Barrel Diameter: Fits standard Harley-Davidson big/small tapered or straight barrel spoke heads (typically 5 mm / 4 mm inner flange drilling depending on inner vs. outer orientation) [1]

• Spoke Thread Size: Usually 8G-32 [1]

• Lacing Pattern: Standard 4-cross pattern for stock 19-inch front wheels [1]

• Stock Spoke Lengths: Typically use offset lengths like stock Harley numbers 43024-73C and 43025-73C (long and short inner/outer mix), roughly 8.5 inches depending on exact year and single/double flange setup. [1, 2]
• Bend / Head Angles: Inner and outer spokes feature slightly different elbow/bend angles so they seat flat against the hub flange without putting lateral shear stress on the threads or nipple beds - usually between 75 & 95 degrees (check against old spokes)
• Tension - the official factory specification for tightening Harley-Davidson wheel spokes is 40 to 55 inch-pounds (4.5 to 6.2 Nm)

 

[pieter.oneill]

Thats alot of technical info and differences in there. thats why you rely on others skills within that field, like all trades not everyone cares enough to do it well, i could have imagined handing that to someone and saying here is your fully refurbished wheel

 

[dommiek]

The finish is awful, looks like the rim on my old 300 Rally after 1,000's miles of offroad.

 

[pieter.oneill]

dont hold back. I agree i think they thought i wanted artex finish

 

[MikeS]

Not central wheels, im choosing not to share the name as hes a small business as am i and dont want to tarnish a mans business based on one interaction, i am just weighing up to cut my losses or get on the blower to discuss options to rectify, sometimes that can be more hastle then its worth. Luckily its winter so i was doing this little project while shes laid up till sunnier weather so plenty of time, i was thinking of putting it on and then seeing how much it bothered me but eventhen seeing the spoke to hub connection i dont want things moving and becoming unsafe. Cheers for all the replys its been most helpful putting it in a order and knowing it is clearly a poor job.

You have my sympathy, I would be gutted with that result and I would definitely be taking it further with the guy who did it. Is that wheel even safe with the spokes like that. I wouldn't risk riding it. Hopefully someone on here with spoked wheel expertise might take a look. I would ask Mikeyboy for his opinion .

 

[BillWright]

I don’t suppose you paid in advance, dodgy in itself, with credit card?
You could go down the route of the Section 75 insurance.

 

[Smartbazza]

Quality is terrible.

IMHO I would bring I back and discuss the finish and the spoke alignment. It’s a good starter as he may resolve it.

Put the gun in the holster for now.

Barry

 

[theoneandonly]

fuck me , that really is a shit job . did it even get blasted first ?
go back and show him the other wheel , and say that this is what you were expecting back.
NEVER PAY UP FRONT. a good tradesman won't need the money up front.
in 15 years of being S/Employed i don't think I've EVER taken money up front .

i'd give Sid a kick up the arse !

 

[pieter.oneill]

Yeah, ive only taken deposits on big jobs or where i book a lot of time out for it, he sold me a sob story about how someone brought in pair of wheels for loads of custom work then after done never bothered to come and get them. Only couple hundred quid so thought ok,but yeah im getting on the blower to him tomorrow, i dont think that wheel even saw a bit of hand sanding let alone sand blasting before powder coating.im basically going to ask for it to be re done as i dont think the spokes are seated right either