I recently purchased a recognised brand name 700c (rear) wheel from a major high street store (not Halfords, the other big one).
My only concern at the time of purchase based on the description was whether it would take my existing 700x35mm tyre. As far as I could tell, everything else seemed to tick the right boxes... 700c, compatible with 8 speed cassette, etc.
On querying it with the shop assistant, as soon as I said it was for a hybrid, he immediately dismissed the wheel as totally unsuitable.
I was rather surprised by that, and wasn't convinced, and long story short, there were no other viable alternatives available at the time (from either them or from Halfords or anywhere else I could find at a reasonable price) and I wanted to get back on the bike, so I ended up buying it.
On arriving home, I checked with Sheldon Brown and various other sites, and the 17mm inner rim should have no problem with a 35mm tyre https://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html ... so my own concerns were allayed.
The wheel fitted fine, the cassette fitted fine, the gears didn't even need any re-alignment what-so-ever (I did use the spacer provided for an 8 speed cassette), and the wheel seemed to perform perfectly fine. The only thing I needed to do was adjust the brakes a little for the slightly narrower diameter rim. Fair enough I thought, that's reasonable.
Except...
.. after only two weeks usage (commuting) a spoke has just gone 'ping' ... straight road, no potholes, no debris. Out of the blue, just 'ping'. That's roughly only 150miles.
So a bit miffed, I've taken it back to the shop to get it fixed (or replaced) - I hope(d) - free of charge under guarantee / consumer rights. Still had the receipt.
But the same guy served me again, and remembered it being used on a hybrid, and started to try and tell me that ...
(very loosely paraphrased) 'yeh, the reason the spoke has gone is because you're using it on a hybrid'.
Now, I like to feel I know a little bit of physics (I do have some higher level qualifications, with good grades, in that and related subjects) and didn't want to be fobbed off, so I politely interrupted him, and said something along the lines of 'the spokes have no idea what type of bike is sat on the axle; what bike is attached to the wheel doesn't come into play in the spokes between the hub and rim'.
He didn't seem to change his mind on his claims, but seemed to back off to avoid a lengthy debate and said he'd book the wheel in for repair. I presumed he meant F-o-C under warranty / consumer rights, but I've just looked at the receipt he's given me, and it's got their normal repair fee itemised on it (not the £0 I'd expected)
We'll see what happens when I go to pick the wheel up.
But before I go back to pick it up, I would therefore like to double check whether I am missing something here... so that I'm properly prepared either way - (cash in hand ready to pay without any fuss if I'm wrong, or arguments prepared if they are) - if they do try to charge me...
I've just tried googling, and can't find anything that says there's an intrinsic difference between road and hybrid wheels that means they aren't interchangeable when the sizes are otherwise matching. e.g. on the basis of this person's answer, the wheel would seem compatible .. https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/ques ... and-hybrid
Is there something I'm missing?
I'm struggling to think what...
He started pointing to the nipples between the spoke and the rim, and trying to say the forces there were different between a hybrid and a road bike.
I mean surely the nature of how bikes work means that it is only the mass of the bike (and rider, etc) that comes into play being transmitted from the frame, through the hub, through the spokes, rim and then tyre.
And between the hub and the rim - i.e. through the spoke - I can't think of any reason why the lateral force trying to push the rim sideways while cornering (or anything else) would be any different between a hybrid or a road bike... again surely it is only the mass of the bike + rider that matters - not the nature of what constitutes that mass...
...both hybrids and road bikes, surely have to tilt the same when cornering... surely the lateral forces on the rim due to the tyre holding the surface of the road while cornering aren't going to be any different between a hybrid bike and a road bike for the same speed / tyre / total mass? (I mean what actually is the difference between such bikes? I thought the main difference was the drop handle bars(?))
Is there something I missing, and there genuinely is a valid reason why the spokes would be pinging on this wheel because I've installed it on a hybrid, when according to the shop it's only for a 'road' bike?
The bike is only being used on roads - I pass, and am frequently passed by, plenty of people on proper expensive unambiguous road bikes on my commute. There's no off road trails or anything. Just normal UK roads. So it hasn't been subjected to any terrain usage that a proper road bike wouldn't normally be subject to.
In fact, looking at it the other way... if I'd taken this same wheel, and same tyre and put it on a genuine road bike with drop handlebars, and done exactly the same commutes... same days, same start/stopping at lights, same corners, same roads, same speeds, same distances, same weather conditions... I just can't fathom how / why that would could be expected to result in any different sort of outcome for the spoke.
Anyone any ideas?
Thanks
Just to add... the same retailer doesn't even have "Hybrid" as a filter option in their 700c wheels section on their website... for 700c they only list ...
Other (1)
Road (106)
There's no specific mention of 'hybrid'.
I'm not at all convinced that there really is any real distinction - based on the retailer's own website / filters, it seems to me that they don't even distinguish 'hybrid' wheels from 'road' wheels themselves - except for the staff in this store.