Mismatched wheelset: What would you do?

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AW84
Posts: 199
Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2014 7:04 am

by AW84

I don't want to mention the brand name here on the off-chance that their staff reads this forum, but I recently had a wheel warranty issue arise that resulted in the manufacturer shipping out a whole new wheel - a great thing until I realized that at some point in time they made a slight change to the carbon rim finish, making it obvious-as-can-be mismatched with the front wheel. Because I intended to sell the wheelset, said company has significantly diminished my resale value (because who's going to pay a grand'ish for a mismatched set of higher-end wheels?). What would you all suggest/do in this situation?

by Weenie


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AJS914
Posts: 5397
Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:52 pm

by AJS914

I often see wheels sold as singles on ebay. I'd go that route. You may get more than you thought as one wheel is brand new.

AW84
Posts: 199
Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2014 7:04 am

by AW84

AJS914 wrote:I often see wheels sold as singles on ebay. I'd go that route. You may get more than you thought as one wheel is brand new.


Unfortunately, these aren't Zipps or deep sections that a TT rider might be pairing with a different wheel, so they'd all but assuredly need to be sold as a pair.

AJS914
Posts: 5397
Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:52 pm

by AJS914

I wasn't even thinking about a TT. If someone damages a wheel and needs a spare they will probably like to just buy the one they need.

victorduraace
Posts: 230
Joined: Thu Jul 14, 2011 10:10 pm

by victorduraace

Yes, do it on slowtwitch ebay etc. Someone might need crash replacement. Or ask manufacturer to replace it if unused.

Multebear
Posts: 1395
Joined: Sat May 02, 2015 10:11 pm

by Multebear

Depends on how noticable the difference is. But why would you sell them? Do you just want something newer and fancier? Or are they climbing wheel, and you decided, that you're not going climbing any more?

PrimO
Posts: 144
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2014 8:49 pm

by PrimO

Why not mention the manufacturer and post a picture of both wheels so as to allow others to compare the difference in finish? I'm sure Mavic or Fulcrum or Shimano or any of the bigger wheel manufacturers wouldn't really care too much. They sent you a replacement wheel which just happens to be a slightly different finish to the original as that's the current finish type for that wheel. Its not something they will need to apologise about. You could send them back the other wheel and ask if they'll replace it too with the newer version...

GambadiLegno
Posts: 67
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2016 10:26 am
Location: Spain

by GambadiLegno

IMO it would be useful to know the brand. I'm agree that you could try to sell it as it is, there's always someone looking for these type of things.

2 years ago I sold a Powertap rear wheel which needed to be repaired and I didn't want to pay for it, so a guy paid me 100 € and he took it to the Powertap Service.

by Weenie


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antonioiglesius
Posts: 290
Joined: Sat Oct 15, 2016 9:08 pm

by antonioiglesius

OP: Have you talked to the manufacturer about this? What did they say?

To me, a high cost wheelset should be accompanied by good customer service, which means both the wheels should have been replaced. If it doesn't cost as much (which is subjective), then I can imagine a college racer might be willing to ignore the mismatch. If there's one thing I learned about cycling, it's that aesthetics matter a lot, even if the cyclist doesn't admit it...

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