I purchased a used bike that was not kept in the best condition and the carbon wheels that came on it (bontrager aeolus pro 3) and need some help. I believe the bike was mostly likely kept outside for some of its life and I think it was also ridden in California. A combination of sun/salt has worn down the spoke nipples to a point where they even wore the paint off the rim. I would like to try and restore them back to like new condition. I know I can have the wheels rebuilt with new spokes and nipples but I’m not sure what I would do about the paint.

Is replacing the spokes and nipples something I can do myself and save some money versus taking them to a shop to rebuild? If so, I would probably end up taking them to a shop to true the wheels when I’m done. I’m not in any hurry as I have a replacement set on the bike right now.

Would you go ahead and replace all the spokes or just try to clean up the existing ones?

How would I find the correct replacement spokes/nipples?

What would you suggest I do to fix the paint/repaint?

I appreciate any advice/thoughts as I don’t have any experience with rebuilding wheels.

by Basketball1983

Share.

1 Comment

Leave A Reply