Wheel build - hard? Time?

[swee'pea99]

Just how hard is it to build a wheel? And how long does it take?

 

[accountantpete]

It takes a lot of experience to do a good job. Truing involves getting the wheel right both horizontally and vertically at the same time - if you tighten one spoke it will affect both dimensions. On top of that the spokes need to be at the correct tension.

Personally I reckon you could build a wheel in 4 -5 hours that will get you from a to b ok but the key area for a good wheel is spoke tension and this only comes from experience.

I'd bet most people who start with good intentions pack it in as soon as they realise what is involved.

 

[Wobbly John]

My next door neighbour used to have a bike shop and is Mavic certified, he reckoned he could lace a wheel in 15 minutes while reading the paper - I've had one wheel built by him - never again.

The LBS that I use, the mechanic loves building wheels. If I want a wheel trued that I need to rely on, I take it to him - he loves building wheels - he will work on it until it is as good as he can get. He charges peanuts.

The last half dozen wheels I've had I've built myself. It takes me an evening (3 hours) to build a pair. I've ridden through the night and time trialled on wheels I've built, but I trust LBS shop more than myself.

Basically, it all depends on trust.

<Dirty Harry> "D'you feel lucky, punk? D'you?" </Dirty Harry>

 

[hubgearfreak]

[quote name='swee'pea99']Just how hard is it to build a wheel? And how long does it take?[/QUOTE]


are you looking for encouragement to have a go?

do it - your first wheel will take about 6 hours.
it is very satisfying work and you'll get quicker after the first few.

 

[Theseus]

You can build a reasonable wheel following Sheldon's instructions in a few hours. Take your time and do it methodically. An important start is after you get all the spokes laced to get them all to the same starting tension. I do this by using a flat head screwdriver to do them up and let the spoke push the screwdriver off the nipple. When all the spokes are like this I then start going round the wheel giving them all a half turn until they get to about the right tension. Truing the wheel from this point should just involve quarter to half turns of the nipples. Do not forget to slack off spokes on the opposite side to the ones being tightened.

 

[jimboalee]

My summer project is to rebuild the steel wheels on my Apollo County Sturmey bike with DB S/S spokes.

It might take a while.

72 days.....

 

[jimboalee]

You can build a reasonable wheel following Sheldon's instructions in a few hours. Take your time and do it methodically. An important start is after you get all the spokes laced to get them all to the same starting tension. I do this by using a flat head screwdriver to do them up and let the spoke push the screwdriver off the nipple. When all the spokes are like this I then start going round the wheel giving them all a half turn until they get to about the right tension. Truing the wheel from this point should just involve quarter to half turns of the nipples. Do not forget to slack off spokes on the opposite side to the ones being tightened.

This is the correct tool.

 

[normgow]

The hardest part of wheelbuilding is getting the rim concentric to the hub. Once you've done this it's then time to concentrate on the sideways movement. For a beginner it can be frustrating but be patient, take your time, think about what you are doing and wheelbuilding can become a very rewarding pastime. There are lots of books and websites to help but as a beginner don't try to start building a wheel on Saturday evening that you will be needing for Sunday morning.

 

[swee'pea99]

Thanks all - very helpful input. Still not sure whether to go for it..the kids make spare time a bit scarce, and I'm not necessarily Mr Patient...but I might give it a go. Hmmm...

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

My next door neighbour used to have a bike shop and is Mavic certified, he reckoned he could lace a wheel in 15 minutes while reading the paper - I've had one wheel built by him - never again.

Lacing the wheel is no problem, its the bits after.

It's not hard, but you do need to know what you are doing. I built my first wheel using a frame as a wheel jig, old rigida rim onto an old SA hub, copying an identical wheel.

I got it "about right" and that gave me the confidence to build wheels again. I did get better and ended up working for a while as a wheelbuilder knocking up some expensive wheels, the one I remember most was a set of seriously sturdy wheels with top-notch rims, hubs and spokes for a tour of Afghanistan (it was more than a few years ago!!)

Point being, I wouldn't have wanted to START building wheels on those expensive sets.

Basically, it's easy with a little practice and the right tools (I used my CDT GCSE to design and build a wheel jig since I couldn't afford a proper one)

As mentioned above, the sideways movement is easy to correct, the difficult bit is getting it cocentric.

I haven't built a wheel for 14 years, and when I came to re-tension my road bike's rear wheel (which was in a dire state), I struggled a little getting it right without making it "egg-shaped"

Its definitely a skill worth teaching yourself - but don't use top-notch kit to learn on. I'd suggest scrounging a pair of old wheels and re-lacing them, doing the front first, then moving onto the rear and worrying about dishing.

Oh - another thing that you might overlook..

Once it's done, and perfectly true in all dimensions, hold the wheel against your waist, with hands holding the rim at the opposite side, then try (not too hard) to "bend" the rim. The music of spokes pinging into place (they kind of "nest" where they cross) will be heard, then your wheel will have a little wobble again, and it's time to repeat the truing process.

Seems gutting to get it near-perfect then ping it all "out of shape" but if you don't, as soon as you put it on the bike and apply pressure to the pedals, you'll start hearing spokes go "ping" at that point.

 

[Theseus]

This is the correct tool.

Fine if you have access to a grinding machine to make one from, what appears to be, an old cross head bit. For those of us that don't, a flat head screwdriver does the job nicely, for me this is the correct tool.

 

[Sam Kennedy]

I took a wheel apart and built it again. Taking it apart took about an hour (it had 36 spokes, with nipples made of cheese(haha only time I get to say that while making sense!))

The actual lacing only took maybe 30-45 minutes, its the tensioning and truing which takes bl@@dy ages. I did it over 2 days, maybe 5 hours total time. 75% of that time was simply dish, radial true, lateral true, repeat. The wheel is now within about 0.25mm true, which I think is good enough since I have never built or trued a wheel before.

 

[PpPete]

.25mm ?
That's excellent for a first time job on recycled components Sam. Well done.
If your tensions are even that will last a long time.
Sorry to bang on about even tensions... but it is as important as getting it true.

Swee'Pea.....GO FOR IT!

 

[Sam Kennedy]

0.25mm was about as close I could get the pen to the rim without hearing a more or less continuous scrape, and I couldn't be bothered to try and get it any more exact.
The dishing is probably 3-5mm out though, after tightening and loosening 36 spokes, 3 times in a row, you would have to have OCD to do it a fourth time!

Swee'Pea, you really should try it! It makes the hours fly by!

 

[John the Monkey]

Sweepea, it's a process - follow it (however long it takes) and you should end up with something that's at least "good enough" if not top notch.

I highly recommend Roger Musson's ebook - it's brilliant for a first build, stepping you through each stage in a clear & informative way & has plans for a home made truing jig (I made mine from leftover bits of kitchen cabinet). The wheels I built using it took me on tour through France & Belgium (over some pavé too!) and are my current commuting wheels.