Wheel building Q

[j_whyte]

HI, I have a giant hardtail bike and i'm planning on upgrading the stock wheels it came with.
Here are my questions:

1. Is this enduro style rim a good choice for someone wanting a strong but relatively light wheel for XC/ trails in the south east? http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/product/116608.html

2. On a rim like the one linked above will using aluminium nipples create problems with the metals sticking together? I will be using stainless steel spokes.
Thanks

 

[RedBike]

1. No, thats a very wide (21mm) heavy freeride rim. Smething from the XC series thats only 17mm wide, (XC717) should do. Or if you want a really strong rim at the cost of weight move up to the All mountain range (XM) and maybe even 19mm width XM919

2. Not a clue sorry. I would of thought aluminium nipples with aluminium rims are likely to sieze together due to corrosion. Maybe you need to use a brass washer with them? I've only ever used nickle platted brass nipples.

 

[barq]

I can't give you a good answer to question 1, but 21mm width is on the very wide/strong side. Depends on your riding style, weight, and the trails in question. Are you talking big drops here? Are you going with the 32 hole or 36 hole version?

Aluminium nipples: Unless you have a good reason don't bother. They don't save much weight, you can strip the thread and because they seize it is easy to round them off. If you go with them use a spoke prep (e.g. DT) and a quality spoke wrench which connects with all four sides of the nipple.

 

[spandex]

No

You need Mavic xc rims, DB spokes with Sapim or Dt nipples I would go for sapim nipples and spokes if it was me...

 

[spandex]

I can't give you a good answer to question 1, but 21mm width is on the very wide/strong side. Depends on your riding style, weight, and the trails in question. Are you talking big drops here? Are you going with the 32 hole or 36 hole version?

Aluminium nipples: Unless you have a good reason don't bother. They don't save much weight, you can strip the thread and because they seize it is easy to round them off. If you go with them use a spoke prep (e.g. DT) and a quality spoke wrench which connects with all four sides of the nipple.

Whats that???

 

[j_whyte]

Thanks for the advice, I think it's saved me spending money on rims that would of been way too wide. I don't plan on doing any racing, but then again i don't expect to only ride on flat surfaces. No big jumps or anything but i want a wheel that can handle a bit of a bashing. How important is the quality of the spokes/how much you spend on them.
It's a 32 hole rim i'm thinking of getting.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?PartnerID=79&ModelID=16641

 

[j_whyte]

No

You need Mavic xc rims, DB spokes with Sapim or Dt nipples I would go for sapim nipples and spokes if it was me...

Surely if i don't mind another 80grams or so extra per rim the added strength of a 19mm rim over a 17mm is a bonus, or is it not as simple as that.

 

[spandex]

Nice rims but if I was going for disk rims and doing the riding you are thinking of doing I would go for XC717 disk they are much more up you street I think.

 

[spandex]

Surely if i don't mind another 80grams or so extra per rim the added strength of a 19mm rim over a 17mm is a bonus, or is it not as simple as that.

Given that if you know how to ride you can do FULL xc riding on 700c carbon rims I do not think 2mm is going to help you in any way at all. What will help is building the wheels right if you do they will last for many many years. Get it wrong and the first time you hit a bump it will be game, set and match...

 

[j_whyte]

well with that in mind which of these three options do you think is the best.

1. Buy wheels already made up from a website such as this...
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/MWheel_Shimano_Deore_Disc~Mavic_XC717_Disc_Rear_Wheel/5300003668/

2. Buy all the components seperately and take them to a shop to be built

3. Or lastly, which in a perfect world would probably be the best and most and most cost effective method- buy the components seperately, complete the first stage of the wheel build myself (using an online tutorial) and then just taking them to a shop to be 'trued'

 

[RedBike]

The ideal rim width all depends on tyre size. A narrower rim is more suited to narrower tyres and creates a more rounded tyre profile. It doesn't really have much to do with strength.

1.- No, they're expensive from there. Merlin cycles / crc and http://www.justridingalong.com/ always used to be the three main cheap sites. Not looked at their prices in months though.

2 - This will probably cost you £15-£30 a wheel so it's unlikely to work out cheaper, espeshially once you've paid for postage for each bit, than just buying the wheels ready built.

3 - If you take a wheel to a shop with all the spoke tensions way out / the wheel incorrectly dished then they will probably charge you for a complete re-build, not for just truing it.

However, if you want to learn how to build a wheel this is the way to do it.
Ideally you need wheel truing jig and a dishing tool. Which are not cheap. You can fudge these tools though.

 

[RedBike]

Get hold of a very cheap wheel. Anything will do. Photograph it from both sides, write numbers on each hole in the rim and around the hub and label up each spoke with masking tape so that you know exactly which spoke goes where.

Pull it all apart (keeping the numbers on) and re-build it. Take the numbers off pull it all apart and then re-build it. If you can build this cheap wheel then have a bash at your puka wheels. If it all goes horribly wrong just buy the wheels pre-built.