Wheelbuilding

[montage]

I recently picked up a cheap wheel (alexrims dp17 mtb wheel) which I dismantled today with the plan to practise wheel building....just want to know, how difficult is it?
I plan to use sheldon's guide - are there any better ones out there?

If all goes well then I may attempt to build up some fixed wheels in order to keep costs down - no idea how to calculate spoke length though!

 

[GazK]

I've built wheels using both the jobst brandt and roger musson books and they're both good, musson is a bit clearer. You can download the PDF for £9 - its good value.

If like me you are baffled by the lack of available data for calculating spoke lengths - where the hell are rigidas ERD numbers? - you could just order your parts from a shop that builds wheels (i got mine from Spa) and ask them to calc the spokes for you.

It'd not hard, just go slow. I can recommend building the DIY tools in musson,- they work a treat.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Wheel building is a straightforward mechanical process if you take your time and are prepared to slacken everything off and start again if you get in a hopeless mess. Musson's book is good, but Sheldon Brown has enough info on his site to guide you through a first build.

I find that wheelbuilders come across as an arrogant up their own arse bunch when handing out advice. They often use different techniques and all end up with a good wheel but each will insist that there is ONLY ONE TRUE WAY to build wheels and that is their way and not anyone elses. They can't all be right.

 

[PpPete]

I've built wheels using both the jobst brandt and roger musson books and they're both good, musson is a bit clearer. You can download the PDF for £9 - its good value.

If like me you are baffled by the lack of available data for calculating spoke lengths - where the hell are rigidas ERD numbers? - you could just order your parts from a shop that builds wheels (i got mine from Spa) and ask them to calc the spokes for you.

It'd not hard, just go slow. I can recommend building the DIY tools in musson,- they work a treat.

The measuring instructions in Musson are good too if you've not got the data from the manufacturer.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

The ONE TRUE WAY®™ is to do everything steadily. A quarter turn feels like not a lot but it is....it's about tweaking the thing into the right shape, not pulling it into shape. All the other "ways" are just means of going about the same procedure

Hanging a wheel with the same spoke pattern in front of you for reference as you work is a good idea while you get the hang of where to start and which spokes cross over which

Usually your first wheel, no matter how hard you try to get it right, the spokes will cross over the valve hole and then you'll have to re-lace it agan. Which is sometimes the best way to learn - by doing it wrong and realising why it was wrong.


ONE OF MANY BAD WAYS - Learning to build a wheel sat on the living room floor, or more precisely on the fireside rug with oil dripping out of the SA 3-speed hub is NOT the way to build a great wheel but it IS the way to get a crack around the lughole from an irate mother, as I found out at about age 14

 

[accountantpete]

The trick is to apply the precisely the same number of turns to each nipple in order to bring the rim into a reasonable trueness and then tweak. The initial number of turns can only be arrived at with practice.

Small adjustments should be made by tightening the nipple to draw the rim and loosening opposing nipples to allow this.

 

[fossyant]

This is the only 'art' I haven't bothered with "yet".....

I am perfectly good at the art of truing wheels and taking time and getting "spot on" results - as you said takes practice.... but the faff of measuring etc.... eek ............ should do it really..........

I've made some 'friends' totally 'un-ridable' wheels ridable ..... for long enough that they could afford new ones... ( a month or two) which is good.....

It's a great 'art' to learn though................

 

[PpPete]

I find building new wheels much easier than truing up knackered old ones

 

[xpc316e]

I bought an ebook on wheel-building and it has proved really good. It demystified all the stuff about it being a black art and enabled me to build a decent wheel and true my mountian bike wheels at the weekend. It had a link to an online spoke length calculator, but there are others around - doesn't Sheldon Brown's website have one?<BR> <BR>The book I bought had plans for a home-built wheel truing stand, and I made that too. It is excellent and saved me a shed load of money.

 

[GazK]

@xpc - that's the Roger Musson book. His trueing stand rocks bells.

http://www.wheelpro.co.uk/wheelbuilding/book.php