Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Novice Wheelbuilding Advice

Have no fear!

For a long time I was intimidated by the process of wheelbuilding but I finally decided to give it a shot. I thought for sure it would be a lot more difficult than it actually turned out to be. This is primarily due to the fact that a lot of folks talk about it like some magical art that can only be mastered by a few supertalented people.

The realization:

It's not that hard.

My advice:

Patience - It took me about 4 hours to finish the front wheel. It was frustrating but, like learning to ride a bike, once I got the hang of it the rest was a snap. The rear wheel only took and hour and a half. Now go build some wheels!

http://img203.echo.cx/img203/5903/10001194dm.th.jpg (http://img203.echo.cx/my.php?image=10001194dm.jpg) http://img274.echo.cx/img274/5563/10001201pp.th.jpg (http://img274.echo.cx/my.php?image=10001201pp.jpg)

Congratulations! You're absolutely right. My very first build was radially laced which made things a bit less intimidating.
Love that avatar of your's. One of my favorite albums.

Are those DA high flange there?

I 100% agree, wheelbuilding isn't that hard, just time consuming. I recently taught myself how to and have been couriering on the wheels for a few weeks with no problems so far.

Looks like formula/IRO laced to MA3's.


Why did you decide to lace the front radial spokes from the inside of the flange?

Why did you decide to lace the front radial spokes from the inside of the flange?

i was wondering the same thing.

i have a question... so i want to lace my wheels.. 1x front 3x back.. on high flange hubs into torelli master rims.. that are old school style (no v) .. how do i figure out what spokes to use? and how do i know the proper tension? thanks..

Spocalc (Google it) will tell you spoke length (butted, aero, etc is up to you) and the tension you get from the rim manufacturer. They've all got recommended tension but generally 100 - 120 kgf is the accepted range with current Mavic's being at the low end of the spectrum.

Congrats on the wheel build. Yeah, it's surprisingly not hard, especially those dishless single speeders. I think the real measure of a builder's skill is probably the speed with which they can accomplish it, how true they remain without maintenance, and super weirdo setups (as an extreme, I'm thinking of Sheldon's 63-speed machine).

Edit: oh yeah, the lacing pattern. Head out provides the least stress on the spoke elbow. On the other hand, head in gives a slightly higher bracing angle which should make the wheel laterally stiffer in theory. In actuality, I bet the effect is negligible.

Nice looking wheels, man. I built my fixed wheels up last year and highly recommend the experience to most everyone. I love knowing every intimate detail of my bicycle. It helps you push limits and locate problems in the future. Again, nice build.

and how do i know the proper tension? thanks..

use the guide to tension in spokecalc (as mentioned by BT) and then consider using a tuning fork to match pitch and tension.

length of spoke considered, the tension in the spokes accords with a musical pitch. The technique works for me anyway.

http://www.bikexprt.com/bicycle/tension.htm

cheers


marty

anybody here use washers? they're supposed to make for a stronger, nicer wheel. is this the case?