Mountain Biking - Pros/Cons of building your wheels

hey, im doing a build, and im considering building the wheels. what are some pros and cons of doing so? and can anyone give me an estimate of the cost to have then built? or should i do it and have a shop check it over? (Sheldon Brown has a thing on building your wheels)

Defenitely have a shop look at it, get the right stuff (Chris King hubs are really the best way to go) and make it as true as possible. I'd have a shop do it, but that's just me being lazy.

ya, i like playing with stuff, so putting spokes in and having a shop thighten them to keep the rim true is what id do. but in the end, what usually costs more, building as usual?

Screwing it up and killing a rim or hub costs more.

good point, if i build one, i think ill leave it to the shop

Why?

What experience do you have with King hubs vs. other hubs?

Only them and crappy Shimano 9mm hubs currently on my Giant. My point was really that you never cheap out on anything that spins.

and almost everything on a bike spins, wheels, chain, deraileur (the cogs in it), bars, disc's, pretty much you should spend atleast $2000 on a bike :)

Anybody can build a wheel, not everyone can do it correctly. Wheel building is a great skill to have. Get a book for doing the build, try to get Zinn and the Art of MTB Maitenance or do a search on google for wheel building instructions.

and almost everything on a bike spins, wheels, chain, deraileur (the cogs in it), bars, disc's, pretty much you should spend atleast $2000 on a bike :)

Let me rephrase that. Never cheap out on things that spin and are likely to kill you if they let go.

lol, ok, but do bars still count? it hurts when they fall off.

and im asking for the Park Tool Big Blue Book of Bike Repair for christmas, i think that should cover me.

hey, im doing a build, and im considering building the wheels. what are some pros and cons of doing so? and can anyone give me an estimate of the cost to have then built? or should i do it and have a shop check it over? (Sheldon Brown has a thing on building your wheels)Go for it! You'll be glad you did, you'll be so proud!

http://sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuilding

Sheldon "Make Something" Brown

So you have no basis for posting that "Chris King hubs are really the best way to go."

Got it.

Hope hubs are the best foundation with which to build a wheel upon. (given the spokes are "pre-bent" instead of post-bent using a CCD chip and reflective hub surface)

I have had STX hubs and now I have Hope Hubs...the Hope hubs are better.

thanks, i definitly want pre-bent, but ill decide when i find out if anyone will hire me.