Bicycle Mechanics - Built my first wheelset!!!

I picked up a miche track group a bit ago, to build up my one bike, it came with a set of hubs I figured this was perfect chance to finaly try wheel building, well the project got put off alot this, couple nights ago I could not sleep, I needed to do something to relax get my mind off of things so I figured why not build up the wheels. I started with the front then did the rear took me a few hours a piece I know not quick but I messed up the lacing on the rear twice.

Things I have learned, make sure you lace it correct the first time! Pay attention to which direction spokes should go through the holes on the hub and pay attention how they go over and under the other spokes, unthreading the nipple and redoing the spoke after being completely done or even partialy done is annoying but you don't make same mistake again :) I did not have a nipple driver.. so I was using my fingers and standard nipple wrench, I found if I wrapped some tape around all but last 2-3 threads of a spare spoke it worked fairly well to start the nipple off. Last thing I learned make sure the nipple wrench is all the way on the nipple before turnign otherwise you strip the nipple :) after stripping one they are a pain to get out :)

Here is a pic of the wheels if anyone is intersted it.

Congrats! I want to try building wheels but haven't got the gumption yet...

PJ

radially laced the front, eh? pretty fancy...

I just need some crap hubs and some crap rims that I can screw around with...nothing has come my way...I care about all my stuff too much to screw with it.

Congratulations on a successful wheelbuild. You may need to retension your spokes after the first 100 km or so, but this is very easily done.

The early 1970s saw a brief radial spoking fad, but people got tired of breaking spokes and/or cracking their front hub flanges. You may want to make sure your Miche front hub is designed to accommodate radial spoking; many models from various manufacturers are not.

I realiz the extra stress on the hub and rims with radialy lacing, but this might sound stupid but I just like the look when looking down at the wheel when riding. I'm also a fairly light rider abotu 155 so I don't put as much stress on wheels as some people so can get away with more at times..


It was a fun project and inexpensive, so if front wheel dies I'll live. I feel it was a good learning experience also, I actualy understand the 3x cross lacing now before I knew what it meant but not truly how it laced up if that makes sense.

Oh yeah components are
Miche High Flange Track hubs
Sun Venus Rims
DT Swiss Competition spokes
Brass Nipples

A nipple driver is worth the money if you build another. It takes a lot of stress out trying to get the nipples started and cuts your lacing time a bunch. I like the type that has an angle bent driver mounted in bearings in the handle. By bicycle research I think.

Very Cool Kev!
I'm looking forward to building my first set.

Congratulations on a successful wheelbuild. You may need to retension your spokes after the first 100 km or so, but this is very easily done.

The early 1970s saw a brief radial spoking fad, but people got tired of breaking spokes and/or cracking their front hub flanges. You may want to make sure your Miche front hub is designed to accommodate radial spoking; many models from various manufacturers are not.

No longer a valid "problem."

Today's hub flanges and spokes are much better quality and strength than those of the 70's era.

Current bikes, from the factory, have radially laced front wheels. Specialized, Gary Fisher, are 2 Mountain companies that I can think of off of the top of my head.

Just don't run disc's on a radially laced wheel and everything will be chill.

Very cool! Good job as well on taking the initiative and building your first set of wheels.

I didn't have nipple driver for my first set of wheels
but I did have a small electric driver and a long
flathead attachment that worked. One of the wheelbuilders at the LBS recommended this technique but cautioned to NOT fully thread the nipple this way.
worked ok for me.

Marty

sweet...i remember my first wheelset....gave up since it was too hard...went back to it after a week and managed to finish it..so proud of myself after

Congrats on the build.
I plan to try a radial wheel soon. It seems like an easy place to start.
Did you bring the wheel and hub to a shop for a spoke length?

The radialy was actualy easier to build, I figure it would be is why I did it first. The two things that made it easier I did not have to worry about cross spokings and lineing up correctly to the rim. I messed up a few times on the back made spoke go under instead of over, and put it in the wrong hole twice. Other thing that made the front easier there was no dish to deal with (rear hub is single sided).

I just used the spoccalc excel spreadsheet I could never get the macros to work so just manualy typed in the specs for the rim and hub.