Bicycle Mechanics - Wheel building

Hello, I am just about to embark on my first wheel build, not from scratch but only to change my deore hubs to disc compatible deore xt hubs,does anybody have any words of wisdom ie spoke tightening sequence ..how tight...where to start etc etc all help would be much appreciated.....

Go to the Barnett's Manuals sticky-thread on this forum, at http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=38747 . Check out Chapters 16 and 17. Probably more info than you'll ever need.

Hello, I am just about to embark on my first wheel build, not from scratch but only to change my deore hubs to disc compatible deore xt hubs,does anybody have any words of wisdom ie spoke tightening sequence ..how tight...where to start etc etc all help would be much appreciated.....

if you are changing hubs on your wheel, then you are basically going to start from scratch, since if you are using the same rime you will have to "un" lace the rim from the old hub and "re" lace it to the new. it would be wise to make sure that the spoke lenght is not going to change with a new hub, any LBS can tell you the correct spoke lenght if you bring in the rim (unlaced) and hub, there are a few places on the net which can tell you lenght, however I prefer to make totally sure by doing the actual measuring....

you may also want to find an old used wheel that you can practice on, as it will help you gain a good understanding of what you are doing and any mistakes won't ruin your wheel... be patient and good luck :)

This also has a lot of good info

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html

A great book is 'The bicycle wheel' by Jobst Brandt

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/026-9636149-5767665

The Bicycle wheel by Brandt is listed as out of print
at Amazon US. If you can get it from UK do so now.
It is worth it. Its also not listed in any of the US based
catalogues (colorado, excel etc.).

Marty

When I started building wheels, I always took the finished wheel to my bike shop to check/ correct. If you are a good customer, its free, but it's worth a few bucks in any case.

Sorry that amazon link i posted doesn't seem to work (embarassed smilie?). However it is listed in amazon.co.uk, just search in books. It's listed 13.64 uk pounds (approx us$24 + shipping - oanda.com is good for exchange rates). Great to have as a reference though I agree there is a lot of good info on the web.

Hello, I am just about to embark on my first wheel build, not from scratch but only to change my deore hubs to disc compatible deore xt hubs,does anybody have any words of wisdom ie spoke tightening sequence ..how tight...where to start etc etc all help would be much appreciated.....

1. Make sure that you start with the right length spokes.
2. Lace the rim to the hub (lots of articles about this).
3. Pull up all of the spokes so that one thread is showing. This gets you started straight.
4. From this point on, tighten the spokes in small increments, no more than 1/2 turn at a time. Do the same thing to every spoke all the way around starting at the valve hole.

If you do it that way and take your time, it should go pretty well. Once you get the tensioning process screwed up, it's pretty hard to get the wheel round again.

My advice is to start with brand new, moderate quality components. Cheap rims and used parts are harder to get to come out satisfactory. A used rim is likely to have a "set" that will combine the challanges of building new and retrueing an old wheel. If you're doing real mountain biking, rims are kind of semi-expendable anyway. I'd try to sell the old wheelset complete for the price of the new rims.

I recently ordered some tools from biketoolsetc.com and was surprised to find Brandt's book. I picked it up and it is a great read. American site, though.

http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cgi?id=412766786114&d=single&c=Books%20Videos&sc=Wheel%20Building&tc=&item_id=YAV-9

Quarter turn at a time each spoke, add a quarter turn each time until the spokes are at a proper tension and the wheel has no wobble.

The Bicycle wheel by Brandt is listed as out of print
at Amazon US. If you can get it from UK do so now.
It is worth it. Its also not listed in any of the US based
catalogues (colorado, excel etc.).

Marty


I ordered this book through Amazon but it was actually sold by Trailstuff_com.
I think it was almost like an auction, but I paid $22.49 plus shipping and received a brand new book in great shape. Try sendin an email to robin@trailstuff.com to see if they have more.

good luck.
--Eric

I have a copy, but noticed it was disappearing from
all the online catalogues.
Got mine a cambria for $14.95

Marty