Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Your custom wheels (pics + description)

I am planning on building some wheels for my fg/ss and I'd like to see and hear about your wheels that were either built by you or a wheelbuilder.

ALSO: If you could mention something about your opinion of the rims/hubs in your post, that would be great.

i build a few set a veeps and a set a mavic cxp21. 38 hole high flange sueze disco promax hubs with double butted black and silver spokes.

im trying to come up with a wheel set right now that isnt super extreme but still ready for the track so im also interested in what people have come up with.

How do you like the Suzue hubs?

28h, dura ace hubs, dt swiss rr1.2 rims, dt swiss double butted spokes, alternating black and red nipples
i like them lots

i build a few set a veeps and a set a mavic cxp21. 38 hole high flange sueze disco promax hubs with double butted black and silver spokes.


Wrong. Count again.

I have three hand built fg wheelsets and a number of handbuilt road and ssMTB wheelsets, all built be me. Here are my FG builds.

Kin Lin Niobium 30 rims
Formula rear track hub
Speedcific serenity front hub (road hub made by formula)
Sapim CX Ray spokes, 28 (2x) in rear, 24 (radial) in front
Alu nips in front, brass in rear
Everything black
This is a killer wheelset...very light (1550gms), aero, and really stiff and strong.

My next pair...
Mavic CXP 33 rims
Surly Hubs
DT DB spokes, with all brass nips.
32 spokes in front and rear, 3x rear, radial front
All black except for spokes.
This is a super durable wheelset.

Finally,
Sun CR18 Rims
Surly Hubs
Wheelsmith db14 spokes with brass nips
36 spokes in front and rear, 3x in front and back
All silver.
This is a real workhorse wheelset.


These wheelsets all cost between $250 and $350. Very good wheels are cheap if you do it yourself. Plus after you build a few, you learn what really works best for you. 99% of the FG wheelsets out there would be overbuilt for the rider if they were built correctly. Sadly, most wheels are not built well, which is why heavy overspoked wheels are so common.


Edit: I've also built rear wheels using disc front hubs using bolt-on cogs and also ss wheels with BMX cassette hubs. If you want a really unique and versatile wheel, buy a disc brake cassette BMX racing hub. Space the axle from 110-120mm, bolt a tomicog on the disc rotor mount for the fg side, and you will have a super durable, unstrippable, flip-flop hub with easily interchangeable gears on both the fixed side and freewheels side, plus a lot more chainline adjustability than normal flip-flop hubs.
In other words..takes this Kore BMX racing hub with normal sized 10mm axle,
http://www.kore-usa.com/image/products_image/hub_HoochieBMX_rear_disc_black_lg.jpg
and bolt this cog onto the ISO disc rotor mount...http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_g0YuboCNUU8/R_zDJ7DH8sI/AAAAAAAAGeo/94xvQcg4kW8/s400/COGarc.jpg

I spoke to a guy at Kore and you'll get a good chainline...within 2mm of 42 on the FG side, and that could readily be adjusted with a spacer. The freehub side has a lot of chainline adjustability already built into it. The only other thing you may need to do is install a somewhat longer axle. Add a quality rim and spokes, and you'll have the most badass FGSS wheelset ever.

the rims are 700c, eighteen paired spoke rolf vector comps. the hubs are high flange, 36 hole formulas spaces 100mm front and 120mm rear double fixed. the spokes are bladed sapim cx rays. the nipples are all brass sapim polyaxs. the lacing pattern is two cross crows foot using every other hub hole.

the whole plan was more than a little unconventional and possibly a bit ambitious for my first wheel build, but i just wanted to give something interesting a whirl. im no tri, track, or weight fiend. i had been using this very model of eighteen hole rim radially laced to an aluminum eighteen hole front hub, and it proved to be very durable and a great performer. my rear wheel was stolen and i got a great deal on the rims and hubs so it must have been meant to be. i wasnt worried about the rim or the spoke count as rolf/trek designed and drilled these rims to be used with 18, 16 and even 14 spokes (albiet at high tension), but the right hub was a concern before i made my decision. fixed hubs with 18 holes are impossible to find so 36 it was. i prefer low flange, but with 36 holes, there would be little metal around each hole. for this reason, i went with a high flange hubset. now i was still on the fence about it, but i saw this wheelset (http://www.63xc.com/jameslee/18spokes.htm), which, though having a higher flange and non paired spokes, uses about the same depth of rim and even a hub brake, which involves tremendous force. i used spocalc linked at sheldons to figure the spoke lengths. the rims and hubs were in the database, but i think i had to plug in 36 hole hole four cross into the table to figure the lengths of the cross spokes. these will be used on the street without tricks or crub and fents jackassery. since the hubs and spokes are 797g and all together possibly under 2000g if i can find the rim weights, they could be a decent competition wheelset if i do say so myself. i mean, theyre so damn aero right? i understand that the forces are distributed over a fewer number of spokes leading to potentially easier untruing slash catastrophic failure, god forbid, and i will proceed initially with caution.


http://i41.tinypic.com/2djdruf.jpg

http://i44.tinypic.com/2ltmygw.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/1zczviu.jpg

the details (http://velospace.org/node/18951)

my bad meant to say 36, there great but delicate. lots of the keirin racers still use em.

Thats an interesting wheelset. Judging by your frame size, you are not a clyde and those wheels should work for you as long as the tension is fairly high. Road bike wheels are compromised because of the dish and I am certain there are plenty of roadies larger than you riding around with 18 spoke wheels. So a symmetical 18 spoke FG wheel should be OK for a non-clyde. The only real concern I would have about a wheel like that is spoke failure, which, if you keep riding the wheel will eventually occur. I doubt any failure would be catastrophic but with so few, spoke failure would warp the rim so much that the wheel would not spin, rendering you stranded. Even so, as long as the spoke tension is high, I wouldn't begin to worry about spoke failure until after many thousands of miles.



the rims are 700c, eighteen paired spoke rolf vector comps. the hubs are high flange, 36 hole formulas spaces 100mm front and 120mm rear double fixed. the spokes are bladed sapim cx rays. the nipples are all brass sapim polyaxs. the lacing pattern is two cross crows foot using every other hub hole.

the whole plan was more than a little unconventional and possibly a bit ambitious for my first wheel build, but i just wanted to give something interesting a whirl. im no tri, track, or weight fiend. i had been using this very model of eighteen hole rim radially laced to an aluminum eighteen hole front hub, and it proved to be very durable and a great performer. my rear wheel was stolen and i got a great deal on the rims and hubs so it must have been meant to be. i wasnt worried about the rim or the spoke count as rolf/trek designed and drilled these rims to be used with 18, 16 and even 14 spokes (albiet at high tension), but the right hub was a concern before i made my decision. fixed hubs with 18 holes are impossible to find so 36 it was. i prefer low flange, but with 36 holes, there would be little metal around each hole. for this reason, i went with a high flange hubset. now i was still on the fence about it, but i saw this wheelset (http://www.63xc.com/jameslee/18spokes.htm), which, though having a higher flange and non paired spokes, uses about the same depth of rim and even a hub brake, which involves tremendous force. i used spocalc linked at sheldons to figure the spoke lengths. the rims and hubs were in the database, but i think i had to plug in 36 hole hole four cross into the table to figure the lengths of the cross spokes. these will be used on the street without tricks or crub and fents jackassery. since the hubs and spokes are 797g and all together possibly under 2000g if i can find the rim weights, they could be a decent competition wheelset if i do say so myself. i mean, theyre so damn aero right? i understand that the forces are distributed over a fewer number of spokes leading to potentially easier untruing slash catastrophic failure, god forbid, and i will proceed initially with caution.


http://i41.tinypic.com/2djdruf.jpg

the lacing pattern is two cross crows foot using every other hub hole.

I think you are mixing up crow's foot with two leading, two trailing

Beautiful wheelset by the way!

^not a fan.

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee12/Toverei/IMG_0156.jpg
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee12/Toverei/IMG_0157.jpg
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee12/Toverei/IMG_0158.jpg

Phil Wood hubs 36 hole laced to high polished Deep V's using DT competition spokes and brass nipples. The front is laced crow's foot using 2x length spokes, the rear is laced using 3x length spokes as per this guy's instructions: http://www.geocities.com/spokeanwheel/lacingcf.htm Still not satisfied with the finish on the rear rim, though.

Thats an interesting wheelset. Judging by your frame size, you are not a clyde and those wheels should work for you as long as the tension is fairly high. Road bike wheels are compromised because of the dish and I am certain there are plenty of roadies larger than you riding around with 18 spoke wheels. So a symmetical 18 spoke FG wheel should be OK for a non-clyde. The only real concern I would have about a wheel like that is spoke failure, which, if you keep riding the wheel will eventually occur. I doubt any failure would be catastrophic but with so few, spoke failure would warp the rim so much that the wheel would not spin, rendering you stranded. Even so, as long as the spoke tension is high, I wouldn't begin to worry about spoke failure until after many thousands of miles.

im getting back on a weight gain regimine, but i hope they hold up. are you saying spoke failure is inevitable?


the lacing pattern is two cross crows foot using every other hub hole.

I think you are mixing up crow's foot with two leading, two trailing

Beautiful wheelset by the way!

there are two, three, and five cross crows foot patterns. the crossing spokes are 36 spoke four cross length.

i appreciate the appreciation!


^not a fan.

it must be an acquired taste.


http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee12/Toverei/IMG_0157.jpg

i used that website myself, and i hope to polish something up too one of these days. looks great!

im getting back on a weight gain regimine, but i hope they hold up. are you saying spoke failure is inevitable.




Spoke failure is indeed inevitable, assuming that the rim doesn't crack first or your wheels don't get smashed by a car or something. Fewer spokes decreases wheel durability and accelerates the fatigue process. But with the right tension, good spokes, and proper care, you may very well get tens of thousands of miles out of that rear wheel before it happens.

Sometimes random **** happens though. I broke a spoke last year 75 miles from home on a handbuilt wheelset that only had about 3000 miles on it. It was a 28 spoke wheel, and the wheel barely true enough to ride home. Luckily I was on a cyclocross style frame with big frame clearance. If it were a tighter clearance road or track frame, I would have been stranded.
Low spoke count wheels are awesome, but for really long rides out in the middle of nowhere more spokes are a good idea.

Just your basic no-frills wheels. DB spokes, 3X, 32H Surly hubs, Open Pros.

32 spoke mavic open pro rear laced 3 cross to a nashbar hub. straight gauge spokes.

shimano 105 front

I love both rims and they tend to be pretty strong.
they are stiffer then the deep v's on my masi.

http://stupidhurts.org//cpg14/albums/userpics/_MG_3085.jpg

i have a set of suzue pro max sb disco hubs (36 hole) laced with dt spokes to a mavic cxp 33 front rim (radial) and the rear rim is a h+ plus son 3x cross.

love both the rims. i have bombed a few larger curves with a few second thoughts while in the process but everything has turned out fine. i have had a them a few months and i love them great combo, i run a front brake.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a191/horts002/DSCN2396.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a191/horts002/DSCN2397.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a191/horts002/DSCN2398.jpg

2 leading 2 trailing on a deore front disk hub with a ss cog i drilled out.

had to replace like 8 broken spokes since building it last fall though...

zipp track hubs to araya adx510 rims
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2012/1795984361_f92527b349.jpg?v=0

suntour superbe pro to araya 1w
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/1/129152992_6343fae7b3.jpg?v=0

campy high flange to mavic or10
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/155/415051983_a50d960d0e.jpg?v=0

ive built many more but these 3 are my favorite track wheelsets I've built. always 3x, always double butted, always brass nipples.

i had these built up locally - DT Swiss RR 1.1 double eyeletted rims, DT Swiss Revolution spokes, Phil Wood High Flange Hubs, both 3x, black brass nipples:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3216/3354336700_41470a25d6_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3217/3353513357_89e3248ce4_b.jpg

I really like the looks of that 16 spoke set, very curious about their strenghth.
I am in the process of ordering the items to build some new wheels for mine and wanted to do a lower spoke count but had a hard time finding the hubs (never thought about half spoking a 36). I think i've decided on 28 h formulas /mavic Open Pro / Dt comp 2.0-1.8/ Radial front- 2x rear. Should be fairly light, strong enough and certinly better than the Alex 2100 that came on it. Any thoughts? Anyone know of good 20-24h hubs at a decent price?

Adriano you must be a stick! I'm a lil jealous.

None of these will help aspiring wheel builders much and I could go on all day as I build wheels for a living... they are usually pretty unexciting wheels that will only be good for 10's of thousands of miles and my customers tend to be mountain bikers, tourers, commuters, with more and more folks coming in for fg wheel sets which are actually pretty easy to build.

My bombproof touring / utility / commuting wheels... they are not lightweights.

Vuelta Tempest rims (dw / eyeletted), Berg 14/16 spokes and brass nipples with a Formula rear hub and a vintage Sansin front. Both are 36 spoke although the front is 3x and the rear is 4x. These have seen 1000's of km (much of them loaded) and have never needed anything but polishing.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/kuwiewhitedoor1.jpg

Not an ss but a new wheel for my 1948 Rudge roadster... 40 / 4x with a 1948 SA AW hub, Berg 14/16 spokes and brass nipples, and a 28 inch Dunlop steel wheel.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/rudgewheel.jpg

New front wheel for my fixed folder... Shimano high flange hub, DT Swiss straight gauge spokes and brass nipples, and an Alex 451 bmx wheel laced 36/3x. This wheel is stupidly strong.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/forrest09newwheel1.jpg

Rear wheel on my 1940 CCM Path / Road bike is a vintage Perry hub laced to an Araya 27 in a 40/4x with Berg 14/16 spokes and brass nipples.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/ccmpathnewwheel2.jpg

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/ccmpathnewwheel1.jpg

For fixed gear wheels I like Formula and Surly hubs as their prices are reasonable and they are solidly made, old DT Swiss, Wheelsmith, and top quality Berg spokes (if you can get them) are my favourites and there is an abundance of good rims out there to pick from.

I am Mavic fan...

Mavic A319's are very nice, I love Open Pros, Mavic 719's are the shizzle, and even Alex makes a decent rim (DA22) that, if built right will offer a very good service life and should be problem free.

I also build a lot of vintage wheels so higher end Araya (RM 20 and 25 for mtb's) and Mavics like the MA40 are always a nice find.

Old Araya red label wheels (dw/eyeletted) in 700c and 27 inch are terrible and can be dangerous so they should be sent to me for proper disposal. :)

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/ccmpathnewwheel2.jpg

Hot.

im no clydesdale, but theyre still rolling! my next wheels are not custom, but lower in spokes. hmm...

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq96/oogens/trek%20460/trekhallway2.jpg

front is 3x, but twisting the last cross twice before threading the nipple. Was thinking of selling these, but i dunno if anyone would buy it despite it being very strong so far (once trued this thing is near impossible to knock out of true).

though the wheelset i was planning to be a replacement may not be strong enough (18 rear, 16 front). though i was planning on running sapim cx-rays on them, i heard they're pretty strong spokes.


PS: is there a place to help me calculate spoke lengths? i'm using twice the spoke holes on the hubs as the rims (36 for 18 hole rear, 32 for 16 front). I wanna run a 2x pattern. they're duraace hubs, would I just steal the dura ace measurements in spocalc but just say it's a 16 hole hub? the holes are evenly spaced around the rim, they aren't paired like adriano's...

I built my first wheels set a couple weeks ago using:
Black Cxp33 rims
DT 2.0/1.8 double butted spokes
Black Iro(formula) high flange hubs
I used the nipples that came with the spokes

The hardest part for me was spoke tension, I still don't think I have it right

I built it a 32 hole two cross Mavic DT with a Campy hub.thats all i know.besides having 15g spokes.

I built my first wheels set a couple weeks ago using:
Black Cxp33 rims
DT 2.0/1.8 double butted spokes
Black Iro(formula) high flange hubs
I used the nipples that came with the spokes

The hardest part for me was spoke tension, I still don't think I have it right

Some folks say that spokes should be tightened until the wrench starts to round off the nipples which I and most wheel builders would disagree with.

The most important thing is that your spokes are evenly tensioned and de-stressed and that they are within the prescribed tension limits for your wheel... if you have a tension meter I'd aim for 80-90 % of maximum taking into account the limitations of the parts.

The Hub and spokes are the strongest component in that build and most new rims will have info on the maximum spoke tension they can be used with.

Double walled wheels are strong, and if they are have eyelets they can take more spoke tension but you still have to know where to stop as I have seen some nad builds whee the spoke tension was so high it damaged the eyelets.

Even old single walled rims of good quality can make for a strong wheel and some of the better ones are also have eyelets... my primary bike has sw rims with no eyelets and uses some very light 1.4 mm butted spokes and have stood up to at least 10,000 miles of hard urban riding.

Find a well built wheel and squeeze the spokes in pairs and then compare that deflection to your wheel
and spokes... this is an old school method.

Butted spokes will flex more than straight gauge spokes so factor this in to your comparison.

You can also put your wheel in the stand and after setting the indicator set close to the wheel, squeeze pairs of spokes and see how much the wheel deflects... there should be little to none of that happening if the tension is correct as the opposite spokes should provide enough counter force and resistance to prevent that.

I work on a lot of old wheels that have come in with very loose spokes and yet, have continued to run very true because the spoke tensions were very even and many old wheels (especially good quality steel ones) are extremely stiff and provide a great deal of structural strength.