Bicycle Mechanics - New wheels or new rims?

I'm trying to decide between getting new wheels or just replacing the rims on my old ones, and possibly trying to build the new wheels myself.

Some details: the old wheels come from my first-ever road bike. Campy veloce hubs (c. 1999) and Mavic x.something rims (the decals are long gone). I use them today on my commuter bike, so I want something durable, decent to ride, and not flashy. The rims have gotten so beaten up and warped that they are un-true-able. Today my LBS tried, broke a few spokes, and handed them back to me, giving up.

I'm thinking about building new wheels for two reasons. (1) I like the old Campy hubs and figure they are still probably better than the cheap hubs I'll get with some cheap wheelset. (2) Sheldon Brown says "Learning to build wheels is an important milestone in the education of an apprentice mechanic. A 'mechanic' who has not mastered this basic skill cannot be considered to be a fully-qualified, professional, and will always feel inferior to those who can list wheelbuilding among their skills."

Other background: I'm not a professional mechanic, just a recreational tinkerer. And since this is just for a commuter bike (and my commute is 5 miles) I'd go pretty cheap on the replacement. Perhaps Mavic Open Sport rims or Performance Titan, something like that. Maybe cheaper, I haven't really looked at options yet.

Oh, and yes I know I'd have to buy some wheel-building tools but that's part of the fun -- spend the $ on tools I'll have forever not crappy hubs. Or maybe just pay the LBS to build them - still cheaper?

Thoughts? Advice?

I started servicing and building my own wheels a couple years ago, and I've been happier with my homebuild wheels than with any storebought wheel (although I admit to buying cheap, machine built wheels).

If you like the hubs you have and there's nothing wrong with them, I don't see any reason to switch them out.

As for the discount priced rims; if you're not against a little bit wider rim on your commuter, the Sun CR-18 is a great rim for around $30.

the only tools you really need are a spoke wrench and tension meter, which are about $60 together.

what size tires do you use on your bike? If it's more of a hybrid then it's very hard to go wrong with sun CR-18 rims, but they aren't recommended with tires smaller than 28mm.

what size tires do you use on your bike? If it's more of a hybrid then it's very hard to go wrong with sun CR-18 rims, but they aren't recommended with tires smaller than 28mm.

I'm using the same 23C tires I use on my road bike. Everything on my commuter bike is interchangeable (and mostly hand-me-down) from my road bike, which I kind of like since I can swap stuff out in a jam.

they're wide rims and you're more likely to pinch flat when using narrower than recommended tires. 18mm inner width and 24mm outer width. more of a touring rim.

other rims for a commuting road bike you might want to consider are: velocity aerohead, mavic cxp22, sun venus

As for the discount priced rims; if you're not against a little bit wider rim on your commuter, the Sun CR-18 is a great rim for around $30.

+1-These rims are pretty well bomb proof too, they come in black and silver.

+1-These rims are pretty well bomb proof too, they come in black and silver.

I'm building a wheelset using the mirror polished CR-18 rims, but like AEO mentioned; they're not suggested for a narrow tire like a 23mm or even 25mm.
My big ol' 32mm Pasela TGs will be right at home on them.

if you look on ebay, there are a bunch of nice NOS? rims for much cheaper than they would cost new.

Regarding the decision to build vs buy, I think your logic is sound... you have very nice hubs, so overhaul them and build with new rims and spokes.

http://ital-tecno.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=33

http://ital-tecno.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=33

Those look cool (and cheap) -- anyone have experience with them?

Id actually spring for the Excellight SSC model as they have double eyeletts and should be very strong. I mean the hubs you want to reuse are pretty legit, why not get some decent rims to go with them.

Otherwise:

Your better option is actually to find out the exact rim you already had and buy some new ones of the exact same model. The reason for this is that you can use the spokes you already have. If you switch rims you will need new spokes(lengths are matched based on hub and rim diameters, and all are a little different), and new spokes tacks on another $30 or more.

You can build your own, no problem. It doesn't even require a tension meter. A spoke wrench doesn't cost all that much, and I'm still using the one I bought in 1979. I did my first full build with it just this year. You can use your frame/fork as a truing stand. Instead of the tension meter, you can use a guitar tuner and tune by pitch (my son plays and I used his). Even tension=even pitch. F# to G# is a good general range, but it really depends on the rim, spokes and hub.

You can build your own, no problem. It doesn't even require a tension meter. A spoke wrench doesn't cost all that much, and I'm still using the one I bought in 1979. I did my first full build with it just this year. You can use your frame/fork as a truing stand. Instead of the tension meter, you can use a guitar tuner and tune by pitch (my son plays and I used his). Even tension=even pitch. F# to G# is a good general range, but it really depends on the rim, spokes and hub.

:popcorn:

I'm early in my wheel building experience as well...but I think I'd rather have a good nipple driver for wheel building than a tension meter. The TM is on my short list of things next to acquire for sure, but being able to properly take up slack in a uniform way, balance the spoke tension throughout without first going mad etc. is most important. It's easy enough to take your wheel to the LBS and ask them to put their TM on it to verify if you're really concerned.

You can't build a strong wheel if you don't start out with a perfectly centered hub, and maintaining a properly centered hub without an appropriate nipple driver is quite difficult OR takes forever (counting screw driver turns, uhg). Thankfully, you can make one yourself out of an old screwdriver, using a vice and simple hand tools.

*edit* Oh, and YES, you should definitely rebuild your old parts. It'll be a great learning experience and the satisfaction of a job well done is worth the struggle.

-Jeremy

the only tools you really need are a spoke wrench and tension meter, which are about $60 together.

what size tires do you use on your bike? If it's more of a hybrid then it's very hard to go wrong with sun CR-18 rims, but they aren't recommended with tires smaller than 28mm.

You don't even need the tension meter. A truing stand makes the job easier but even that's not totally necessary. I'd certainly get a truing stand before the tension meter.

nycbianchi: Definitely build your own. Here's (http://www.crazyrides.com/apps/mastermechanic/part2_en.asp?LCID=en) a very old article on wheel building that I've used since it was published (March 1980). I still use the printed version in the original Bicycling magazine. Parts 1 and 4 are very dated and not too useful. Parts 2 and 3 are excellent and have helped me build dozens of wheels.

I agree that CR-18s are probably too wide for 23C tires. Look at Mavic CXP 22 rims or Velocity Aero rims. Both are relatively inexpensive. One big mistake that people make when building wheels is to concentrate too much on the hubs and rims. While important for the wheel to work, the heavy lifting in any wheel is being done by the spokes. Don't scrimp on the spokes. Get good ones, preferably double butted. If you want rugged wheels get triple butted ones (DT Alpine III).

just flip the bike over and you'll have your truing stand right there. use the brakes as guides.


A truing stand would be nice, but not necessary. A tension meter will allow you to build your wheel with good even tension, if you don't have absolute pitch.

Your better option is actually to find out the exact rim you already had and buy some new ones of the exact same model. The reason for this is that you can use the spokes you already have. If you switch rims you will need new spokes(lengths are matched based on hub and rim diameters, and all are a little different), and new spokes tacks on another $30 or more.

I would be cautious about using spokes from the old wheel. These are decent hubs that will last a long time. Why pair them with a new rim and use the old spokes which even the bike shop gave up on because they were braking. When you start breaking spokes, it is a sign that the wheel needs a rebuild since you cannot tell which spoke will be next - - and there will be a next - - it's only a matter of time. Spend another $30 on spokes and avoide the inevitable roadside repairs.

My rear was rebuilt with 32 spoke Mavic Open Sport. No problems. I would use 15-16 double butted spokes. The tensiometer is a necessary tool for a solid wheel. Go for it. It's not art it is just mechanical work.

Quick update on this: I bought the ambrosio rims (suggested above) for $30 each, with the intent to build them myself. However, work got a little busy and the weather got nice and I really wanted to have the wheels done. So I had the lbs build them ($35 each) and I'm very happy with the results. I'd forgotten how my I love the loud -- really loud -- ratchet of my old campy hub. Glad I salvaged it instead of going with a cheap setup.

My only observation of the ambrosio rims is that the decals are super-ugly. Not only that, the two I got didn't even match! I'd planned to pull them off anyway -- it's a commuter bike -- but a word of warning to those looking for some flash on their rims.

Thanks as always for the help, bf people!