Bicycle Mechanics - Building wheels

In continuing my stocking up prior to retiring, and being somewhat bitten by the "hands-on" bug, I thought I might build a spare set of wheels. Both of our bikes are identical in drivetrain and wheels, so the choice is pretty clear. I will use Centaur 36 spoke hubs. But I am thinking about a more aero-section wheelset this time.

I have read all the "wheel" threads in here, and have read Schraner's book, as well as a few of the maintenance books. I think I would get a truing stand, but certainly not a tensionometer (they are terribly expensive), and if I had to, I could always take the "finished" wheels to be trued by my LBS for a lot less than what one would cost me.

So I am looking for your success and horror stories regarding building a wheelset from scratch. I am accomplished mechanically, so have no fears on that score. I am more afraid of getting spoke lengths right and things like that.

I'll be waiting. :D

Cheers...Gary

Go for it, Gary! I have successfully built dozens of wheels over the years, and have always enjoyed doing so. If you use a new rim and new spokes, you can set tension pretty decently by spoke pitch. You are smart to stay with 36 spokes per wheel; I recommend a conventional 3X pattern, with a symmetrical in/out orientation, and with the torque spokes emerging from the insides of the hub flanges.

I used a minoura truing stand for many years. It will allow you to check lateral play and roundness as well. It's not very fancy, but it gets the job done.

The first wheel I ever built was an arraya aero with a Phil hub. It was recommended that stress relieving be done by placing the wheel on a table, rotate and press down on the rim until it stops pinging (allowing the spokes to uncoil). And it was recommended that you get the spokes as tight as possible. I kept tightening and stress relieving and tightening and stress relieving until the wheel was so taught that when I pressed down on the rim, it sprung so badly the front wheel looked like a severly dished rear wheel. It didn't ruin anything so I was able to back off the nipples and start over.

BTW that wheel stayed true for over 2 years until it had an altercation with a car.

For books, Jobst Brandt's book, The Bicycle Wheel, has kinda been my bible.

Also, I now stress relieve by squeezing parallell spokes as the tire is rotated in the stand. Good luck, it's not that hard a job if you take your time and follow instructions from whichever source you use as a guide.