Halfast

O.K., I have now been fished in by the joy of you wheel builders. I want to do it, but have no idea on where to buy the parts at good prices. I have been searching the web, but have just had little luck on finding the stuff.

So, what are your favorite places to get good wheel parts at fair prices. I am looking to build wheels that are gonna cost about $300.

Thanks for any help,

MudPie

This site will search many sources and report prices: https://www.bestwebbuys.com/bikes/index.html

Plus, many sites will match competitor's prices.

roger-m

Try this...

Choose the cheapest hub and rim you can find, say a mid to bottom range Shimano/Campagnolo and a basic Mavic rim. Build them up with DT Competition spokes. You'll find they perform just as well as a $300 set!

It's all in the building and normally if you see pre-built cheap wheels they come with substandard building and hence do not perform too well but folk assume it's down to the cheap components.

My racing friend wanted some new wheels and asked for Chris King, Sapim CX-Ray, Mavic Open Pro. So I built him some Shimano Sora, Mavic MA3 and DT Competition. I asked for feedback and he said he couldn't tell much difference and it would need some clinical trials to come up with a comparative result.

And because you built them yourself they will automatically become your best ever wheels!

Go for it!

Roger

HillRider

I expect if you buy the rim, hub and spokes as components, even buying mid to low line items, your cost will equal or exceed the cost of a similar or better set of prebuilt wheels.

This has been suggested here by me and several other posters: buy a set of decent prebuilt wheels, unlace them and then relace, tension and true them yourself. You will have a true set of homebuilt wheels at a cost savings or have better components at the same cost. You will also be assured the spoke length is right.

operator

+2 billion

I don't want to divulge what cost is on a set of shimano WHR500 is but the retail is approx $150. There is now way you are going to approach factory built wheelset prices with a handbuilt one. Especially if you are NOT buying hte individual components for the wheel at cost or near at cost.

waterrockets 

There aren't any real rocking deals, but Nashbar has a nice price on double-butted Wheelsmith spokes right now (combine shipping with rim tape from there). Otherwise, you're at the mercy of QBP prices, as that's where all the shops get their stuff. You can probably get a rims and hubs at https://www.aebike.com as cheap as anywhere else, and combine shipping on those parts. I've bought there a lot.

If you want real value, get Tiagra hubs and just replace the ball bearings for $6. The hubset is ~$50 and is comparable in every way to Ultegra if you don't get picky on low spoke count.

bailcash09

What kind of bearings would you use? I mean, most bearings seem the same so what do you recommend that will be better than the stock tiagra bearings?

roger-m

We're talking about learning wheelbuilding here and buying someone else's wheels and attempting to rectify their building deficiencies is not the way forward for an aspiring wheelbuilder. You'll get more experience and greater satisfaction from buying brand new unbuilt components. And you'll learn how to work out spoke lengths too.

--
Roger

mihlbach

As waterrockets noted, everybody's prices are similar. Given that, if your going into this with no experience, its a good idea to buy the parts from someone (locally, or on the web) who has experience building wheels as opposed to ordering the stuff from Nashbar, etc. If you do that, you'll get some valuable input on how many spokes you need, lacing pattern, tension, spoke length etc. The first time I built a set of road wheels, I ordered parts from Mike Garcia, and he spent a good amount of time with me on the phone discussing different options, calculating spoke length, tension, etc.

Halfast

Thanks for all the great input.

A friend JUST gave me a set of WHR500s. He started breaking spokes from the beginning on these wheels, and upgraded. They probably only have 500 miles on them.

Think I will use the hubs, and replace the spokes and maybe the rims for my first build attempt.

I was glad to hear that I can probably make a decent set of wheels with these hubs.

And away we go.......

mrrabbit 

If you want practice parts that you may or may not ride, I have em cheap...

I can send you generic alloy rims (26 x 1.50) for a few bucks each....a generic rear mtb hub w/QR and matching front for 7-8 bucks, and el cheapo stainless steel spokes - uncut or cut for a few bucks.

Only killer would be the shipping from CA to Texas?

=8-)

waterrockets 

I've heard mumbling that sub-105 level hubs had slightly lower-end balls, and any decent after-market balls are just as good as Dura-Ace. I've not tested any of this, but it sounds reasonable. You'd probably be fine just replacing them on the first service, but not waiting as long to do it.

The fronts take 20 3/16" balls, and the rears take 18 1/4" balls. McMaster-Carr has high-grades balls in packs of 100 for ~$3 in a given size.

treechunk

Ultegra/XT level hubs and up have a more polished bearing race, which to me is worth a bit of extra money, although to be honest I don't really buy anything that isn't sealed bearing anymore for my personal use. I spend too much time working on other people's bikes to be repacking hubs and bottom brackets on my own.

treechunk

QBP sells grade 300 bearings (crap) and grade 25 bearings (Dura-Ace level). You can probably get even nicer ones from McMaster-Carr or similar source.

raster

good reading: https://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-Wheel-.../dp/0960723668

mrmw

The best quality bearings, period, are Grade 25--as per sheldonbrown.com.

Best loose bearing web prices are at Loosescrews.com
https://loosescrews.com/index.cgi?c=B...id=80401999050

Best of all--the Loosescrews people are very, very nice. They eagle eye every order, and if they are not sure that YOU know what you are ordering--ask you questions to help you out.

HillRider

Grade 25 is the best you can find in normal commercial channels and they are readily available from any bearing supply house or from Bike Tools Etc or The Third Hand/Loose Screws at very reasonable prices.

I've heard of Grade 10 or even Grade 5 balls but nobody seems to know where to get them and they are overkill in any event.

stringbreaker

+1 on A. E. Bike I got a great deal on some DB spokes with the nipples

tellyho

Biketoolsetc. has cheap-as-hell sapim spokes. ~$9 for a bag of 20 w/o nipples. They're also my favorite BB supplier, cheapest I've found. And they're nice people.