Gazzabikes

Hi,

As the title says i would like to try to build some wheels for myself,
I have purchased a book, have a well epuiped workshop (will need a few extra tools but im a bit of a tool addit so no worry there)
Am pretty technicaly minded and like precision in my work.
but i would like to start off with a few cheap rims etc so i can get a feel for it, make any errors on those first.
any other tips you guys may have**********

i just want to do this for the joy of it, creating something nice

Gazza

mihlbach

Contrary to what many LBSs and pro wheel builders would have you believe, there is nothing magic about wheelbuilding. On your first build, follow instructions, exercise patience, use a tensiometer, stress relieve the spokes, and your wheels will turn out great.

Gazzabikes

I didnt think so myself, am very keen to give it a go

halfspeed

Start with something simple like a 32 or 36 spoke wheel with straight guage spokes and brass nipples. It'll be "heavy", but it's the fastest path to success on your first build.

rogerstg

Based on that reply, I suggest you ditch the idea of building cheap wheels and build something nice from the start. Like mihlback wrote, it isn't magic.

motobecane69

agree with everyone above. www.irocycle.com has "coldfusion" rims which are unbadged velocity fusion rims in 32 hole count. unfortunately it was just brought to my attention that they don't have the machined sidewalls available in many colors but i have a set of wheels with non machined sidewalls and they work fine. after a few rides the brake pads wore off the finish and improved the braking but it's not like the braking was bad to begin with. Another good option for good, inexpensive rims is kinlin. go onto ebay and do a search, you can find them for around $30 a hoop.

https://www.irocycle.com/irocoldfusionrims.aspx

canam73

Skip building the cheapies unless you actually want some cheap wheels. If, as you say, you are mechanically inclined then you will in all likelyhood end up with a decent wheelset. And at that point you will wish you had thrown an extra $100 at getting some parts that you like.

urbanknight

I wouldn't buy parts for a cheap build unless you want some beater wheels. If you happen to have a set of beater wheels already, you can practice by taking them apart and rebuilding them. Otherwise, build what you want and pay attention to detail. If you use a low spoke count or a very light rim, make sure to use a tension meter and consider the tension carefully. Just take your time as a beginner. My first wheel took 2 hours, then 1 1/2, then so on until I was comfortable going fast. As mentioned above, there's no "magic" to it, but trying to go too quick or leaving your brain behind will make mistakes that compromise the longevity or the wheel.

elcruxio

And don't try to true wheels while eating ice cream at the same time. It's difficult and frustrating.

But seriously now it's not rocket science. And if you have a book about the topic, that's great! With patience and a tension meter it's unlikely that you'll break anything and the good part is, you can always start over if you feel something has gone largely amiss.

mihlbach

When I built my first wheelset, I bought all the proper tools, read several sets of instructions, and set about doing it correctly. It took several hours per wheel as unbanknight suggests, but it turned out just as good as any other wheelset I have ever built and has over 10,000 miles on it, without ever needing additional adjustments. So, IMO, there's no need to build yourself a beater wheelset first. Just dive right in, building the wheel that you really want. Its really hard to totally **** up a wheel build if you are willing to put the right amount of effort into it....worst case scenario, you don't get the tension right the first time and the wheel goes out of true. Since you are now armed with the tools and skills, you can always continue to adjust it until you get it right.


Edit...Actually I remember my LBS gave me a dumpstered (but still functional) wheel for practice. I dissembled and began to relace it, but quickly realized it wasn't worth my time and tossed it before completing it.

Gazzabikes

Thanks for the replies folks,
Some really useful comments made there,
so, what would be a good quality set of sweet rims to build up?
i dont really know whats good nowdays, in hubs, spokes, rims etc and would like something that looked cool,
id like to try a fancy spoke pattern but have yet to read up on what will be suitable for my weight etc, i'm around 200lb you see, so a clyde!
would like them to be an improvement on what i have now in weight etc, which are no brand that i can see black rims spokes and hubs.
Thanks in advance folks
Garry

Brian Ratliff

It isn't magic, but it is a craft that requires practice to get right.

Velocity rims make for good wheelbuilding rims. So do DTSwiss. Stay away from Open Pros until you have some experience; they are extremely light weight for a clincher and they tend to start tacoing (basically compression buckling) if you put too much tension on the spokes. Check out https://sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html for good web instructions on how to build wheels. Allow a couple of hours per wheel to start out. I skip the spoke prep in favor of vegetable oil. I read this advice from somewhere, but the vegetable oil lubes the spoke threads but then turns gummy after a while to keep the spoke nipples from working their way loose. Get a good spoke wrench. The "Spokey" wrench is excellent; the basic Park Tool wrench you buy in the bike shop is not so good for wheelbuilding - you will end up stripping spoke nipples.

Start with your basic 32 spoke, 3 cross wheel. Use brass nipples; aluminum nipples look pretty but strip more easily and brass is self-lubricating against stainless steel. When you are tensioning the spokes, go slow; half turn at the most for each nipple, quarter turn when all the nipples are tight. Check the lacing very carefully and be prepared for the possibility that you will lace it wrong the first time. Build the front wheel first; it is symmetrical and is easier to tension correctly. Take the rim and hubs into a good shop to buy the spokes for your first build so they can figure out the correct spoke lengths; they have both the software and usually manual tools for doing the calculations if you have some parts that aren't in their database. I would use double butted spokes; they are a bit more expensive but more forgiving of tension issues than straight spokes.

Good luck.

canam73

When you do read up you will find that their is no advantages to the fancy patterns.

Gazzabikes

aesthetics?

canam73

You got me there. Nothing beats bling.

Gazzabikes

LOL, i know, it's pretty shallow of me i think, but i do like good looking wheels, for saying i'm a heavy lump i have a set of rolph wheels on my MTB and they have hardly any spokes on them and they have had some incredible grief put their way following my friends on downhill bikes, and they are true as the day i got them (8 years ago) and it's always a talking point for friends, now i am learning a bit more about these things i shall try to build something more suited to my weight as blingy as i can

Scooper

I would strongly recommend buying a copy of Professional Guide to Wheelbuilding, 5th Edition by Roger Musson. It's an e-book you can purchase on-line for about $14 (depends on exchange rate) and download as a pdf.

TheJackMove

Yeah like everyone said, it is not magic, you shouldn't break anything, so if you screw something up you just start over. It is just a matter of turning each one of the nipple the right number of times.

One tip, something that a couple people touched on- When I first started building wheels I ran into a lot of trouble stripping nipples when the tension started to get up there. Don't let it frustrate you, and don't keep working with a nipple if you feel it start to deform. Just take it out and start with a new one. And like someone said, use a lube like linseed oil or vegetable oil for a 3 cross pattern when you start out, that will help too. That'll save you quite a bit of frustration.

Good luck!

bikepro

Stick with a simple X2 or X3 pattern.

urbanknight

Use quality brass nipples and a decent spoke wrench and it shouldn't be a problem.