kyhokie

Title says it...
I want to give wheel building a shot - I have read and read and think I am ready to give it a go.

I want the most bang for my buck (don't we all).

I am building for a 29er single speed. These will be for a second set of tires (or maybe to replace as primary set and bump stock wheels to second set).

Where can [should] I...
-Buy hubs, rim, spokes, nipples,etc?
-Is there a place to get all items in a "kit"?
-As a 6' clyde at 250#, I was going to go with 36h as that is what I have currently and I do plan on "playing" on the bike. Thoughts?


I would like to be in the $150-200 range (less would be great - but I also know "you get what you pay for").

Thanks in advance!

BCRider

All you can do in terms of building your own "kit" is shop around and by at the best prices for what you want that you can. No one I've ever seen sells a pre-selected kit of items.

I don't think you'll stay in your budget but you shouldn't have to go more than a few bucks over the top end.

Hubs and rims will need to be selected. And don't be afraid of used for these items as long as they are rebuildable. If they show up and are 100% servicable afer a clean and re-lube you just saved some coin. Rims and spokes I'd buy new though. Discs and cassette will push you up over the $200 by a goodly amount unless you score some real deals on the hubs and rims.

Outside of that haunting Ebay will often net you a pair of rims at a good price as long as you're the only or least cheap of the bidders. Sometimes that route takes some patience and you need to know what you're willing to pay and let all the eager types get their loot first then you swoop in to pick up the leftovers the next time someone posts.

36 sounds like a wise plan. Aerodynamics ain't gonna play a big part in SS off roading....

Don't shy away from butted spokes but use the larger of the options. Butted spokes can often be more resilient to drops but you don't often see them in off road bikes other than the weight weenie bikes. But they can actually produce a wheel that is less prone to damage. But sticking to straight 15 ga (ie; 2.0 mm) spokes makes for a little easier build since you don't get the windup that the butted spokes have to a small degree.

For where to buy? I'd suggest you drop by www.mtbr.com and check on the suppliers link. That'll get you a good list to shop from. And I know that at least a couple of the online shops in those links have some decent prices on butted spokes and the straight gauge ones are cheap as dirt.

Don't neglect Ebay since you can find some pretty decent stuff there as well.

But you know this is going to cost you, right? I recently got a set of cyclocross wheels (29'er stuff) off ebay for my Double Cross build and they came in with LX centerlock disc hubs and Sun rims at $150. I looked around and couldn't find the stuff to build them for that much by a long shot. But if you're patient you can do it. I wasn't though so I went prebuilt and I'll find tune them if needed before hitting the road. There is even single speed suppliers on Ebay that have track and off road SS prebuilts for pretty decent prices.

wmodavis

BCRider gives good advice. I would emphasize his comment on butted spokes. The slight disadvantage of making truing and tensioning a bit more work is outweighed by their advantages even for one in the clyde category. Whatever rims you get find out the mfg's spoke tension range and shoot for the higher end of the range for final tension. It will get you better durability. At your size I'd look for a deep cross section rim for strength and be sure it's not made of a soft alloy. The cheap Al rims are usually a soft alloy nicely colored to look spiffy but not up to long life with properly tensioned spokes. Brass nipples are a bit stronger but there are some good Al ones. Rim, spokes and nipples are not places to skimp. Building is a good and satisfying way to go and not really that difficult if you have good instructions the right tools (mainly a proper fitting spoke wrench) and IMO a tensiometer because tension is one of the most important considerations in properly built wheels.

kyhokie

well - after these posts - I checked out e-bay and just picked up a pre-built set of SunRims for 103 from e-bay. the hubs have a little rust as do the rear nuts. the plus to me was the wheelset already has a freewheel and all I'll have to do is mount my new tires, put on a set of discs, and go.

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA:IT&ih=018

Hope it wasn't a mistake and it works out!

Thanks for the replies. I will give wheel building a try soon.

cyccommute 

Correction and comment.

Correction: 15ga spokes are 1.8mm. 14ga spokes are 2.0mm.

Comment: I've been building with butted spokes for most of the last 15 years. I've never really noticed any difference in regards to wind up over straight gauge spokes. For the strongest wheels, build with DT Alpine III, especially for big guys on 700C rims (29"=700C). The heads are stronger and less prone to breakage.

LarDasse74

I would just build a standard spoked wheel - i hear the Velocity Deep V is tough as n ails... then add something like this ebay item.