MKIV987

Flipping through a few bike repair books, I've noticed that most have a section on building wheels. I think it's a cool idea and I'll go out on a limb and say that it doesn't look too difficult as far as getting the right components and lacing them goes. I'm sure the real difficulty lies in getting the wheel true and the right tension on the spokes. My questions are:

-What tools would I need beyond a truing stand and spoke tension meter?
-I'm not extraordinarily "mechanically inclined," although I can do all my own bike repairs. Would I be able to tackle a job like this?
-Is it cost-efficient to build your own touring wheelsets or do you do it because you prefer certain components?
-Any difference between building 26" vs. 700c?

Any and all help/advice is appreciated, as always

positron

its easy. but not cheap (er, than finding a good set pre-built).

You dont need a spoke tension meter, but it might be helpful.

Carbonfiberboy 

I build my own sometimes. I just found a local builder who only charges $20 a wheel and does a perfect job. If you are building your own wheels you definitely need a tension meter! My pro uses one, just one much nicer than my cheap Park meter. I would never buy a wheel that wasn't tensioned with a meter. That's the most important part.

You don't need a truing stand or a dishing tool, just a bike work stand. You can true them and dish them on the bike simply by flipping them. You have to make sure you seat the wheel in the dropouts each time.
It's not technically difficult. The hardest part is getting the nipples on the spokes. A cordless drill/driver is real handy.
I don't like the part selections on most traditional pre-built wheelsets, so that's why I started building them myself.
I don't think there's much difference between building 26" and 700c.

fietsbob

I have a bunch of self built wheels , for load bearing touring, on a derailleur bike,
I found having spare spokes in the wheel worked out well,
when I broke 1 there were 47 left, and a few minutes , balanced out the side-to-side tension,

then I rode , after a minor bit of truing , merrily along
till the brought spare was conveniently installed.

I strongly dis agree..
I have a bicycle Research crank like screwdriver,
I can with it count nipple turns To start tension each spoke equally,
by not turning any one more than the other.

and their blade has a taller center pin in the flat blade,
when the spoke is up in the nipple the driver will no longer engage,
then the higher tensioning takes place, now counting quarter turns.

FunkyStickman

I don't have a truing stand, or a tension meter. The only tool I use is a good spoke wrench. I put the wheel in an old fork or frame in a vise, and if the spokes are the right length, it should be pretty straight from the start. If you want the most expensive rims and hubs, then building your own wheels won't be any cheaper, but if you want to mix and match existing parts, or can use cheaper stuff where you can, then it can be cheaper. You have to be able to find deals on hubs and rims, though. As long as you stick to 32 or 36 hole wheels, the sky's the limit.

I wrote a 3-part article on building wheels (at least how I do it).
(EDIT: Sorry my links were dead! Server crash made them vanish.. haven't re-written them!)

TheHen

I started building my own after a set built by a local shop failed after way too few miles. They didn't use a spoke tension meter and over-tensioned the spokes which caused the rims to crack.

Be sure to lube the outside of the nipples (where they seat) and use SpokePrep on the threads. Many people skip these niceties and get great wheels, but I have had much better results when I use them; it doesn't take much time.

As usual, Sheldon Brown has the low-down: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html

Rob_E

I've built a few wheels, and it wasn't too difficult, just time-consuming. I agree with positron that you can find deals on pre-built wheels sometimes that make building your own unnecessary. I like hub gears, and it can be a challenge to find pre-built to my specs, so I end up building them. Cheap truing stand and no tensioner. I just go slowly and evenly until everything's tight enough, then finish by plucking the spokes to find the ones that need extra attention and straightening everything up in the stand. I've used a combination of Sheldon's instructions and Roger Musson's book. The book in particular has tips for DIY tools if you want to go cheap.

What you need is a decent spoke wrench. Everything else you can make do without. I've been wanting to get/make a nipple driver,and a tensioner would be nice, but I've done fine without one. Truing stand is very nice, too. I went with a fairly cheap one, and it does the job. I've used a professional one, and it was very nice, but I could never justify the expense for the amount I would use it. You might find a dishing tool handy as well. I don't have one, but all my wheels have been front or gear hub wheels with little or no dish.

When building a wheel, I find patience is better than mechanical aptitude. If you can do other repairs, you can do this.

I build mine for both cost effectiveness and to choose my components. If I can find a pre-built wheel at a good price with acceptable components, I buy it. Usually I can't.

I've built 20" and 700c. Not much difference. I do think smaller wheels are a little more sturdy and more forgiving of uneven tensioning, but not enough that I have any qualms about building a larger wheel. The bigger difference is between front and rear wheels where the rear has a gear cluster, I think. I haven't actually built a rear wheel that requires dish, but it seems like it would add another layer of complexity.

Good luck and have fun. I think the best part about building your own wheels is that a broken spoke will be an easy fix that you can now do on your own without needing to track down a shop.

cyccommute 

I've been building my own wheels since the mid 80s. It's not all that hard and it doesn't require much equipment at all. A truing stand is nice, the Park TS-2 is extremely nice but you can get by with less. Your frame works for the guides but isn't as easy to use. I've also build many, many wheels with a stand just like this one



Not pretty but it gets the job done.

The best article I've ever read on wheel building and the one that I still use..inside the original Bicycling magazine it appeared in...is this one. It was a 4 part series but only parts 2 and 3 are worth reading now. Follow the instructions and you'll make a good wheel.

While you can certainly buy a wheel for cheap now, the reasons to build your own are many. If you want a certain hub, they may be difficult to find in a massed produced wheel. If you want a specific rim, again, they might be hard to find in a massed produced wheel. And if you want to build a wheel that is strong enough to withstand the rigor of loaded touring, you might not find any with DT Alpine spokes - my favorite spoke.

CB HI

I have been building my own wheels since mid-80s. Saves a bunch of money with own builds and trueing (my LBS at the time really sucked at trueing wheels to stay true). A simple, inexpensive truing stand is well worth the money. Make sure you get the right size spoke wrench. I suggest you use Wheelsmith spoke prep on the threads (expensive but works well on wheel builds and one small bottle last through many builds).

Tension meter, I have one, but I can build a wheel just as strong without it. Many "experienced" wheelbuilders do just fine without it, but it may be needed/suggested for a new wheelbuilder.

Dishing tool is NOT needed, as you can just flip the wheel in the stand until you get it dished.

Sixty Fiver

I build my own wheels, build wheels for other people, and teach people how to build wheels... my next class will be in July.

The tools are only as good as the person using them and although a commercial stand and a tension meter are handy, they are not essential unless you are building exotic wheels or are unsure of what is and isn't proper tension.

After working on 1000's of wheels I have a pretty good sense of things and when I check with a tension meter my senses are always good. Have built wheels using the bike as my stand and the brakes for gauges and then sent those wheels out for 1000's of miles with no failures.

My commercial stand is an inverted fork with dial indicators and manual indicators and it builds a wheel that is as good as any you will get anywhere... or rather... I build a pretty good wheel.

Spent Sunday afternoon teaching my friend how to build wheels and she is already pretty skilled and has great aptitude and she said she preferred my stand to the Park we use at the co-op... and she builds a nice wheel.

Problem with mass produced wheels is that they are often poorly finished... after rigorously de-stressing the wheel the tyre needs to be mounted and inflated and the wheel needs to be checked again as the tyre and tube apply compression on the rim.

This is a last step many overlook.

I always stress that if you understand the physics behind how a wheel works and the fundamentals behind the building process you should have no trouble building or rebuilding a wheel at the side of the road when you are 100 miles from nowhere.

sstorkel

I used a Spin Doctor truing stand from Performance Bike, Park TM-1 tension meter, Park WAG-4 dishing stick, and Park SW-40 4-sided spoke wrench. You don't need all of these tools, especially if you've been building wheels for years, but they sure make the job a lot easier for a newbie!

Yes, if you're patient

If you don't care so much about components, you can buy wheels for much less than they'd cost to make yourself. Especially when you include the cost of tools. If you have specific parts requirements and are willing to shop around you might save a bit of money. For me, the most important thing was knowing that I could repair the wheel on the road if anything happened.

Not really.

wahoonc

Both

I build my own wheels when I have the time, I also have one LBS that has a great wheel builder working for them, he has build a few sets for me.

Just starting out I would recommend a tension meter, until you build up a feel. FWIW I have the Park TS2.2 with dial indicators as well as the Park Tension meter. They were both gifts, but they make life much easier.

Any well done hand built wheel is going to outlast a machine built wheel any day. I have some that I built back in the late 70's that are still rolling along today with minor adjustment.

Aaron

seeker333

I built my first wheels in the bike using brakes as feeler calipers. So all I needed then was a spoke wrench.

Later I found a Minoura truing stand on sale from Nashbar for ~30 bucks. This works better since you can see better and adjust calipers precisely. Truing stands don't have to be expensive to work well.

Finally I got a Park tensiometer a few years ago, Nashbar sale again for about $37. Not absolutely necessary but appeals to my mild OCD tendencies.

I've don't know why people buy/sell dishing tool, since flipping wheel does same thing.

It's hard to build wheels as cheap you can buy them. Spokes and hubs have about doubled in price in last decade. Last wheel I built was 2 years ago, a 36h Shimano Deore freehub with Velocity Synergy rim and WS DB spokes for $65. Could have done it for close to $50 with WS SG. So, you can build them cheap, but you really have to scrounge for deals on parts, and wait.

Might be smarter to find a good quality built wheelset at good price, then go over it for tension/trueness/runout, especially if you need a wheelset soon.

If you decide to DIY, refer to Sheldon Brown's colorful diagram for spoke lacing a 3X wheel. Or, find a good wheel and copy.

djb

too bad you are so far away, I wouldnt mind taking a class...

sstorkel

Only true if you're using an expensive professional stand that automatically centers the wheel. The stands made by Minoura, etc. don't do this so it's possible to be way off if you're not careful...

SweetLou

That's why you flip the wheel. At the shop, I'll generally use the dishing gauge. That's because I don't trust Park Tools' self-centering and I usually must loosen the arms to get the wheel out smoothly to flip the wheel. This can drastically change the "center". On my home stand, I just move the one truing gauge and flip the wheel. This keeps the other arm stationary and I can judge how much I must move the rim. This works fine and I find it faster than using the dishing gauge.

As for the OP, as mentioned above, you need a good spoke wrench, oil or grease. Spoke prep is not needed. I have never glued my wheels and a properly built wheel that is designed for its use won't come out of true. A tensiometer is also not needed. Though, I would recommend one. I think most people don't realize how tight spokes should be and will build a wheel with too little tension. And of course getting the spoke tension even across all spokes.

I can build a wheel without a stand, but the proper tool just makes it easier to do a good job. Like I said above, my home one is not a top quality one, but it does just fine.

Why I build my own? Well, I like building wheels. I also don't trust many others to build my wheels. I have seen too many co-workers who can't properly true a wheel.

I'm also kind of particular about the wheel components I use. This way, I get the exact wheel that I want. Is it cost effective? Hell no. I could get machined built wheels cheaper than I can build my own. That's not including my labor.

One little "trick" that I like is to write the spoke length that is used on the rim tape. That way if a spoke breaks, it is easy to get the right size. Ex., DS=280 NDS=282. A customer broke a spoke and I saw this on the tape. Ever since, I always write what size spokes I use.

Is it easy? Yes and no. There is no magic to building wheels but I have seen so many people not do it correctly. These are the ones that the wrench tells you to ride it 100 miles and bring it back in for a retruing (should not be needed if built properly). The more wheels you build the easier it becomes. Also, good components makes building the wheel easier. Velocity and Mavic rims seem to build themselves. But even with these, sometimes you will get a rim that is not true from the factory, but it is rare. Lesser brands don't have the quality control and more manipulations/compromises are needed to build a wheel.

Rowan

This is really, really scary... that cyccommute and I agree again.

I use the same truing stand, and have the same opinion... been building wheels for a while now, and they all have what I want on them, and they sure aren't available commercially. In particular, we love SON dynohubs, which means a custom wheelbuild immediately.

Anyway, you can use your bike's frame or fork as a truing stand, using either zipties or electrical/masking tape to check run-out or roundness. And if you have a reasonably decent already built wheel handy, you can use the pluck-and-ping method to determine proper spoke tension.

You do need to have a quite well organised mind, and patience early on. I used Jobst Brandt's book on wheelbuilding; while most of his writing in it is irrelevant for basic wheelbuilding, his spoke-lacing sequence was for me the key to getting a successful start.

Good luck if you decide to go with building your own. Thing is, once you get to know good quality rims and hubs and spokes, you'll be on the lookout for good deals on each.

None of the wheels I have built have gone out of true significantly, and I've not had one single broken spoke or unwind. And the wheels have done many tens of thousands of kilometres on either my bikes or Machka's.

seeker333

This has been my experience as well, and is exactly what I do with my cheap stand.

That's an excellent idea. Since I got a tensiometer, I spreadsheet all the data, including making a MS Excel "radar" chart which allows me to depict the tension on each spoke graphically, as a wheel. It's neat to look at, and makes it easy to visualize tension.

Booger1

Henry Ford let the drunks build-um,you can do it.

I use a fork in my vice and a dial indicator/mag base and a good spoke tool.

Might not want to drink on the first few....

Sixty Fiver

There are lots of online resources that are excellent but when it comes to teaching some need the hands on experience and wheel building is a very tactile process... if you have never built a wheel being walked through the process really helps with that and solidifies the theory behind the work you do.

Figure that if I had to could build a wheel with nothing but the base materials and a spoke wrench... with good quality parts wheels almost build themselves and it is actually much easier to build a new wheel than it is to rebuild or service wheels.

My approach is a little unorthodox in that I really don't believe you need to spend $200.00 - $300.00 on tools when a bike frame doubles as an effective stand and simple zip ties can be used as indicators.

On many of my bikes I leave a zip tie (or a pair of them) on the stays so that if I need to check a wheel I have these and set them close enough that if a wheel develops a problem I have an early warning system.

With that being said, I have yet to have a wheel fail under normal, and even extreme use... a few have met their ends at the hands of cars, thieves, and vandals.

My fiancee called me last night to tell me that she had 6 broken spokes on her B bike which has 36 spoke, 20 inch wheels and thought she did something to the bike... have yet to see the wheel but my strong suspicion is that someone tried to steal or vandalize the bike which is usually secured with a NY Krpto shackle through the back wheel.

I checked the wheels in February and the bike does not see constant or hard use but bike theft and vandalism is a serious problem... if they cannot steal it they will wreck it.

I have a theory that some perps may purposely wreck a wheel to disable a bike they cannot steal in the hope it will be left so they can come back later and strip parts.

Would bet $$$ that I will find impact damage on the spokes and lost one of my wheels this way during a failed robbery attempt... my wheel was toasted and it was only a few days old and never got a chance to live a full life.

I lived close by and walked my bike home... would not leave a one of a kind custom or any bike behind for the vultures to pick clean.

Sixty Fiver

The Park TS2 is not nearly precise enough with it's centering feature... I tell people that it only gets you close but cannot be trusted for precise work.

My partner and I are both ex shop rats / machinists so we are used to working with much closer tolerances... he does not use a commercial stand either and has built his own as well and used to build 0/0 wheels for racing.

My upside down fork and dial indicators lets me true, tension, and dish wheels to a very high degree of precision... if my site was not down I posted a real nice video to show that yes, Virginia... you can build a wheel that is 5 by 5 which is my goal for tolerances when I use new, high quality parts.

That is 5/1000 by 5/1000 lateral and vertical but many wheels / rims are not built to this level of precision and an acceptable deviation is 10-15/1000.

LeeG

All of my wheels were built by me until there was a stretch of time riding little and I bought a couple of new bikes. I've bought a few built wheels from PeterWhite and am satisfied with them. Had a wheel built by Bikeman that I had to redo. Bought a Handspun wheel from Bikeman that is well built. It's satisfying to build your own but it's not cheaper if you buy everything retail.

1. spoke wrench
2. yes
3. not really cost efficient when buying spokes, rims and hubs at retail
4. nope

nfmisso

* tools: stand and spoke wrench - tension meters are over rated fashion tool that has only been around a couple of decades. If you can discriminate tones, you don't need any other meter.
* patience is the number one requirement, go slow, it takes time.
* cost; always use Wheelsmith spokes - see Peter White's website.
* 559 (26) vs 571 (650c) vs 590 (26) vs 622 (700c) vs 630 (27") - no difference.

wahoonc

1. Partially deaf so "tuning" wheels doesn't work
2. Patience is good
3. Wheelsmith spokes are fine, so are DT and Saipam. While I respect PW he is quite opinionated...aren't we all sometimes.
4. As long as the wheel is a standard build they are pretty much the same. Some hub/rim combo's can be tricky for first timers.

Aaron

George

How do you know how much tension you need?