Originally Posted by
geachyguy
Hi,
I would like to start building my own wheels. I have been truing wheels for a long time and can do that pretty well, so it the step up to wheel building relatively small?
Also, I have seen in other threads that sometimes it's cheaper to buy a complete wheel, then de-tension and re-tension the spokes. If a wheel you buy is true already, why do you need to bother de-tensioning and re-tensioning?
What determines if the wheel holds it true or not?
I would de-tension, lube the nipple threads and seats and then re-tension. The factory wheels I've worked on (not many, I'll admit) have not had enough lubrication to allow correct tensioning. When I build my own wheels, I apply a little white grease to the nipple threads before assembling the wheel.
As others have said, high, even spoke tension is the key to keeping a wheel true. Once I learned that lesson (several years after learning to build wheels), my wheels required minimal maintenance after the first couple miles. Not bad for a 6-foot-4, 215 pound rider.
I've replaced many rims due to brake pad wear, but they were still straight. Only once did I leave a rim on too long- but it still rolled:
http://home.comcast.net/~jeff_wills/...s/rites042.htm