This had been something that I had been meaning to do for a while now, but never got around to until recently. Riding self built wheels just has such a great appeal
to me. I wanted to build a wheelset that would add a better classic touch than my other wheels. The wheels I had been using always looked a bit too out of place to me.
The rims were the first thing I decided I would buy. After some pondering and then some looking around, I accquierd some NOS Mavic MA-2 rims.
Upon initally inspecting them, I could not help but laugh when I saw the original price tag still stuck on.
For hubs, I decided to go with the current Dura Ace hubs from Shimano.
To obtain the proper spoke length, I made sure to measure everything myself. I used the method described on Sheldon's site to find the ERD. I measured the ERD in three places
on each rim, coming out to 613mm on both rims. I was pleased that both rims were round and flat to start out.
I compared my measurements with the measurments Shimano has listed. Shimano's numbers still just don't make any sense; I don't know what the hell they were measuring.
http://www.shimano.com/publish/conte...ub%20Specs.pdf
My measurments, using a vernier caliper, came out as the following:
HB-7900 (front hub)
flange diameter - 38mm
hub center to flange center - 35mm
FH-7900 (rear hub)
flange diameter(L) - 44mm
flange diameter(R) - 45mm
hub center to flange center(L) - 34mm
hub center to flange center(R) - 18mm
Gerd Schraner's book "The Art of Wheelbuilding" was very helpful. I used his spoking method for my build. The illustrations were very clear, concise, and understandable.I also
used Sheldon's wheelbuilding page as a secondary source for everything else once I had finished all the spoking.
I went ahead and made sure the orientation of all the labels was "correct"; it seems like one either rolls his eyes at such a matter or holds it to some importance. I like
the aesthetics of it. Even if it isn't noticable when riding, I still like the idea of it. Besides, it was a very simple task.
I called it done when I got the true within 0.3mm; it became a bit too much trouble for me to get any lower. I had some dial indicators, but they were not as useful as I
thought they would be, though very cool to look at. The rear wheel took twice as long to complete. I lost track of how long it took me to complete both wheels, but it was definately
over 7 hours.
I used DT competition spokes throughout.
300mm front
299mm NDS
298mm DS
32 spoke count
3x cross
symmetrical
I am 135 pounds soaking wet. So, yeah, I'm expecting a lot of milage out of these.
I think I'll stick to personally building all my wheels from now on instead of sourcing the work to others. It's a lot more rewarding.
