Originally Posted by
snafuspyramid
What about building my own wheels? I am mechanically minded and generally enjoy this sort of thing. I have access to a decent truing stand - though I don't have a tension meter.
You need to know hub dimensions and the ERD before you can calculate spoke length (to know what length to order). Some of this info can be found in spoke length calculator databases, and sometimes you have to measure to be sure. I use Spocalc (a MS Excel spreadsheet).
http://sheldonbrown.com/rinard/spocalc.htm
http://sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html