I have so many needs for new wheelsets and for truing up existing wheelsets. My Vitus 992 project needs a wheelset, that is the main missing piece to the parts list. My daughter is still riding her UO-8 in the rain with baby-killer steel rims. My son's coming UJ-10 has steel rims too. My commuter bike is rapidly wearing out its front rim's braking surfaces. And so on.

Yet I am deaf, dumb, and blind when it comes to wheels. Never built one. Never even trued a badly warped rim. Don't own any wheelbuilding tools.

Reading the wheelbuilding threads here are not entirely reassuring. One thread makes it sound as easy as, well, riding a bicycle. Another thread makes it sound like neurosurgery while riding a bicycle. And I've no crusty old bike guru neighbor to show me what to do.

So I went looking for a class. Let's see, for $450 I can become a DT Swiss-certified wheelmaster - pass. For $275 SugarWheels will teach me to make a set of wheels sweet as you-guess-what - still kinda rich. Wait - for $75 my local bike co-op will walk me through building my first set of wheels over three evenings - sounds good. I'm there!

Problem is, I will miss the first class, where they discuss the theory, design, component selection, and cut the spokes. I promised to study up on my own and arrive at day #2 not too far behind the rest of the class.

That's where I need help. Could you all please suggest:
- A good book on wheel building?
- A good spoke length calculator?
- A good source for spokes (reliable, reasonable prices)

I thought I'd use the class to do the UO-8's wheels - this will be some inexpensive Sun alloy rims laced to the existing Normandy hubs. Makes sense not to use expensive parts for my first build, right?

I can't suggest a book -
(I learned all I needed from sheldon brown.com, and now I find myself pulling apart and rebuilding perfectly good wheels to polish the rims.)

I like this Spoke calculator:

https://www.bikeschool.com/tools/spoke-length-calculator

Spokes used to be cheap. They are soooooo expensive now and so much cheaper to buy pre-built wheels. I have about 5 sets of hubs that I don't mind rebuilding with something like affordable Wienmann LP18's. 40 bucks for rims and 70+ for spokes!!! Yikes. I can get pre build LP18's on Shimano low end hubs for a little bit more than that.
I regret the day I didn't buy the Phil Wood threading tool from Phil himself at a bike show back in the 80's. He was gonna sell me the floor model. Dang it.

Download the Jobst Brandt book...it's out there in cyberspace in PDF.

I use EDD: https://lenni.info/edd/

I get all my spokes at Dan's Comp...Sapim 14g for .25, Sapim Race for .40, and Sapim Laser for .85

My 2c.

+1 on Sheldon Brown.. https://sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html#initial .....very easy to understand and I have had good results with truing 25-30 year old wheels. I have not built any wheels as of yet but feel confident that I can with sheldons guide. From what I have seen and read, and from searching for materials, unless you are building higher end wheels, it can be much more cost effective to buy a new set and refine them with your newfound skills.

Brandt book is probably the bible. Great explanations of science and lacing. Highly recommend it if you are going to start.

Linky?

Book
Spokes (just email him with the lengths you need and he will send you a quote)
Calculator
Sheldon Brown

Aaron

Thanks!!! This could be a great find. So about .25c for 14guage? That is awesome awesome price. I can actually rebuild some old Campy and Normandy hubs I have laying around!!!!

The Bicycle Wheel

https://lenni.info/edd/

I have Brandt's book, and it's very good, and nice to have a hard copy to refer to while building, but for useful info, I MUCH prefer this site. Follow this guy's tutorial, without rushing, and you can't go wrong.
https://miketechinfo.com/new-tech-wheels-tires.htm

Thank you one and all.

A cheap bastard question: is re-using spokes a no-no?

I built one wheel in my brief LBS career when I was 16, and I was not even sure then that I had done it correctly. Keeping that in mind, I had to try it again and get it right.

Sheldon Brown's instructions are all I have used, and I have built probably 6 or 8 sets of wheels and all have been quite satisfactory. A class would probably have been a great help, I never even thought of looking for one.

I've cobbled together what I know from a combo of Sheldon and a book by Gerd Schraner

Does anyone know both the Schraner and the Brandt books for a comparison? I'm curious. Schraner all but says to stay away from straight gauge spokes.

I just shelled out the 90-some cents per-DT-Swiss for a new wheelset. Are those double butted Sapim's just fine? Dang. Next set, I guess.

OP - as long as you're patient and prepare yourself for the likelihood of relacing at least once along the way, it's a whole lot of fun. Good luck!

The initial outlay to build your own wheels is not really that much. A good spoke wrench and a decent enough truing stand (like the re-branded Minoura stand I bought from PBS for 60 bucks on sale) should get you going into wheel building nirvana.....Not everyone agrees with Jobst Brandt's thinking on wheels and wheel building, but it give you the basic ideas to understand how the process of designing and building your wheels, so his book can be very useful.
Frist wheel is nerve wracking, Second wheel feels much better and faster to do, but you will still hit a few dumb mistakes in the way, for wure, by the third wheel you will be desperately looking for the next wheel to build or true after you finish!

Good luck and tell us how it goes!

Chombi

https://www.danscomp.com/products-PAR...14G_Spoke.html
https://www.danscomp.com/products-PAR...ted_Spoke.html

I will reuse them if they are of decent quality, but most of my wheel builds are upgrades so I buy new spokes and rims.

Aaron

I skipped Sheldon's site, and Jobst's book. I've read them, but when it comes to actually sitting down to build a wheel, this site is perfect. Not too technical, but enough to make you think, and you'll do it right if you take your time. It's easier than you'd think.

https://miketechinfo.com/new-tech-wheels-tires.htm

The Professional Guide to Wheel Building by Roger Musson.

I've reused spokes with no ill effects, but there's a couple things to consider:
I've been building my own wheels for 30 years.
These are high quality DT spokes, that I bought new and laced into my own wheels.
I don't abuse wheels, aside from my own not-insubstantial weight (220 lbs.)
I disassembled these wheels and kept the spokes separated by position: left side, right side, inside of flange, outside of flange.

It looks like you're going to this class: https://www.citybikes.coop/about-citybikes/classes/

Frankly, choosing hubs, spokes, and rims is pretty academic. When it comes to wheelbuilding, the true test is whether the wheel is durable and maintenance-free. That comes from building wheels with high, even tension, which comes with time and repetition. IMO, building good wheels is mostly about learning the patience to do it right. Some people get do fine the first time, some people never get it.

If you want to talk wheels, maybe we can meet over coffee when my work project calms down. My "day job" is taking over my life right now- I work at Legacy Emanuel hospital. We're opening the new Randall Children's Hospital this weekend: https://www.legacyhealth.org/rch_body.cfm?id=1045

I'd like that, Jeff. I live pretty close to that hospital, it's on NE Glisan right? There's the Laurelthirst Pub a little ways west, maybe a pub closer too. I'm traveling a fair bit in March, then should be around. I'll PM you when things slow down for me - if you like, you can PM me when they slow down for you.

This. It makes the process amazingly simple. And you can contact him by email with questions.

Ugh. I finished a wheel this morning. Just downloaded the Musson guide, and the first thing I read was to *not* use vegetable-based oils for the spoke threads.

D'OH! Canola.

I'm self taught trial and error,learned back in the late 70s when I used to race BMX.there are lots of good videos on youtube.

I think you're thinking of Providence. I'm at Legacy Emanuel (and now Randall), near Fremont & Vancouver. Whatever- that's the beauty of bicycles- they take you places.