Agreed. Again, it's more of a side note than a solution, here.

I have always (meaning in the 8-10 wheels I've built) been impressed with how even I get the spokes by tone. As in, I pluck them while I'm building, and at the end, I'm surprised how close they are using a tensionometer.

Maybe it's luck. Maybe I'm awesome. Or quite possibly, maybe my quality control isn't so hot.

Obviously, you (Psimet) have waaaaay more experience, so this isn't supposed to be the "Cat 5'er giving the pro advice on weight lifting." Just a curiousity.

Easton builds their wheels "by ear"...

Yes - you can get "close" - like I mentioned. It also depends upon the resolution of your tensionmeter. If you have nothing then plucking works well.

FWIW - when building with CX Rays I use plucking to get even tension as a baseline and then start the real work from there.

If you already know how to build wheels, why let them do it. This year instead of a new bike etc, I am getting a better truing stand, tensionmeter and dish tool. I have been getting mechanical all these years, did my first valve job -- (Festiva with a Kia engine) so I figured I might be able to do a wheel.

My Litespeed didn't have paint. Just sayin'


I was checking the diameters of the spokes I was using earlier this week (very important - it's how I realized they sent me Revolutions instead of Competitions once) and my Competition spokes varied from 1.8 to 1.7 according to the Park guage. I know that thing's not accurate, but when some spokes slip right in, some grind by, and some don't fit at all, you know you have a wild variance. Unfortunately, that also means the tensionmeter won't be as accurate, but it still gets close enough.

...because my wheelbuilding tools are all in storage while I am trying to sell my house. I didn't think it was worth it to dig it all out, or buy a bunch of expensive tools for one set of wheels.

Part of what has been frustrating is that even though I am by no means a "pro" wheel builder, I have built up about a dozen sets of wheels over the years and all have turned out very nice. I wonder who taught this kid to build wheels. I can't imagine anyone teaching someone else and *not* mentioning the simple things like where to set the key spoke etc.

If everyone I had ever taught things too remembered everything that I taught them then I wouldn't have my 'real' job anymore.

+1

I build wheels for a living and there's no way I'd let crap like that go out the door.

If a person can't do a better job than a wheel robot, they should just admit it and STOP building wheels.

Wheelbuilding is about attention to detail. If the so-called builder can't be bothered to lace the wheel properly, there's even less chance they'll get the tension correctly balanced.

Sounds like they never ordered the right rim, then offered something they already had just to placate you, anyway.

If I were building the same wheels with the same components all day everyday, I could do it by ear as well......

Yeah, the best job I ever got was when Wheel World got a killer deal on 100 rims and 50 pairs of hubs, then asked me to build them. Even though they were paying me half my normal rate, it was a win/win because although the first pair took me 2 hours, I was eventually pumping those things out at 20-30 minutes per pair.

Still, considering the low spoke count, high tension, and light weight of the Easton wheels, I hope the guy has some musical training.

I measured a bunch using digital calipers. Wasn't trying to measure them with any REAL accuracy but it appeared that if they were off, they were off by, at most, .02 mm.

Well, that's way more accurate than me noting which slot on the Park chip they slide into!

Oh please.

You of all people, a professional "wheelbuilder" attempting to claim hub label alignment has *any* functional relevance to a wheel is just idiotic. What does a hub label off do? Brings the wheel out of true? Makes it harder to access a valve hole? Makes the wheel less aerodynamic?'

Yes, a "professional" wheelbuilder will always attempt to align hub labels where appropriate but to claim that they make a functional difference in the wheel as a whole is just utterly ridiculous. It's a bunch of decals or painted words on a hub for ****s sake. It does not serve the same function as paint on the frame, I would *love* to hear you debate that.

The weight of the decals or paint helps to offset the weight of the seam.

No it's not meaningless. Unless the OP is paying wholesale pricing on those rims. $60 off your total repair bill is $60, regardless of where those dollars came from. Seriously.

Meaningless. It is a vain attempt by the shop to make it appear as though they are helping out the OP. Simply ask for the rim to be returned and the original one put on the wheel. It's a meaningless gesture and indicates that the shop screwed up.

As usual you have missed the obvious point. The hub decal/logo alignment serves the function of letting you know the level of attention to detail your wheel builder just demonstrated.

hub label = brown m&m's
/discussion

I would be quick to judge a paid wheelbuilder that can't align the hub label. At least get it close. It's not hard.

As for the spokes crossing over the valve hole... no excuse for that.

The light brown ones or the dark brown?

Or take the attention away from a rather poorly build wheel........

I dunno, I've never read the rider. You don't want me building your wheels

I dropped the wheels off at the shop and everyone was completely embarrassed. I guess the guy who built them up was more than a little distracted because he is planning a wedding? The manager assured me that he is a very knowledgeable mech, that he has been building wheels since he was 12 and has always worked in a shop since his father owns a shop... Then he said "If he *did* do that on purpose, then he is so fired...".

I will report on the wheels when I get them back tomorrow or Friday depending on the big snowstorm...

While many pro builders align the labels, I would dismiss this issue as I can easily envision a good wheel builder that doesn't worry about non-functional issues. I actually had some wheels built, and I can't tell you whether the labels are aligned or not. I will go look this evening.

Crossing the spokes over the valve hole is functional, and is solid evidence of a build that should be redone.

Nice. Regardless of validity.

It's like the best advice I ever got for maintaining a marriage - "it's not whether or not you guys will fight but rather how you handle the outcome when disagreements or problems arise."