I was intending on building up some wheels for the first....

Hubs from hope



Rims and spokes from DTswiss



All the comonents including hope skewers comes to £375.97.

Issue is I can close a deal on a new pair of Fulcrum Racing 3's for £300.



I really want to try a wheel build but £75 is £75 and I dont have the hassle factor and getting the build on the road will be quicker.

Any for Fulcrum 3's / opinions on which way to go greatfully received.

Piers

No brainer... build those puppies.

Agreed. /thread

Once you go handbuilt, you never go back.

Ok build it is...

First up is making Roger Mussons truing stand:



I will go and buy some MDF tomorrow. This will be a first time build, I have purchased Rogers online ebook and have been reading up like mad on how to and also looking at all of the utubery on the subject.

The frame is...



White rims are 28 hole only. Im 203lbs or 92kilo's if Pismet is in the house can we have a quick discussion re suitability black 465's come in 32hole.

Hope hubs come in the following:



Give me some opinions, groupset is going to be Sram Force 3t black and white bar and stem. So I was thinking white rim black hub and spokes.

white rim, black spokes, red hub, red nipples?

or black rim, black spokes, black hub, red nipples..?

Build with brass nipples, don't risk rounded off and seized nipples just for a few grams and a cool anodized color-- you can get black ano in brass. I would go for black spokes, black nipples, red hub, white rim, personally.

Hehe I see you have a thing for the red nipples!! the recurring theme in both suggestions!!

Red hope hubs are nice but someone siad to me once that the anodising can deteriorate and then turn pink!

If anyone has any info on this that would be cool.

Keep em coming.

Piers

Im with the build in brass nips...for a first build I think they will be a bit more friendly.

The other thing to mention is that hope do seat clamps and skewers in the same colours.

The head set on the bike is silver and will be a pig to replace as the head tube is wider at the base than the top. I was considering sprinkling silver around to tie things in.

Piers

At your weight, I would think that 32 spokes for the rear wheel would be the smart choice. You could go 28 on the front probably, but the rear will have already dictated the choice of rim color. A build with appropriate spoke count for your weight will be far more satisfying and trouble free than the Fulcrum 3's would be...depending on the quality of your build. Not that the fulcrums are not awesome wheels for lighter folks. The 200 lb guys that I ride with aren't just heavier, they're also stronger. That's a dangerous combination for a rear wheel with only 7 pulling spokes.

-Jeremy

Jeremy

Cool this is the info im needing. The intention for this bike is to get me really fit for next summer. I would love to have the white rims im not that strong yet and given some more work should drop to under 200lbs...real fighting weight would be 180lbs.

A bounce to 32 holes would mean black rims 465 or I could go deeper section for the "aero" look with 585's.

Black hubs, spokes and rims. 32 rear/28 front. Stealthy and strong. Great combination. Brass nipples always. Get 'em black anodized. And, of course, we must see these beauties during the build process, once complete with close-ups from all kinds of funky angles and on the steed. Oh yeah, if you've got a dog, throw in a picture of her/him as well. I like dogs.

OP I was considering the same thing, but after hanging out in the mechanics forum for awhile I'm on hold. There are guys there that do wheel building and have experience. They recommended some sites where you can get a handbuilt wheel for the same price as what parts would cost. They do recommend when buying either a handbuilt wheel or manufactured wheel to check the spoke tension.

I might build just for the satisfaction of doing it.

If you are buying new parts, there are many builders that will put it together for the cost of the parts. If you are using used hubs you may be able to build a set for less. In either case, if you WANT to build the wheels you should do it.

I built a rear wheel on a Velomax/Easton Campy hub and it came out great. 2000 miles and still round and true, and I ride in NYC. I bought a matching front Easton Orion, and actually wish it were just the hub and spokes like the rear. I can't bring myself to rip up a perfectly good wheel to rebuild it. The total cost of the wheelset was $220 for a mixed Orion/Ascent pair, weight of ~1450g

Let it be understood by everyone...Building up your own wheels is not the "cheaper" option unless you really hunt down used or discounted parts, in which case you don't get as much choice. But as you'll hear from many people on these boards, building your own is absolutely worth the extra cost and struggle. You really do learn SO much when you start from scratch, and it's extremely satisfying to know that you've just built a wheelset that's every bit as good or even better than what you'd have found on the shelf of your LBS. In addition to that, you've had the ability to choose each part for it's own reasons, which brings even more satisfaction and potential reliability to your new set.

For example, the set that I just built (my first full wheelset build) cost me $500 for the parts, has very standard spokes that are easily sourced and replaceable from any LBS, and is built around hubs that are far nicer (IMO) than I'd have gotten with the comparable off-the-shelf and equally priced williams system 30x. I'm light enough for the 20/24 system 30's, but would have chosen the 30x for the added strength. So my particular choice of wheel components didn't cost me any more or less than I'd have spent elsewhere, but they are exactly what I want in a wheelset. I also learned tons about wheel building, am now have the confidence to do truing and wheel work for my wife and friends who ride as well. When my wife needs a new set, I'll be building hers for sure, and will go that route again for myself in the future. My next set may even be a rebuild on the same WI hubset, but I'm so happy with my current set that I've got no reason to even think about that yet.

As urbanknight said above...once you go handbuilt (I'll add homebuilt) you never go back.

-Jeremy

It kind of is about the challenge of making things. I have done pretty much everything in our two houses over the last 12years of marriage. The first house I fitted the kitchen built and fitted a fireplace surround, removed a chimney breast, landscaped the back yard with 21m of metre high retaining wall and an 8x5m raised deck.

I have put up stud walls and fitted the bathroom in our new house, spannered on my MTB and my car....

I like a challenge hence wanting to build up a bike. We are currently living on site in a flat at the college where my wife is retraining, I have no project around the house to do...for the first time in 12 years!!

I appreciate the input guys keep it coming.

Yes I will document things as I go I will try to take arty pics from all angles.