[Closed] First Wheel Build - Complete!

Looks good! Did you managed to de-stress the wheel to remove spoke wind-up - if you didn't, expect to get a bit of pinging on your first ride and re-check your spokes after.

Be honest.

Did you get the end of lacing and find You had no holes left in the rim but a spoke that needed a home?

Nice work! As above, it's kinda obvious, but definitely plan to take a bit of time to check it after your first ride, possibly retension spokes a little etc.

First one I built was "cheated" by taping the new rim to the existing one but I got the holes misaligned and have a noob-error valve between crossed spokes.
Wheel rides just fine though so it's staying like that

It went really smoothly to be honest. I remembered about the de-tensioning, but I guess we'll see after the first ride 🙂

Not as relaxing as I was lead to believe though.

Just finally glad I've done it now. Next set of wheels I get now, I'll build something fancy!

I hope you made sure that the valve hole is misaligned relative to the logo on the hub?

I always do this on my wheels so that people will know I built therm myself, and didn't just buy them from a shop.

Did you managed to de-stress the wheel to remove spoke wind-up

Removing wind up is not the most important function of stress relieving the wheel. Failing to stress relieve increases the risk of spokes failing early due to fatigue.

The primary function is to relieve the stresses (!) In the spokes which have arisen as they go from being straight in a box to under tension, bent around the hub flange, past other spokes and into the nipple. This is achieved by two steps in the build. 1. setting the spoke path (completed at low tension just after lacing) and 2. Stress relief, which is completed at high tension. Stress relief is achieved by briefly increasing the tension.

https://www.wheelfanatyk.com/blog/wheel-building-tip-no-4-how-to-pre-stress-your-wheel/

Ah I made the rookie mistake of lining the logo up! I like that idea though, I'll save that for my next build 🙂

Looking at a build soon myself...

What calculator did use for spoke length? Where is good to buy spokes and nipples from? Did you go alloy or stainless spokes?

Did you follow the Sheldon Brown guide or another?

What would be your key advice/tips?

Thanks!

I've just built a set of wheels for my hardtail as a little lockdown project. Not the first set I've built, generally I find the process pretty relaxing.

As to your questions: I use the Sheldon Brown guide but you might find a couple of YouTube videos useful too (there are lots). Use several spoke calculators and check their parameters against the rim and hub manufacturers website - hopefully they will all come out the same! For buying, I found Spa cycles in Harrogate to be excellent - good stock, good price and quick deleivery. I've always used, and been happy with, steel double butted spokes so can't say if alloy are better or worse. The spoke calculators quite figures to 0.1mm but manufacturers sell in either 1 or 2mm increments. I rounded mine up.

Buy an extra spoke or two - you can put one a few turns into the back of the nipple to hold it while you lace the wheel up. Losing a nipple inside your rim is not fun!

After that, just take your time and enjoy the process

If you put a nipple 'head out' on your 'loading spoke' as a stopper before you put the nipple on it becomes an even more useful tool, add two ninety degree bends to allow you to crank it too and you're away.

Never round up with spoke calculating always round down.

I’ve built near on 40 wheel sets for customers over the years and made the mistake of rounding up on the first 2 occasions

Zoo

I've had the Roger Musson PDF book for years (that's how long I've been wanting to build wheels).

I also used his calculator. All the info is in the PDF, even has specs to build your own tools if you have the woodworking skills.

I bought ACI spokes from Cycle Basket as they're a bit no frills. I had to use the nipples and washers that came with the DT Swiss rims though.

One piece of advice as my first go at it, just take your time and get the lacing right. If you're not sure of a step, just re-read it a few times and maybe use Youtube to get a clearer picture if you're still not sure.

Must be a good feeling OP. Something I want to do too.

Well, I've just completed a quick 11 mile local ride on the new wheels. They haven't budged and are still true and all the spokes are still where they should be!

Quite proud of myself, but I'll continue to monitor them over the week. They feel great too!

I built my first set a couple of weeks ago. First one was a bit stressy, but the second one went great. Managed two rides on the and they've been fantastic, I'm sure I was faster.....

I also aligned the logo and valve hole, because RM told me to! Didn't think about people not believing that I built them!!

Haha, good stuff! Wish i'd have done it sooner. I know what you mean about the first one, it took me ages. The second one took half the time and probably ended up better built.

When funds allow, I'll be building my first set next year, can't wait. For those here fresh from their recent first builds, what would you say are the fundamental errors to avoid? What would you do / have done differently on the second build?

I'm not sure on that one to be honest. I just took my time and approached it methodically.

I might have got a bit too obsessed with lateral trueness, so I was micro-adjusting for hours before realising the errors aren't even noticeable once tyres are mounted and the wheels are on the bike.

Getting my head around which side of spokes adjust the dish was fun too!

Small imperfections look a lot bigger in a stand.

If I were starting over I would lace up the four spokes (two pairs) either side of the valve hole, check they look correct, then mark the rest of the rim holes based on these with a pencil, counting on. I eventually did this after lacing incorrectly more than once!

I'd then remove the two or three spokes that would be laced last according to whatever guide you are following, and complete lacing according to the guide, using your pencil marks as a check for correctness. (although I didn't remove the other spokes, I just worked round those four but it's a bit of a pain weaving the spokes).

I'd make a nipple driver tool from an old or extra spoke and nipple sooner, as described above, here https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?t=117817 and shown in this picture

I'd be more careful bringing all the spokes up to an even tension by winding them all on a certain number of turns, and working through one full rotation of the wheel on each subsequent tightening or loosening step before moving on to truing.

I'd remember to set the spoke path at low tension rather than having to de-tension the wheel to do it.