[Closed] Wheelbuilding. Tried and given up?

Its not as hard as you think to make a servicable straight wheel. It might not be perfect but you'll be perfectly happy to ride it.

I have a fancy truing stand with gauges and everything and i think its worse than a basic one. By eye to a fixed marker will get you bloody straight.

I would however recommend a proper nipple key of the CORRECT size. Not a generic multi one.

I've never built a wheel from scratch but never regretted learning the skill and understanding to maintain and repair them (including re-rimming a few).

I’m wondering if I should splash out on pro-quality gear without having tried wheel building, or if buying some budget tools to experiment with would be more sensible, even though I’d probably ditch them and buy better tools if my first wheels turned out well.

Cheap tools are fine. i bought the bottom of the range park tool (bendy spring steel) and a dishing tool about 20 years ago to replace my "forks in a block of wood". Still using them now. At peak i was doing a set or two a week on them.

Probably more than any of my LBSs, who all had the fancy tools........

As above though, get the best spoke key you can afford, one size per key. It'll cost you about 6 quid and is *well* worth it.

It's honestly not get dark art some would have you believe. A bit of patience and time spent reading up on the basics, and you'll get it in no time. Learning how to lace and getting the key spoke in the right place is half the battle.

I'd recommend getting hold of a couple of old wheels and disassembling and reassembling them as practice.

I've been building wheels for myself for 20+ years and never used anything but a frame/forks and zipties for truing. Your hands, eyes and ears are the best tools you have here. No need to drop a load of cash on it.

A decent spoke key is worth it, but I lost my nice Park one ages ago, and have been using a cheapy multi one for a few years now, and it's actually been totally fine.

Sheldon brown is your best starting point...

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html

It’s not about the fancy tools and more about understanding how a wheel works.

Personly id buy a tension gauge before a flash jig, but neither are needed just take your time

Super dull for me!

just take your time

It took me a month to build a pair 😀 They were good, though :).

I started off reading the fantastic book by Roger Musson, in it he gives you plans for bulding your own DIY wheel jig.... like the one below.. to be honest it does take a few attempts to get a decent trued/dished useable wheel... also check out some youtube vids on lacing/building/truing a wheel.... it's not really a Dark Art... just a great deal of time and patience is what's needed.... and very therapeutic it is to boot 🙂

Link to Roger Musson's PDF book  https://www.wheelpro.co.uk/wheelbuilding/book.php

Basic wheel dishing tool.

+1 for the Musson book and a home made stand.  Mine's not nearly as smart as the one above, but it's solid and does the job.  I really struggled to find a stand at a sensible price that didn't have rubbish reviews.

My first attempt at wheel building had all the spokes go loose after 4 miles. Re-did it with the spokes a bit tighter, and those wheels have stayed true for well over 10k miles. Since then I've done half a dozen or so, and really enjoy the process of going from a bunch of bits to a fully built wheel.

Building a true wheel from brand new components is actually pretty straight forward.  As long as you do exactly the same thing to all the spokes, you'll end up with a more-or-less true wheel, and the book explains exactly how to do that easily.

Yep quite easy if you take your time, slow and steady is the key. I find it easier to copy a spare wheel for lacing though

Been building my own for nearly 20 years - quality of jigs and tools makes no difference to build quality, only convenience. However, a spoke key which engages on the corners, not the flats e.g. Spokey is better particularly for corroded and alloy nipples. Re-rimming an old wheel is a great place to start, to get a feel for how much spoke key twiddling you need to apply at which stage of the process and learning to be methodical. Copying an existing wheel is easier - worries like getting the hub logo to align with the valve hole, plus valve access is clear of crossed spokes.

Thanks very much for all the tips.  I'll look into it a bit more, and try to get enough together to build a 'test' wheel.  I already have Jobst Brandt's book, and I also bought Musson's book as a download a few years ago, but I can't find that on my computer, so I'll buy another copy.  There are also some good YouTube videos which I'm currently watching.

I love building wheels (although I've only built perhaps a dozen or so). Definitely not as hard as you'd think, and the ones I've built seem to have stood up ok.

My brain isn't wired that way, happy to pay for really well built wheels though.

Never read a book or bought any posh tools, just use frame fork as stand an appropriately sized screwdriver for nipple heads and a spoke key for later adjustments...

Oh and a spoke calculator spreadsheet (Damon Rinard's "spocalc" available free from the Sheldon Brown site)

I've probably built about 20 odd wheels of various sorts over the last couple of decades, it isn't very hard, it simply requires time, thought and concentration... It is a useful thing to be able to do, it's saved me money and I've not had a catastrophic failure yet...

I’m wondering if I should splash out on pro-quality gear without having tried wheel building

Depends, are you planning on becoming a "pro" wheel builder? If not then it's probably not really worth it...

My suggestion would be to buy some cheap hubs, rims and spokes and have a stab at building your first pair, then see what you think.

I already have Jobst Brandt’s book, and I also bought Musson’s book as a download a few years ago, but I can’t find that on my computer, so I’ll buy another copy.

If you've got Brandt you don't need anything else, book wise. Musson is ok, but I'd not bother buying it twice if you've got that.

I built my first wheels using a turbo trainer as a stand cos the missus didn't want a whole bike in the front room. I have more kit now, but if you're starting out you don't actually need much. A decent spoke key (Spokeys are great) and that's about it. You can sort dishing by flipping the wheel over, spoke tension is easy to check roughly by comparing with a known good wheel and then pinging the spokes to compare overall tension, everything else is just patience and perseverance. Good luck, have fun!

Just bookmarking for when I give it a go.

I bought one of these

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F202293931355

To true up my wheels and its a brilliant little piece of kit. Seems to be a step between cable tie method and a wheel jig.

The deal with Musson's book is that you've got access for life, downloads of updated editions as and when. Log in to wheelpro and download another pdf.  Standard "forgotten your details?" procedure, and he's responsive on email if you get stuck.

big yim, that thing is very smart.

I love building wheels and have done about 30 pairs, the last 25 were all decent. Plus I like to fix mine and all the clubs wheels.

However at times, I still use a pro wheelbuilder, expensive hub/rims, then its off to be done by the top man.

The last wheel sets I've had built have all started to come loose. All at different bike shops, I'm not sure if it's because I'm a heavy rider or that they haven't been tensioned enough. All the spokes don't seem right to me when I pick them up but not sure if that's right or wrong! I spent an hour last night in the kitchen tightening the rear wheel up

It is one of those things that I think people imagine being much harder than it actually is.  I have done everything on bikes myself since I was about 8 years old but only starting building wheels when I was about 45 as just though it was better to pay someone to do it.  Once I started I can't stop and find any excuse to build up a new wheel.

Would agree with this though

I would however recommend a proper nipple key of the CORRECT size. Not a generic multi one.

Built a pair a few years ago. Deore hubs and cheap Mavic rims just to see how it went. Used a pair of forks for the front and frame for the rear.

Front went fine. The rear I laced wrongly, due to complacency i think. Once I realised I re laced it and it went as smoothly as the front. Did about 2000 kilometers on them with no re truing needed. They weren't ridden hard though, just fire roads and bike paths.  Going to give them to a mate who needs new wheels to get him back on the back after a few years off.

Quite time consuming and you need to set aside a few hours as I think you would not want to stop and start the job. Reasonably satisfying when using cheap bits. Might be a bit more concerned if I was using expensive rims and spokes.

I've made a fair few wheels and have never had a problem.  It's all very logical.  I've never used a wheel jig - an upside down bike is all you need.

The last wheel I needed re-hubbed is a front Corima deep carbon road rim.  18 hole, radial spokes.  Bugger that, I'm 15 stone, and the last hub broke at the flange.  I got a professional to do that one.

Built quite a few now, and reriimmed a few more. Along with a perfect brake bleed it’s probably the most satisfying Mtb fettling job I ever do

I follow Mussons book and use his dishing gauge but a frame/fork for truing.

Rather than zip ties I attach a ruler to the frame/fork and clip big bulldog clips to that. The metal arms of the bulldog clips then get used for the lateral truing. I find this much easier than wobbly zip ties

spoke tension is the most important thing- if spokes are equal tension (noting each side will differ) the rim   won’t get less true. A perfectly true rim with uneven spoke tension won’t stay true long!