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I plan to upgrade my wheels at some point to be beefier with thicker hollow axles (9mm thru front, 12mm rear). There's a lot of interchangeable axle AM wheelsets out there, but a little bit of me would love the achievement of building them myself.
Who's built a wheel before, what are the pros and financially is it worth it? How long can it take on average?
I expect it will be similar in price to a factory set, but I get to choose everything from a range of sources; not just what the shop stocks. Also, if I'm riding harder trails I don't want to worry that my novice skills will mean dentures!
Current wishlist setup is Mavic EN521, Hope Pro II hubs, alloy nips, db spokes. Probably all black for stealth, or red hubs and black everything else. Because red makes you go faster.
It's a very useful skill to have - at a minimum it might make the difference between having to walk miles or being able to ride a wobbly wheel to safety if something goes wrong.
Add to that that you'll save £15-£20 each wheel plus you won't have to wait for shops to have time. And then you can also easily swap hubs/rims around if you want.
My first wheel (hundreds of wheels ago now...) took about two hours. I do them under 30 mins now, particularly if using new components.
It's really not difficult and if the absolute worst happens you can always take it all apart and get a shop to build it for you. Also if you did a really bad job (unlikely as it is), it's unlikely to be a dentures crash - just it'll go wobbly and you'd have to tighten spokes (which you'd then know how to do!)
Good guides on Sheldon Brown and various other sites.
I've seen a very similar setup to my requirements at £286 off ebay (new). What would you do? Forego the faff, or embrace the challenge?
I've just started building my first set of wheels - I got the Wheelpro book & built my own stand, and am planning on getting the front done this weekend. I'm only doing it because I want to know how - I don't think there's much cash saving for building a wheel from scratch.
i had problems with corrosion on the alloy nipples on my mtb this winter so have had to get them rebuilt with brass instead. Not sure if this is common problem or not though.
Grab an old dud wheel. Strip it and rebuild it a few times.
Then read how to do it. 🙂
Actually given the price of spokes aftermarket it might not be financially worth it, although it should be a small enough difference.
If you're using alloy nipples I'd recommend a 4 sided spoke key like the Spokey ones or the Park 'Pro' ones. I'd also use copper anti-seize on the nipples/spoke threads if you want to adjust them at a later date!
Definitely a good thing to learn, gives you absolute confidence in the wheels (after the first couple of rides anyway) and is very satisfying to do.
It's a skill worth having IMHO.
Whether it's worth it financially is up for debate - but I have the satisfaction knowing I have built the wheels I ride on.
Can't put a price on that 🙂
You can buy spokes cheap if you look around (like 25p each)
It's a skill worth persevering with. I've only built <10 wheels in my time, but I'm getting better at it to the point where I'm considering buying specialist tools.
The first thing you need is a decent spoke key which is comforable to use and doesn't slip, this will make the job ten times easier.
financially is it worth it?
not unless you can get spokes at bulk price.
however it is fun, satisfying and it is an elite club 😉
it is also helpful when you need to build a wheel the morning of a race etc. as the bike shop might not help you out.
Oh, also I was thinking 36h f+r. Overkill? When the weight difference seems marginal I rhink I'd like the extra spokage.
I like the idea of unbuilding and rebuilding prior to tackling the job.
Yep, it's not a bad idea. I've 36h both of my bikes and even then have had the odd rim buckle (on 717s). I'm not a massive guy either.
On the other hand, I am a big guy, have all 32 spoke wheels and rarely break/buckle them...
I think building wheels is a great skill and love the creative/Engineering process.
However, with the price of Hope Hoops, which is exactly what you are speccing, there's not really any point if you need a fully built pair of wheels including new hubs. Save the task for if/when you trash a rim, in my opinion.
I've build hundreds of wheels (used to do 40 a week for a manufacturer) and could do a pair in about 45 mins but for my own, I take longer. More like 35-40 mins each as there's no need to rush. However, for the this time I went for built wheels - Hoops - as they were so much cheaper/easier. Getting Flow's on Pro II saves loads over the bits.
Also built wheels for guys who race DH World Cup - 32 spokes all the way. A well built 32 can take a hammering in the Alps, Fort Bill etc from a big aggressive rider and I don't see what the extra 4 add over cost, weight and harder to get your pump in!
I'd avoid alloy nipples - weaker and save very little. Prone to corroding and deforming when you try to retrue.
if you have spare time on your side and like to tinker with bikes, you'll probably enjoy it. if its purely to save money its not worth it.
(Mr MC posting)
financially, no. Personal satisfaction, therapy, yes.
I bought a pair of Hope/717s for less than I could buy the bits. After a year or 2 I rebuilt them with beefier 325s for an alps trip, before eventually putting the 717s back on and putting the wheels on MC's hardtail.
Have you got an old wheel you can experiment with? I used the guide on www.sheldonbrown.com to build my first one many years ago, and ended up being the club wheel (re)builder.
It's fitting that "stress relieving" is a concept within wheel building as thats exactly what I get out of bike tinkering in general and wheel building in particular.
New wheels probably not worth it financially rebuilding a rim onto an old hub deffo worth it. Built my first wheel last year, looked good took it for a short spin and it seemed OK, took it for a longer ride and all the spokes detensioned. Oops. Took it to a bike shop to sort out (for a lot less than the cost of a rebuild) and its fine, done sterling service including a downhill day. Built my second last month, more tension this time and 10 rides in it's doing fine. Just rebuilt a road rim on my commuter, straight swap same spokes. Only ridden it once seems ok tho.
Trued up some wheels at work for colleagues, hoping to get better at building, should save a packet over time and useful "get me home" skill
I think I'd give it a bash if it was going to be no more expensive than built (obviously saving £ is a pro). I agree with the therapeutic nature of tinkering; nothing is being demanded of you and it usually results in improvement to your setup. Double win!
Interesting point about 32h, I've heard lots about rotating weight and would love featherweight wheels...but don't if I'd trust them. I reckon around 2kg the pair is a good target weight.
Ok, opinions on straight pull vs j spokes? Or is just reinventing.......
32 vs 36
People will argue until they're blue in the face about how many spokes is best.
I personally have opted for 32/36 on Patriot, and 36/36 on 222.
I've been building my own wheels and some for mates for years - definitely worth learning to do - BUT - you have to have the patience to learn how to do it properly - no point doing a half-arsed job or your wheel won't 'stand'. Usually costs a wee bit more by buying all the parts separately but worth it once you know what you are doing.