Building my first wheel set

C

cjaty

Likes Dirt
OK So Im turning 40 this year and Im planning to build my first wheel set.Ive been ridin MTB for about 22 years now and this is the only thing Ive never done,Im confident in building them but was wonering if anyone can give me some advice before I start.
 
cjaty said:
OK So Im turning 40 this year and Im planning to build my first wheel set.Ive been ridin MTB for about 22 years now and this is the only thing Ive never done,Im confident in building them but was wonering if anyone can give me some advice before I start.
Click to expand...
Have one already built one to go off. Check that your valve hole is in a 'non crossed' spot.
Mates watched vids first (this was in the days before YouTube), but I just jumped in and had a crack. All went well. Only ever built a handful, last one was just last week, and still love it.
Have a quality spoke tool, and depending who you ask, lube the thread, but I never do.
Consider pulling apart and redoing an old spare if you have one that you won't mind if you kill.
Other then that, just jump in and have fun.
 
Have followed Sheldon Brown's wheelbuilding guide a few times with good solid results.
Have only built up track/fixed gear wheels though so no dishing required as such. They've all lasted years however.
You can bodge up a true stand from some old forks but i grabbed a minoura one for less than $100. good for building and general maintenance work

good luck:) i rekon it's kinda relaxing to sit there and lace up a wheel or two:)
 
MTB Wanabe said:
Here is the spoke calculator that I use and recommend:

http://www.wheelpro.co.uk/spokecalc/

As far as building wheels goes, check out Roger Musson's book. Best $14 I ever spent. It has everything you need information wise to build a set of wheels and so easy to follow,

http://www.wheelpro.co.uk/wheelbuilding/book.php

Cheers and good luck
Click to expand...

I built up my current DH wheels from this book. Excellent result. And he actually DOES respond to email queries.

I recommend this book.
 
dej said:
You can bodge up a true stand from some old forks but i grabbed a minoura one for less than $100. good for building and general maintenance work
Click to expand...

Static trainers also make good truing stands. Without the tyre on the wheel the resistance unit doesn't interfere and I use a dial indicator with a magnetic base stuck to the frame of the trainer but that's probably going a bit overboard. Very relaxing to sit in front of the tv during a bike race and true a wheel.
 
Last edited:
When I built my first set of wheels I got a cracker deal on rims and hubs - $150 bucks, brand spanking new. To buy the wheels built up locally was $700. I figured as long as I spent less than that I was ahead. So I bought the following...(ebay - about $450 - ahead just)

- park wheel stand - TS2.2

- park tension meter - TM1

- spoke driver (actually bought this for the second set of wheels I bought)

- spoke wrench

+ spokes of course. I watched a couple of videos (DT Swiss is good), Sheldon Brown and started. Was actually reasonably easy, just take your time and learn to understand how the wheel works.

I found the spoke driver a big time saver as it was easy to get all the spokes tightened to the same point without counting turns etc. The tension meter was great to ensure consistent tension through out the wheel. Building a wheel straight is easy, building a wheel with correct tension...much harder. A wheel with correct tension will be much stronger and last longer. For spoke lube I use linseed oil.

I agree you can do it without the wheel stand but if you can afford it money well spent.

Cheers
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top