Wheel building costs

[pineapplehead]

Trying to weigh up replacing my current skinny rims or my entire bike.. I've currently got hold pro 4 hubs and am considering getting this laced into some new wider rims. I've never built wheels before and am honestly daunted by the prospect. What sort of costs are expected for wheel building + spokes, if I was to supply the rims?


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[fatboyonabike]

budget about $2.50 per spoke to buy, they should come with standard nipples.
if you want anodised nipples, allow extra for that
if you want DB spokes, they are extra too
see if you can get a copy of Roger Mussons wheel building book, this will help you with working everything out from spoke length to making up a wheel jig from plywood to allow you to lace and true the wheel
I did this a few years ago as my first time, and its fairly simple.
I got the wheels close to true and took into LBS to finish off, much cheaper than getting them to build from scratch

 

[silentbutdeadly]

The wheel builder I use seems to average around $220 a wheelset if I supply the rims and hubs. Spokes are typically Sapim straight or double butted and nipples are always brass. Labour charge is $50 to $70 per wheel.

I could do it myself but for $70 for a wheel I never seem to have to true again...it's not worth it.

 

[Boom King]

Build them yourself, it's life changing. PM me if you want more info and a chat.

 

[clockworked]

Agreed! Its relaxing and satisfying. But only after its fucken annoying for a couple of tries

 

[ChrisJC]

If you have a decent truing stand; tension guage and dishing tool, it’s just time and patience. Practice with some existing wheels. Loosen off all the spokes and then retension them seeing how true you can get them.

It costs at least several hundred to get set up for wheel building so you’d need to weigh it up.

 

[Dales Cannon]

I have built wheels using home made jigs from ply and pine but I didnt get the rush from doing it yourself. Just frustrated and angry. Then relieved that it worked. I just pay a not so close lbs.

 

[rowdyflat]

wrong thread

 

[hellmansam]

I have built wheels using home made jigs from ply and pine but I didnt get the rush from doing it yourself.

I learnt the backyard way using the bike frame as a dishing tool and truing stand, and became proficient while working in a bike shop. It came to be my favourite task.

 

[Flow-Rider]

I learnt the backyard way using the bike frame as a dishing tool and truing stand, and became proficient while working in a bike shop. It came to be my favourite task.

Best way to dish is from the bike itself.

Heaps of cheap truing stands available these days but there wasn't years ago. Unless you're a tool whore and like collecting high end tools there's really no need. I've still got a truing stand that I made years ago out of scrap metal.

 

[hellmansam]

We had a pneumatic nipple driver which was pretty cool once you mastered it

 

[Dales Cannon]

We had a pneumatic nipple driver which was pretty cool once you mastered it

Is that a ltih or a ltil?

 

[hellmansam]

dunno but it was red !

 

[teK--]

Best way to dish is from the bike itself.

Heaps of cheap truing stands available these days but there wasn't years ago. Unless you're a tool whore and like collecting high end tools there's really no need. I've still got a truing stand that I made years ago out of scrap metal.

Interested to hear why you suggest using the frame is best for dishing. I find using a single sided truing stand works even better than in a frame or a double sided stand, since you can flip the wheel and get a very consistent measurement.

 

[Dales Cannon]

dunno but it was red !

Bepanthen.

 

[Flow-Rider]

Interested to hear why you suggest using the frame is best for dishing. I find using a single sided truing stand works even better than in a frame or a double sided stand, since you can flip the wheel and get a very consistent measurement.

Because not all rear triangles are perfectly centred and worn dropouts, for eg. if you fit wide tyres on some frames you'll get a 7mm clearance on one side and somthing like 5mm on the other and some frames are deliberately offset.

 

[hellmansam]

Because not all rear triangles are perfectly centred...snip

I was wondering if somebody would point that out...to get around that, it's not hard to make a dishing tool, they are pretty simple

 

[Flow-Rider]

I was wondering if somebody would point that out...to get around that, it's not hard to make a dishing tool, they are pretty simple

It's even less harder to the sit the wheel in the dropouts, take measurements and centre it to where you want before the final tension, I usually measure it after I nip the spokes ups and before I put it in the truing stand. No problems here.

 

[jrewing]

Do it yourself it’s easy. Use your frame. Close enough is good enough because the wheels going to die next Thredbo trip anyway!!