Hand built wheels

"ritcho" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

For once, I actually used my own hands! I proved that any klutz can put
wheels together and make them work.

Ingredients:
CXP33 rims (silver - to match the bike)
32h Ultegra hubs
14/15/14 dt spokes
brass nipples

Tools
Spoke key, flat blade screwdriver, Minoura rim trainer (in place of
truing stand), some light household oil.

I just followed the directions at www.sheldonbrown.com

Getting the dishing right is easy if you have a wheel that is already
ok. Set the bike with the good wheel in the rim trainer so that one
side is lined up on one of the (opened) rollers. Next, swap out with
the new wheel and start truing the wheel in situ using the rim
trainer's roller and the bike's rear brake as the dishing guide.

The tricky bit was figuring out how tight to make the spokes - "As
tight as they will go without damaging the rim" is not very helpful for
a first timer. A tensiometer would have taken the fun out of it, as well
as costing lots of money. Sheldon's site suggested two ways - 1. the
nipple gets hard to turn (not very precise); 2. Guess around an A
(440Hz) for the pitch when the spokes are plucked. A primary school
recorder is an excellent tool for comparison as it is much more
portable than a piano. Combine the two ideas and you get a pretty tight
wheel.

Follow the instructions on stress relieving spokes and voila! Fresh
wheels that are lighter than my Shimano 535s and much easier to fix.
Hopefully, they'll be more reliable too.

I'm slow, so it took me about 3 hours of work for each wheel (F and
R).

If you haven't had a go at it, try it next time you want a new wheel.
If you have, then I can already hear the "I told you so"s

Cheers,
Ritch

--
ritcho

Congrats Ritcho,

You have now graduated in the Dark Art of wheel building. I did a similar
set in silver with Open Pros to match the bike. Now enjoy the ride, it a
great feeling on your own wheels. Well done.

Kevin

ritcho said:

Tools Spoke key, flat blade screwdriver, Minoura rim trainer (in
place of truing stand), some light household oil.

Given that I don't have a rim trainer or a truing stand I was wondering
if anyone has come up with any interestign solutions on the cheap. I was
thinking of getting imaginitive with an old set of forks and trying to
fashion something around them.

DaveB

Good stuff, Richo. Now ya know the secret handshake, and you can
flame people for wussing out and getting machine built wheels.

Cheers,

Suzy

ritcho said:

For once, I actually used my own hands! I proved that any klutz can put wheels together and make them work.

Ingredients:
CXP33 rims (silver - to match the bike)
32h Ultegra hubs
14/15/14 dt spokes
brass nipples

Tools
Spoke key, flat blade screwdriver, Minoura rim trainer (in place of truing stand), some light household oil.

I just followed the directions at www.sheldonbrown.com

Getting the dishing right is easy if you have a wheel that is already ok. Set the bike with the good wheel in the rim trainer so that one side is lined up on one of the (opened) rollers. Next, swap out with the new wheel and start truing the wheel in situ using the rim trainer's roller and the bike's rear brake as the dishing guide.

The tricky bit was figuring out how tight to make the spokes - "As tight as they will go without damaging the rim" is not very helpful for a first timer. A tensiometer would have taken the fun out of it, as well as costing lots of money. Sheldon's site suggested two ways - 1. the nipple gets hard to turn (not very precise); 2. Guess around an A (440Hz) for the pitch when the spokes are plucked. A primary school recorder is an excellent tool for comparison as it is much more portable than a piano. Combine the two ideas and you get a pretty tight wheel.

Follow the instructions on stress relieving spokes and voila! Fresh wheels that are lighter than my Shimano 535s and much easier to fix. Hopefully, they'll be more reliable too.

I'm slow, so it took me about 3 hours of work for each wheel (F and R).

If you haven't had a go at it, try it next time you want a new wheel. If you have, then I can already hear the "I told you so"s

Cheers,
Ritch

nice work!
i am inspired!
I am currently running 540's on my banger and am far from happy but the lure of wheels built to my own specs is tantalising.
so...where do i get a cheap trueing jig from??

byron27 said:

nice work!
i am inspired!
I am currently running 540's on my banger and am far from happy but the lure of wheels built to my own specs is tantalising.
so...where do i get a cheap trueing jig from??

You don't need one if you have a rim trainer... Even without a trainer, put the rear wheel in situ and use the brake blocks as your guide. All you need is something to hold the bike up off the ground so that it's easier to spin the wheel around.

Ritch.

ritcho said:

You don't need one if you have a rim trainer... Even without a trainer, put the rear wheel in situ and use the brake blocks as your guide. All you need is something to hold the bike up off the ground so that it's easier to spin the wheel around.

Ritch.

true...i guess when im riding the steppes of mongolia all i will have will be my bike.

byron27 said:

true...i guess when im riding the steppes of mongolia all i will have will be my bike.

youre riding the steppes of mongolia in the near future?

did you see that ([censored]) docco a few years back?

flyingdutch said:

youre riding the steppes of mongolia in the near future?

did you see that ([censored]) docco a few years back?

in the foreseeable future..no, BUT i will do it sometime before im soliciting widows in the old aged home.

DaveB <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Given that I don't have a rim trainer or a truing stand I was wondering
if anyone has come up with any interestign solutions on the cheap. I was
thinking of getting imaginitive with an old set of forks and trying to
fashion something around them.

The first wheel I ever built (thinks fondly back to the eighties) was
trued in the bike that it was intended for. I turned the bike upside
down, and taped a piece of chalk to the seat stay. Worked well, if a
little awkward.

Regards,

Suzy

"Suzy Jackson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

DaveB <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Given that I don't have a rim trainer or a truing stand I was wondering
if anyone has come up with any interestign solutions on the cheap. I was
thinking of getting imaginitive with an old set of forks and trying to
fashion something around them.

The first wheel I ever built (thinks fondly back to the eighties) was
trued in the bike that it was intended for. I turned the bike upside
down, and taped a piece of chalk to the seat stay. Worked well, if a
little awkward.

Regards,

Suzy

Same here. I flipped the bike over and trued the wheel, however, I used a
6" steel rule and a couple of rubber bands to hold it in place. I am still
riding the wheel without any trouble.

Mind you I have since invested in a wheel jig so that I can true the wheels
inside the house. I probably need a beer fridge in the garage.

Kevin

ritcho <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

You don't need one if you have a rim trainer... Even without a trainer,
put the rear wheel in situ and use the brake blocks as your guide.

* Turn the bike upside down (or put it in a stand. I like upside down)
* Zip tie a clothes peg to each seat stay (or chain stay, whichever is
easier)
* put a pencil or allen key in the peg.

This lets you true laterally and vertically.

For getting the dish right, pull the wheel out and flip it over. It
should have the same spacing as it did before you flipped it.

You may find removing the derailleur makes it easier, and disc
calipers can make it a big tricky to flip the wheel around. I've
replaced a few rims this way (I haven't built a new wheel for ages).

Dave - who should try to salvage some of the various wheel bits I've
got.
--
Dave Hughes | [email hidden]
Flagrant system error! The system is down. I dunno what you did,
moron, but you sure screwed everything up

Random Data said:

ritcho <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

You don't need one if you have a rim trainer... Even without a trainer,
put the rear wheel in situ and use the brake blocks as your guide.

* Turn the bike upside down (or put it in a stand. I like upside down)
* Zip tie a clothes peg to each seat stay (or chain stay, whichever is
easier)
* put a pencil or allen key in the peg.

This lets you true laterally and vertically.

For getting the dish right, pull the wheel out and flip it over. It
should have the same spacing as it did before you flipped it.

You may find removing the derailleur makes it easier, and disc
calipers can make it a big tricky to flip the wheel around. I've
replaced a few rims this way (I haven't built a new wheel for ages).

Dave - who should try to salvage some of the various wheel bits I've
got.
--
Dave Hughes | [email hidden]
Flagrant system error! The system is down. I dunno what you did,
moron, but you sure screwed everything up

Just bend a bit of 40 x 5 mm steel strap into a U shape in a big vice, drill and file some slots for front & back wheels. Make the feelers as elaborate as you want. Dial gauges are perhaps a bit over the top . . . The Minoura home mech. truing stand is a good example to copy.

What about a jumbo size clothes peg on your chainstay, which can be moved to check for hop and wobble?

M"I've never built a wheel I don't like, well, maybe twice" H

DaveB <[email hidden]> wrote in message > Given that I don't have a rim trainer or a truing stand I was wondering

Quoted message said:

if anyone has come up with any interestign solutions on the cheap. I was
thinking of getting imaginitive with an old set of forks and trying to
fashion something around them.

DaveB

Upside down bike,

Rubber band on the brakes to bring them close to the wheel as you true
up, using the light between the pads and rim on either side to true
against. A light background helps.

A peg on the seatstay for the radial. Twist it so it touches the rim
and makes a noise on the high spots.

Dish comes naturally when sighting down the frame.

Bottle of something and some good music.

Joy of Joys the dark art is not so dark!.. actually I think it's a
well kept secret by those who want to keep the silly ones returning to
the bike shop for a true up at more than the cost of a good boottle of
trueing brew.

I've built many wheels and salvaged old ones this way. Perhaps Id
appeciate a trueing stand, but they are far too expensive.

Tom

flyingdutch said:

youre riding the steppes of mongolia in the near future?

did you see that ([censored]) docco a few years back?

The one where the two guys started in Russia ?

Were they on recumbents? I remember one of the bikes
snapped in half, and was re-welded.

They also seemed to have a domestic mid-way, and split up
for a bit.

-kt