Wheelset rebuild question

[jr]

I've scoured the group and found some good info, but not quite enough
to make a decision. The wheelset that came with a used road bike I
bought several years ago has started to jettison spokes. The rims are
Mavic ceramic, the hubs Zipp (the ones with the narrow carbon fiber
center sections, from the late '90s), and the spoke are,
unfortunately, titanium, which I'm told is why they're breaking. I've
popped at least two on the front and one on the back over the last two
years. The first two I had the spoke replaced, but I'm tired of that
game. My questions are: Should I have the wheels rebuilt using the old
components (with all new spokes, obviously)? I have a pair of new rims
I bought several years ago, so should I dump the old rims, keep the
Zipp hubs and use them with the new rims? Or should I just buy a new
wheelset? I probably ride that bike 50-75 miles a week at most, and
only during the summer, so I'm not inclined to spend a lot on this
project. But I also don't want to have to truncate any more of my
increasingly rare riding opportunities.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

JR

 

[Mike Krueger]

On May 29, 8:16 pm, jr <[email protected]> wrote:
> I've scoured the group and found some good info, but not quite enough
> to make a decision. The wheelset that came with a used road bike I
> bought several years ago has started to jettison spokes. The rims are
> Mavic ceramic, the hubs Zipp (the ones with the narrow carbon fiber
> center sections, from the late '90s), and the spoke are,
> unfortunately, titanium, which I'm told is why they're breaking. I've
> popped at least two on the front and one on the back over the last two
> years. The first two I had the spoke replaced, but I'm tired of that
> game. My questions are: Should I have the wheels rebuilt using the old
> components (with all new spokes, obviously)? I have a pair of new rims
> I bought several years ago, so should I dump the old rims, keep the
> Zipp hubs and use them with the new rims? Or should I just buy a new
> wheelset? I probably ride that bike 50-75 miles a week at most, and
> only during the summer, so I'm not inclined to spend a lot on this
> project. But I also don't want to have to truncate any more of my
> increasingly rare riding opportunities.
>
> Thanks in advance for any advice.
>
> JR

If the bearings are in good shape, there's no reason why you shouldn't
reuse the hubs. Same goes for the rims. However, if you have never
built wheels before, and you don't own a proper truing stand and
dishing tool, you would be better off finding an experienced
wheelbuilder to do it for you. Any decent LBS should be able to do it,
otherwise find a different shop.
I am fortunate--I have a friend who builds wheels as a hobby. He
charges me $30 per wheel for labor, new spokes and nipples--a
righteous deal. He has built about 2,400 wheels--amazing!

 

[Qui si parla Campagnolo]

On May 29, 6:16 pm, jr <[email protected]> wrote:
> I've scoured the group and found some good info, but not quite enough
> to make a decision. The wheelset that came with a used road bike I
> bought several years ago has started to jettison spokes. The rims are
> Mavic ceramic, the hubs Zipp (the ones with the narrow carbon fiber
> center sections, from the late '90s), and the spoke are,
> unfortunately, titanium, which I'm told is why they're breaking. I've
> popped at least two on the front and one on the back over the last two
> years. The first two I had the spoke replaced, but I'm tired of that
> game. My questions are: Should I have the wheels rebuilt using the old
> components (with all new spokes, obviously)? I have a pair of new rims
> I bought several years ago, so should I dump the old rims, keep the
> Zipp hubs and use them with the new rims? Or should I just buy a new
> wheelset? I probably ride that bike 50-75 miles a week at most, and
> only during the summer, so I'm not inclined to spend a lot on this
> project. But I also don't want to have to truncate any more of my
> increasingly rare riding opportunities.
>
> Thanks in advance for any advice.
>
> JR

If the hubset bearings are OK, the hub is compatible, you can try a
set of new spokes. Ti spokes are known to have reliability issues, but
breaking spokes can also mean a deformed rim, perhaps from the lack of
support from ti spokes. Or just dump the whole mess, get a good set of
shimano or Campag hubs, rebuild with the new rims with 14/15 spokes,
built well, and be done with it.

 

[Qui si parla Campagnolo]

On May 29, 6:35 pm, Mike Krueger <[email protected]> wrote:
> On May 29, 8:16 pm, jr <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>
> > I've scoured the group and found some good info, but not quite enough
> > to make a decision. The wheelset that came with a used road bike I
> > bought several years ago has started to jettison spokes. The rims are
> > Mavic ceramic, the hubs Zipp (the ones with the narrow carbon fiber
> > center sections, from the late '90s), and the spoke are,
> > unfortunately, titanium, which I'm told is why they're breaking. I've
> > popped at least two on the front and one on the back over the last two
> > years. The first two I had the spoke replaced, but I'm tired of that
> > game. My questions are: Should I have the wheels rebuilt using the old
> > components (with all new spokes, obviously)? I have a pair of new rims
> > I bought several years ago, so should I dump the old rims, keep the
> > Zipp hubs and use them with the new rims? Or should I just buy a new
> > wheelset? I probably ride that bike 50-75 miles a week at most, and
> > only during the summer, so I'm not inclined to spend a lot on this
> > project. But I also don't want to have to truncate any more of my
> > increasingly rare riding opportunities.
>
> > Thanks in advance for any advice.
>
> > JR
>
> If the bearings are in good shape, there's no reason why you shouldn't
> reuse the hubs. Same goes for the rims. However, if you have never
> built wheels before, and you don't own a proper truing stand and
> dishing tool, you would be better off finding an experienced
> wheelbuilder to do it for you. Any decent LBS should be able to do it,
> otherwise find a different shop.
> I am fortunate--I have a friend who builds wheels as a hobby. He
> charges me $30 per wheel for labor, new spokes and nipples--a
> righteous deal. He has built about 2,400 wheels--amazing!

Ornee? some hobby-

 

[Michael Press]

In article
<[email protected]>,
jr <[email protected]> wrote:

> I've scoured the group and found some good info, but not quite enough
> to make a decision. The wheelset that came with a used road bike I
> bought several years ago has started to jettison spokes. The rims are
> Mavic ceramic, the hubs Zipp (the ones with the narrow carbon fiber
> center sections, from the late '90s), and the spoke are,
> unfortunately, titanium, which I'm told is why they're breaking. I've
> popped at least two on the front and one on the back over the last two
> years. The first two I had the spoke replaced, but I'm tired of that
> game. My questions are: Should I have the wheels rebuilt using the old
> components (with all new spokes, obviously)? I have a pair of new rims
> I bought several years ago, so should I dump the old rims, keep the
> Zipp hubs and use them with the new rims? Or should I just buy a new
> wheelset? I probably ride that bike 50-75 miles a week at most, and
> only during the summer, so I'm not inclined to spend a lot on this
> project. But I also don't want to have to truncate any more of my
> increasingly rare riding opportunities.
>
> Thanks in advance for any advice.

Replace the spoke nipples.
Replace the spokes.
Replace the rims.
Replace the hubs.

Should solve the problem.

--
Michael Press