The wheel-building tag has no wiki summary.
3
votes
2answers
92 views
lacing Alfine wheel, trailing spokes inside or outside hub flange
I am about to lace an Alvine hub wheel. Reading Sheldon Browns article there is a suggestion that the trailing, and so key, spokes might be better laced the opposite of what would be done for a ...
2
votes
2answers
316 views
Can I run a wheel with a 130mm hub on a mountain bike with 135mm spacing?
I'd like to build a wheelset that would work on my cross bike or my 29er, assuming I had disc brakes on the 29er and rim brakes on the cross bike, is there any way I could use a 130mm hub (that fits ...
1
vote
3answers
289 views
Are velocity A23 rims suitable for building a wheelset for a 29er Mountain bike?
I'm was looking to build a new wheelset that I can use on my rigid Karate Monkey 29er using either cyclocross or Trekking tires for gravel / dirt road riding and 29er tires for singletrack (mostly ...
4
votes
3answers
243 views
Do I need a separate dishing tool for building wheels with park tool TS-2.2 truing stand?
I'm trying to get started with some wheelbuilding. I've got a Park Tool TS-2.2 truing stand. Can I just rely on the calipers to provide a guide for centering the rim and dishing rear wheels or will I ...
5
votes
5answers
161 views
How to avoid turning the spokes while tuning the wheel
When I tried to practice tuning my wheels, I found my spokes turn with the nipples. I tried to drop some lubricant on on the nipples, but I had the bike for two years now and there are a lot of dust ...
1
vote
2answers
121 views
Can I replace my 1/4" wheel bearings with slightly smaller ones?
On my back wheel on one side balls won't fit! I am 100% certain they are the same balls I took out easily with the magnet on my screwdriver several weeks ago to mail my bike home. They are 1/4" ...
17
votes
4answers
367 views
Spokes keep breaking - bad hub or bad build?
Background information
A bit of background information (I'll try keep it brief): Last year I bought an old but unused bike, 5 speeds with internal gearing.
Apparently the shop bought a lot of bikes ...
3
votes
1answer
220 views
How much does nipple choice affect wheel weight/stiffness?
Would I be a fool to replace the nipples on a Dura Ace 7900 C24 wheelset with a set of DT Swiss anodised alloy nipples, in the interest of aesthetics? I want the bike to look nice, but don't want to ...
2
votes
2answers
376 views
Tensioning rear wheel?
Tensioning a front wheel is - at least in theory - very simple: Go around and tighten each nipple by e.g. a quarter turn. Then re-adjust trueness if necessary.
I guess if I'd do the same to a ...
5
votes
3answers
496 views
How effective is checking spoke tension by ear?
Sheldon Brown's Wheelbuilding page links to the article: Check Spoke Tension by Ear. Obviously a tensiometer would be ideal, but Sheldon suggests that checking spoke tension by ear is a reasonable ...
4
votes
2answers
509 views
What is preferred lacing for PowerTap wheel build?
I've done quite a few wheel rebuilds to make them stronger, but haven't built up a wheel around a PowerTap (SL+) yet. This will be for a training set for a fit triathlete. Raw weight is not an issue, ...
-1
votes
1answer
888 views
What alternative spoke lacing patterns exist (that make a decent wheel)? [closed]
I'd like to know of all the 'normal' ways to spoke a wheel. Currently, if you want to use a non-standard pattern, you have to run the length computations a number of times; for example, in a 3-spoke ...
3
votes
3answers
867 views
Can I lace my hub with all inward or outward facing spoke heads?
It seems conventional wisdom says to alternate inward vs outward spoke heads going around the flange when lacing a wheel, like this:
However, I'm wondering what the reason for this is, and if it ...
1
vote
2answers
527 views
Oil/Anti-seize on outside of nipple when building a wheel?
I just took apart my old wheelset which let some delightful snaps out as I loosened the nipples that were seized to the rims. I'm wondering what the benefits would be of a small amount of anti-seize ...
5
votes
2answers
1k views
Why offset the rear rim to the hub and not the hub in the frame?
I'm currently reading The Bicycle Wheel by Jobst Brandt, and I'm reading all of the issues with offsetting the rear rim toward the drive side of the hub...
Asymmetry in a rear wheel built for a ...
3
votes
9answers
3k views
What should I use, VeloPlugs, Rim Tape, or Rubber Rim Strips in new wheels?
I'm building two new sets of mountain bike 26" wheels, and I'm wondering what to go with. Both are double walled rims, so in addition to the standard rim tape and strips, I can use a product like ...
3
votes
1answer
1k views
What are the pros and cons of Double Butted vs Straight Spokes when building a wheel?
Straight spokes will have the same diameter through the whole length, double butted spoked are thinner in the middle than at the ends. Here's my current understanding of the benefits of each:
Double ...
0
votes
4answers
903 views
Which spokes to get, Wheelsmith or DT Swiss Spokes?
I'm building two sets of 26" wheels, one pair of 32h triple cross with Bullseye hubs with machined sidewalls for rim brakes, and another pair of 24h double cross with Alex A-Class hubs with Sun rims ...
8
votes
8answers
1k views
Is it really necessary to physically cross (interlace) the spokes on traditional wheel lacing?
Recently I had to replace a hub on the front wheel of my workhorse bike. That meant unlace it and lace it again. Since the hubs were identical, I used the same old spokes, same not-so-old rim and same ...
3
votes
6answers
555 views
How to build a wheel
I'm in the planning stage of building a new bike. This will be a light road bike for city runs and transport. For racing I have other bikes.
I'd like to build the bike from ground up by assembling ...
4
votes
3answers
599 views
How long should it take to rebuild a wheel?
I'm planning to replace the hub on my front wheel, from a QR to a 20mm.
How much labor, skill, equipment, etc. does that need, and how much time should I expect a pro to charge for, to do the ...
4
votes
2answers
368 views
What are wheel tension relief machines called?
At a San Diego bike shop I saw a machine that is purported to take the tension out of a wheel while it's being built so that the tension won't be released when you first start to ride it.
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