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When I build/maintain wheels, I specifically make an extra quarter-turn to the nipple and then quarter-turn backward to release the rotational tension. This was recommended by Sheldon Brown Lubing the spoke can help, but if your spokes are rusted, you might as well replace them with the new ones.

Probably the best source for answering this is Jobst Brandt's The Bicycle Wheel, the definitive text on the wire-spoked wheel and an essential for anyone interested in the art of wheelbuilding. Excerpted from page 68 of the 3rd edition: Spokes in a crossed pattern are usually interlaced at their last crossing before reaching the rim. Spokes coming from ...

A wheel is only as strong as the tension on the spokes. If the wheel was loose for any significant length of time before you noticed it, the spokes will fatigue very quickly, because they are flexing through a range of motion which is not intended. You are a big guy at 95 Kg, so this type of problem is not unusual (as am I). That means that you need to be ...

The best suggestion I can make is to read "The Art of Wheelbuilding, by Gerd Schraner". As for materials: Use aluminum, double walled rims. They are stronger, lighter, and believe it or not easier for a new wheel builder to get true and round than steel rims will be. In addition, steel rims for a road bike will be difficult to come by in new condition. ...

That depends on how good your ear is. If you can tune a stringed instrument effectively, then tensioning a wheel by ear is very effective. Identical spokes that have the same pitch when plucked should have the same tension within the margin of error for any tensiometer reading. The catch is you need a tensiometer to get the relative tone for the proper kg/f ...

According to the FAQ on their website: Note: PowerTap hubs must be laced with a minimum 2 cross pattern to avoid damage to the hub and maintain the warranty." That suggests that making the non-drive side radial could lead to warranty issues. Radial lacing does stress the flange more than tangential lacing so many hub manufacturers do not allow it. To ...

"Burrs on the hub" sounds bogus to me. Could be the case with a new hub, but burrs would be worn away with use. It seems most likely that the hub was reassembled by "unskilled labor" (the new/careless guy in the shop) and he didn't notice that the hub holes are directional -- there is a countersink on one side of the hole and not the other -- or didn't ...

Another book recommendation: The Bicycle Wheel by Jobst Brandt. He covers a lot of engineering detail (forces acting on wheel components, failure modes, etc) but also includes practical step-by-step instructions for wheel assembly.

I think radial spokes are generally recommended only for front wheels, because they're weaker than normally-laced wheels especially under the asymmetric torsion applied to the rear wheel. WRT the drive forces: trailing spokes are necessary to transmit the drive force from the hub to the rim; radial spokes would make this transmission very spongy as the hub ...

I can't comment on doing a whole wheel this way, but I have seen wheel repairs done this way while touring. It did not work, I suspect for the reason that Jobst points out. The nipples unwound after a few days (at about 100km/day with perhaps 100kg load). Doing the spokes up tighter just broke spokes and stripped nipples. The mutual tensioning effect is IMO ...

I don't know if this helps, but Peter White is a well-regarded framebuilder and wheelbuilder who has strong opinions on the Wheelsmith vs DT Swiss issue: http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/spokes.asp http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/DTspokes.htm The gist of his argument boils down to two (current) main differences: 1) DT Spokes have a 6.3mm elbow length vs ...

The biggest functional reason actually would be chain line. You could make the hub shell wider, and run an offset dropout to allow the space for the gears, but then you would have to run a similar offset on the bottom bracket to maintain a usable chain line. Running the offset on the bottom bracket would affect Q factor positioning on many riders, and ...

As long as you verify the centering you don't need to do separate dishing. You will need the centering gauge: http://www.parktool.com/product/centering-gauge-1554-1 Do read the instructions and get comfortable making the centering adjustment. It's not difficult. Biggest thing to pay attention to is to SLOWLY lower the gauge into place. Happy Riding! (and ...

While I believe that Peter White has some good points, DT spokes are widely available in a variety of sizes at (semi)reasonable prices. And for most people they're perfectly serviceable. The difference would be in the lifetime of the wheel before spoke failure becomes a problem, forcing you to relace. For typical road use you might be talking the ...

Threads are a locking mechanism. The issue is simply the threads are easily damaged and do not properly tighten. They can distort from over tightening, crack ect. To say anti seize does not lubricate is nonsense, that's exactly what it does. It allows the threads slip, tightening properly. The pops you hear removing the nipples are the threads gripping each ...

At first I read you to mean an off-center wheel plane, but not so. Interesting question, i.e. does a bike remain stable/rideable if rear axle is not symetrical? I guess yes, as long as front/rear wheels are in line, but practical clearance issues immediately become apparent. Tolerances in modern frames and wheel-drivetrain designs already nearly max out ...

When I bought the carbon 50mm wheels, I put on the yellow velo plugs. I had more plugs than necessary and I made sure the plugs fit snugly into each hole. Some plugs didn't. But I had enough plugs to choose from. Its been over 2 years and I have not experienced any loss of plugs. During those 2 years I had numerous punctures, front and rear and a change ...

In his book 'The bicycle wheel' Jobst Brandt, says that double butted spokes will be more resistant to fatigue failure when built into a wheel. This is because spokes break because of the cyclic stress they suffer as the wheel rotates. As the spoke rotates thru the bottom of the wheel it experiences a reduction in tension. Butted spokes are more ...

There are advantages to all of them, but tape has always been my preference. I've used velo plugs, but in my wheels the incidence of loss was too high. They lasted me less than a year, before I lost all the extras, and went back to tape. I don't use rubber rim strips because the rubber degrades, and they move around too easily. I prefer Schwalbe high ...

I'd suggest you get a book on bicycle maintenance that includes a chapter on wheel building. I refer to "The All New Complete Book of Bicycling" by Eugene A Sloane (1980) (but there may be something newer ;) ). The procedure is far from simple and straight-forward, especially for a cross-laced wheel (which you probably should do unless you fully understand ...

I can't find a current reference or photo, but we used to have one at my previous shop. If I remember correctly it was manufactured by J.A. Stein, but that may be wrong. It was a professionally made copy of a popular homemade wheel building tool. It was called a Stress Relief Box. It consisted of a 6 inch deep box, about 3 inches wider than a 700c rim. ...

Alloy would save a tiny amount of weight. I wouldn't expect it to make any difference to wheel stiffness, so long as you lubricate the threads when building it (alloy nipples are stiffer to turn otherwise, so it's harder to get the tension right). Brass is stronger, but you shouldn't have to rely on that to get a stiff wheel. But long term, alloy is more ...

Are you sure you're putting in the right number of balls? Generally, when a bearing is new there is about a half-ball space left when you have a full complement of balls. As the bearing wears this gets to be closer to a full ball's space. It's easy to see the space and think you should put in another ball, but you don't need one. (To hold the balls in ...

A properly aligned TS-2 truing stand will show dish, as well as alignment. You rarely need additional adjustment after using it. However, if the stand is out of alignment, you may need to re-dish the wheel. The easiest and most accurate check for TS-2 alignment is a properly dished wheel. The best way to ensure that the wheel is properly dished, and ...

The main problem in this type of debate is that most people will just quote "accepted" wisdom without personal experience. I will say at the outset that my own experience is limited to small wheeled folding bicycles. I have built wheels for several of these over the years and I always laced them until I came across a set of wheels that had been manufactured ...

I just recieved veloplugs today for the wheels i am building and i must say that i like the design and the fit. I measured the holes inside the rim and they were exactly 8mm so i went with the same 8mm model plugs. If you dont know yours you will definetley have to remove your tire and tube and peel back the tape to get a good measurement. I weighed the tape ...

You left out reinforced plastic/rubber type strips. Kore Chastity Belt strips are my favorite and rated for 140psi. Very durable. FSA, Origin8, etc also make this type, available in many common sizes. Price ranges from $2.50 - $4 each. I do like cloth tape, but the adhesive can dry out (even before purchase). Velox is $5 a piece at my shop. Rubber rim ...

The answer to "why alternate crossing spokes" is pretty much settled by the subtle suggestions from DanielHRicks and the direct and correct conclusions from the OP, in the very comments below the question. The two remaining questions would be: When is it possible to use non-alternating configurations, besides radial spokes? In case of non-alternating ...

I have built a Sheldon Brown POWerwheel to a home-made recumbent I have (photo). Although the idea seems a bit absurd (two leading spokes for each trailing spoke), it worked great for years without any issue, gave a very discrete visual (you only notice it is a powerwheel if you look close), and in the end it is possible that it actually MAKES a difference ...