Questions tagged [wheel-building]
Questions referring to the craft of assembling bicycle wheels.
184
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4
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E-Wheel build help request
So, the problem I've been having since 2022 has been building a rear wheel for my e-bike. I bought a QS 3kW hub motor from eBay and found out I needed to build it myself. I decided to buy a Spank 26&...
- 43
8
votes
3
answers
783
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Is there a front rim and back rim
I am going to build my first bmx bike from scratch. I’ve watched tons of YouTube vids to get me started. I want to build my own wheels and lace my spokes. I was wondering if I can or should use the ...
- 83
7
votes
1
answer
380
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Can two consecutive spokes be connected on the same side of the hub flange?
I've been trying to lace a 36 hole wheel by following the tutorials on youtube. After I finished, I realized that two consecutive spokes were on the same side of the hub flange. Wasn't it supposed to ...
- 2,130
0
votes
0
answers
39
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Have I chosen wrong spoke size?
My MTB has 26" wheels. The rear wheel rim was bent and the hub was also not in a good condition so I ordered a new rim, new hub and spokes. The dimensions of the new and old hub are exactly the ...
- 2,130
3
votes
2
answers
360
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Stability of home made wheel
I need a new wheel to support more weight (136kg combined for bike, freight and rider) and larger tires (around 42-622). Unfortunately I have not been able to find any wheels to my liking, so I am ...
- 213
2
votes
0
answers
75
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Lubricate between spoke nipples and carbon rim?
When building wheels, nipples should be lubricated so they can still turn easily under tension, towards the end of the build.
When building a wheel using carbon rims, do you also lubricate the contact ...
- 227
3
votes
1
answer
97
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Correct way of centering rear wheel with differential spoke lengths
I'm rebuilding a rear wheel with brass nipples after some aluminum nipples have failed. I have troubles centering the wheel.
The spokes are 260/266 mm DS/NDS long. The recommended spoke tension is 100 ...
- 227
3
votes
2
answers
323
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20 inch wheels and spoke tension measurement tool
I got a ParkTool TM-1 but it doesn't fit on the wheel I am trying to check (20 inch).
How do people deal with smaller wheels when it comes to checking spoke tension?
thanks
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1
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68
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Transitioning old bike to be indoor and stationary
I'm turning my mom's old bike into a stationary one, I don't know much about bikes and have a few questions.
Do I need a quick release skewer for the back wheel?
Will something break if I don't have a ...
8
votes
2
answers
1k
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Why are straightpull spokes not "interlaced"?
When a wheel is built with j-bend spokes, they are typically "interlaced", as the picture from ParkTool shows (crossing #3):
There are clear technical advantages of doing so, described in ...
- 1,677
6
votes
2
answers
102
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Analog of "pitch circle" for straight-pull hubs?
If I want to build a wheel with my selected rim and hub, I can calculate the spoke length given the rim ERD and a few hub dimensions, most important of them being pitch circle diameter.
For a straight-...
- 1,677
4
votes
1
answer
215
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Keep incorrect lacing (spoke heads in/out) or reseat spokes on hub flange?
Though likely not unanimously agreed on, it seems trailing spokes should be heads out. After breaking a hub flange where the trailing heads were heads in, I'm a little spooked seeing my front hub's ...
- 739
9
votes
3
answers
902
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Is replacing single spokes by a different spoke type harmful?
Since one of my rims will to need replacement somewhere in the nearer future I was contemplating rebuilding the wheel myself. While researching information concerning which type of spokes to use I ...
- 4,329
2
votes
1
answer
260
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Hub FTF and Offset
I have a fron disk hub which has FTF 62mm, offset 7.7 (Novatec d791sb)
According to this:
Wl = (F.T.F/2 + Offset) = 38.7mm
Wr = (F.T.F/2 - Offset) = 23.3mm
But when I look at the picture, it seems ...
- 121
5
votes
2
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195
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Mavic Helium clincher wheels: Replacement Spokes
I have a Mavic Helium clincher wheels and a broken drive side spoke. I need a new one (and would be happy to buy a couple of them including non-drive side) but everywhere I look it seems I would need ...
- 51
9
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2
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989
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Why would spoke tensions be uneven, despite equal thread engagement?
I'm building a wheel. I've used a nipple driver to equally engage all nipples on the spoke threads and used this as a starting point for tensioning the spokes.
Despite this, after applying a couple of ...
- 4,043
3
votes
1
answer
189
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Spoke washers needed for Sapim Strong spokes?
Based on these pictures, does it look like spoke washers should be used in this wheel build?
From what I read on a couple web pages (https://sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html#washers and https://...
- 31
1
vote
1
answer
234
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Spoke tension of the lower-tension side?
I am building a new wheel set (boost and super boost). The max. spoke tension is defined as 1200nm.
I went ahead and tightened the spokes until the they reached the max tension one side.
The other ...
- 395
2
votes
2
answers
229
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Looking to understand the math behind spoke length calculation. Help?
Does anyone here have insight into what I may be doing wrong or explaining incorrectly with this question on math.stackexchange regarding the math behind spoke length calculation?
https://math....
- 29.9k
7
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4
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3k
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What's special about spoke nipple washers?
The last couple of wheels I've built have been all from reused parts. One was to convert my unicycle from 24" to 20" largely as an experiment, and the one that I'm currently working on is ...
- 61.2k
0
votes
1
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203
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Shimano Alfine 8-Speed IGH flange dimensions
I'm building my first wheel and have a H Plus & Sons Archetype rim and a Shimano Alfine 8-speed hub gear. Looking at the spoke calculations, I have the Shimano spec which indicates a Flange ...
- 103
3
votes
3
answers
1k
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Fixing oval rim?
I have single wall rim that is bent inward about 3mm on the areas marked with red. Is there a way to fix it? How I go about it? It's a cheap bike; I don't want to invest more money into new rim, and I ...
- 564
5
votes
1
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723
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Use 2mm washers for the spoke nipples inside rim?
Changing the spokes in the wheel, bought 265mm spokes instead of 264mm and they are too loose.
Now i have two options:
Have spokes stick out of the spoke nipples 1-2mm into the rim which is withing ...
- 564
4
votes
5
answers
5k
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Wheel building question - spoke lubricant
I understand that lubrication for nipples is a good idea when building a wheel.
Grease ** advantages - sticks around for a longer, prevents corrosion, lowers spoke stiction while building wheel
'dry' ...
- 193
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2
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1k
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Nipple replacement question
I am a home bike mechanic and i have build a few wheels already.
I have a perfectly good wheel-set I want to replace the nipples on for aesthetic reasons - the wheel is almost brand new.
I have a ...
- 193
4
votes
1
answer
411
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Did I lace this rear wheel correctly?
I just laced a new 32 spoke rear wheel following this Park Tool tutorial: https://www.parktool.com/en-int/blog/repair-help/how-to-build-a-wheel
I don’t have any other 32 spoke rear wheel to compare to....
- 28.8k
3
votes
0
answers
263
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Building a Rohloff wheel [closed]
I want to equip my my Surly Ogre with a Rohloff hub. I plan to do a lot of touring but also want to ride locally on both pavement and single-track, figuring on changing the tires when going on ...
- 203
11
votes
4
answers
1k
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Is a spoke tensiometer useful for determining that a wheel is on its way to becoming out-of-true?
Question
Is a spoke tensiometer useful for estimating the strength of a wheel and whether it needs preventative truing? One does not need a tool to determine that a wheel that is blatantly out-of-true ...
- 9,900
1
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2
answers
2k
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Wheelbuilding a rim with offset holes - how to lace?
Disclaimer: this has been asked and nearly answered, but I'm still missing some detail.
I have a symmetrical rim with offset spoke holes (Spank Spoon 32, 26", 32 holes, see pic) which I want to ...
- 161
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1
answer
557
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Is it safe to ride on wheels with rusted spoke eyelets?
I bought an old Bianchi with 26" wheels and I’m finding it hard to find a replacement with max width 23 mm tires and an old 6 speed freewheel
I was trying to true the wheels but the nipples where ...
- 1,529
6
votes
1
answer
509
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Deriving formula for spoke lengths
I know that I can use online calculators or tables to determine spoke length. I also know that there are some pre-derived formulas for spoke length that I could use to calculate the spoke lengths or ...
- 3,456
8
votes
2
answers
373
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Wheel centred in frame but dished 8mm to non drive side, why is this happening?
This is a 135mm OLD wheel mounted in a 130 mm frame. I removed spacers from the axle to make it 130mm. I then put the wheel in the frame and proceeded to dish. I made sure the distance between the rim ...
- 587
5
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1
answer
638
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Will this modern road bike hub fit in my 1990's MTB (130mm restoration)
I have a mid 1990's MTB with 130mm OLD between dropouts. In order to fit a 9 speed Hyperglide cassette I switched the wheel for a modern 135mm and removed spacers on the non drive side. Works like a ...
- 587
1
vote
4
answers
1k
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Help finding diameter for WTB ST i30
I need to replace my rim, and I'm hoping to rebuild the wheel myself. It would be really useful to know the ERD (effective rim diameter) of my current rim, so I can see whether a straight swap will be ...
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7
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1
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842
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Spokes bow out from the hub flange
Wheel building using a SON Dynamo hub (28 12 disc), Wheelsmith DB14 spokes (stainless; J-bend), and Velocity Atlas rims (700c; 32 hole) with a two-cross lacing pattern. Disc brake, loaded touring.
The ...
- 739
2
votes
2
answers
993
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linseed oil with DT Swiss Pro Lock nipples
I will build a new wheel with DT Swiss Pro Lock nipples. It will be wy first time with these. Iread they feature an adhesive compound that helps the wheel to keep true (DT Swiss marketing).
Will I ...
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4
votes
4
answers
3k
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Should I seriously consider radial lacing?
Summary: Radial lacing looks cool, but is it better?
Not expecting bicycles.SE to be the right forum, I asked about the dynamics of spokes on Engineering.SE and didn't get a satisfying answer. I then ...
- 9,900
1
vote
3
answers
398
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Surly Rabbit Hole Wheel Build (Symmetrical Fat Bike Rim build) - Spoke Calculation help?
I have a set of 26" Surly Rabbit Hole rims, which I need to build into a wheelset for a fat bike.
The Rabbit hole rims are unique in that the spoke holes are not in the center of the rim. The ...
- 29.9k
4
votes
1
answer
180
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Glue in nipple seat in brand new rim?
I've just laced up a new DT Swiss R470 rim and noticed that one of the nipples next to the rim joint isn't protruding as much from the rim as the others.
I looked in from the outside and noticed that ...
- 4,043
10
votes
1
answer
770
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Is it ok to use one odd spoke for a wheel build?
I will be using sapim D-light spokes for my wheel build. But I want to make one spoke on each wheel a different color, next to the valve stem. The sapim spokes are not available in colors. Would it ...
- 101
1
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1
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423
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Replacing a "simple" hub with a dynamo hub
I asked a question recently about replacing a cracked front hub on a vintage steel wheel (How to replace a broken front hub on a vintage steel wheel from a vintage steel bike?)
Thanks for all the ...
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How to replace a broken front hub on a vintage steel wheel from a vintage steel bike?
My mother's old bike is being used as a 'spare bike' for various of the kids. It's from the '70s, a steel framed, steel wheeled, dynamo lit, sit up and beg granny bike with a sturmey archer three ...
- 95
1
vote
2
answers
151
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Trying to understand the impact of different tensions between inner and outer spokes
I am seeing variation between inner and outer spoke tensions on straight pull wheels (3x but no interlacing). The guidance given to me is to have even tension of all spokes on each side of the wheel, ...
- 11
2
votes
2
answers
2k
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Can I use a 272mm spoke in place of a 275mm?
I'm currently building my first wheel and I've used prowheelbuilder.com to calculate what spokes I need to use, which is Left 275.8, Right 275.7 for the rear wheel, and Left and Right 275 for the ...
- 23
2
votes
1
answer
580
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What is the "nipple head height" of a DT Swiss Squorx nipple?
What is the nipple head height of a DT Swiss Squorx Nipple?
I am building a wheel and to calculate the ERD, I must first figure out what the "nipple head height" is.
The rim of choice is a ...
- 1,077
7
votes
3
answers
2k
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What are the benefits of hand built wheels over automated ones? [duplicate]
I just read this page http://www.jpracingbike1.com/content/6-pourquoi-un-montage-de-roues-artisanales- explaining that 'artisanal' aka hand built wheels are better for many reasons, such as having ...
0
votes
1
answer
216
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Wheelbuilding spoke tension vs lateral truing
I am using rim that is not bent, i screw each spoke nipples at equal distance from point when spoke thread is covered by nipple until spokes are tense.
i get perfectly laterally true wheel, however ...
- 564
1
vote
2
answers
3k
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Wheel building - how to tighten spokes to have perfectly equal tension
So far I figured it out following recipe for perfectly adjusted front rim:
Assemble the wheel leaving tiny portion of thread visible outside nipple for every spoke.
Tighten each nipple equal number ...
- 564
3
votes
2
answers
966
views
Proper spoke tension when dishing to the side of the hub
I am building wheel with 7 speed freewheel so my rim dishing needs to be towards the side of the hub.
Using 281mm spokes on both sides of the hub except for side close to freewheel used 12mm nipples ...
- 564
6
votes
3
answers
661
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Spokes go further inside rim than others
Used all 184mm spokes, nipples screwed in equally just to cover the spoke thread, wheel is almost true, however some spokes go inside rim further than others!
Already tried to tighten them its same ...
- 564