Wheelbuilding / Wheel Building / Wheel build help

There are lots of things the rider won't notice which the timekeeper can measure.

...and then there's the physiology.

The classic Dynamo conversation at the start of the ride that goes along the lines of: "There really isn't any drag" changes after they've hung to your wheel for 100km to "I'm sure there it's some dynamo drag".

I'm planning a wheel build at the moment. I have the hub I want in a 26" wheel that is cracking at an eyelet. Is there any reason why I shouldn't unlace this and use the hub in a 700c build?

It would seem OK to me, but there are people here with far greater knowledge than I.

It's very interesting what all of you are saying.
Can save me lots of money if I drop the brand name.
I'm not racing, I commute and ride for fun.
So another question, what about just dropping the wheel build and get a miche pistard set?

You can build wheels better than Pistards for less

Yeah, because Tester will point it out on a public forum. Then where does that leave you?

By telling everyone it matter less on an audax ride.

I'm planning a wheel build at the moment. I have the hub I want in a 26" wheel that is cracking at an eyelet. Is there any reason why I shouldn't unlace this and use the hub in a 700c build?

It would seem OK to me, but there are people here with far greater knowledge than I.

No reason, go ahead

By telling everyone it matter less on an audax ride.

If you roll into a control 5 seconds after it closes after 1200km, going 0.0025% faster matters :-)

That'll be why I'm replacing the boxy rims for a Pacenti SL23 in 650b.

retroaero anyone?

No reason, go ahead

Thanks ugosantalucia. Time to head to the spoke calculator.

OK:

Have been trying to rebuild a rear wheel replacing the rim. Old rim wouldn't retrue - the eyelets were pulling through a bit on the ds, nds spokes kept coming undone after a ride, maybe too low tension and dry ish.

So swapped rim, using an old rim (Mavic Module E) but one that seems to be in good condition, not very worn, not pringled, no flats, eyelets all sitting solid. Went around swapping spokes over, putting oil into each nipple as I went.

Took a while to true (in a frame, not jig), but now is going out of true fairly noticeably after 30 miles or so. Retrue, same problem. As fair as I can tell the tensions were fairly even, and not extremely diff from DS/NDS. Hub is a hi-lo.

The thing I'm thinking is: new spokes needed. The old ones are Sapim Strong DS, Sapim Race NDS. Any thoughts?

OK:

Have been trying to rebuild a rear wheel replacing the rim. Old rim wouldn't retrue - the eyelets were pulling through a bit on the ds, nds spokes kept coming undone after a ride, maybe too low tension and dry ish.

So swapped rim, using an old rim (Mavic Module E) but one that seems to be in good condition, not very worn, not pringled, no flats, eyelets all sitting solid. Went around swapping spokes over, putting oil into each nipple as I went.

Took a while to true (in a frame, not jig), but now is going out of true fairly noticeably after 30 miles or so. Retrue, same problem. As fair as I can tell the tensions were fairly even, and not extremely diff from DS/NDS. Hub is a hi-lo.

The thing I'm thinking is: new spokes needed. The old ones are Sapim Strong DS, Sapim Race NDS. Any thoughts?

The clue is in the "as far as I can tell"... How far can you actually tell? That normally happens when you build without a tension meter... not only you want the tension even, but you also want it high enough and that's not something pinging spokes with your fingers will tell you. Don't be old school and get a tension gauge, the Park one is very reasonably priced
And don't forget to de-stress the wheel while you build

Advice sought.

I have started my first wheel build. I am following Sheldon Brown's tutorial.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html

I have done the basic lacing (3 cross) but every 4th spoke sems to embed too far into the rim (HplusSon SL42 deep section) so that I cannot see the nipple to adjust.

The spokes are the correct length. I have screwed each nipple down so that it shows no thread on the spoke. The cross overs seem correct. What have I done wrong?

thanks
ed

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Skully +1 destressing the wheel properly, several times as you bring the tension up.

Hold the rim at 9 and 3 o'clock and press the hub onto something solid. Shuffle your hands to the next set of spokes and repeat. Once your all the way round do the other side.

http://miketechinfo.com/new-tech-wheels-tires.htm

About halfway down, it's got 6 methods to destressing wheels, and how many times/when to do it, recommended read.

Advice sought.

Your trailing spokes aren't "laced". Unless I'm mistaken currently they pass over 3 spokes, they should pass over 2 and under the last.

Lacing bends the trailing spoke, effectively shortening them. That may be why they seem too long at the moment.

What have I done wrong?

You've laced ugly rims to beautiful hubs. They are rejecting one another.

Also, to me it looks as though there are adjacent spokes at the rim laced to the same side of the hub, the spokes should alternate left/right/left/right etc.

Thanks Miro and Mddc

i shall have another go including 'lacing'

BTW - beauty is in the eye of the beholder - i like the rims....

cheers
ed

That's a bit of a pro rig for a first time builder, is that in a shop?

As Miro points out, you have not overlapped the spokes, this way the wheel has virtually no lateral stiffness, given the design of the flange and spokes do come loose very easily It is also dangerous to ride IMO

I bought the Bradbury No1 Truing stand from JT22 (Jon). It is in my utility room! ;-)

I have always followed the motto: 'buy cheap, pay twice!' so why not have something of quality especially as I will always sell it for what I bought it for...

I will take the spokes out and start again. Thanks for all the advice. There is only som much one can learn from internet articles....

cheers
ed

28 spoke rear hub, double fixed so equal spoke tensions on a 592mm erd rim (hed belgium). Laced 3x, advisable or would 2x be miles better?

Not much in it, I'd go for 3X if small flange and 2X if large flange. It's always a trade off between torsional and axial stiffness, but you're unlikely to be desperately short of either with a symmetrical 28 spoke wheel.

The clue is in the "as far as I can tell"... How far can you actually tell? That normally happens when you build without a tension meter... not only you want the tension even, but you also want it high enough and that's not something pinging spokes with your fingers will tell you. Don't be old school and get a tension gauge, the Park one is very reasonably priced
And don't forget to de-stress the wheel while you build

Skully +1 destressing the wheel properly, several times as you bring the tension up.

Hold the rim at 9 and 3 o'clock and press the hub onto something solid. Shuffle your hands to the next set of spokes and repeat. Once your all the way round do the other side.

OK thanks for your feedback.

As it happens I'm just buying lots of lovely tools right now, including a tension gauge.

Last time I was tensioning & truing a wheel in the presence of a pretty experienced mechanic, he was all like 'what on earth are you doing that for?' when I did the old push wheel down onto OLN then turn and repeat. Reckoned it was foo. Something about overturning then backing off every time you add tension.