Wheelbuilding / Wheel Building / Wheel build help

I haven't managed to source CX-rays singly

J E James have them @ £2.39 each
Starbike have them @ €2.00 each

Tangent: I'm going to be lacing some on one hubs (36f/32r) 3x to mavic open sports. Need 289.8mm spokes for the front, and 292.9mm spokes for the rear. So the closest I'll get is 290mm front, and 292mm rear right?

Is it better to go too long or too short on spokes in general?

Tangent: I'm going to be lacing some on one hubs (36f/32r) 3x to mavic open sports. Need 289.8mm spokes for the front, and 292.9mm spokes for the rear. So the closest I'll get is 290mm front, and 292mm rear right?

Is it better to go too long or too short on spokes in general?

Some companies do only odd, some only even, some both. So you could get 290 and 293. But basically round down (or up, but I prefer down) to within 2mm.

Front 288, 289, 290, or 291
Rear 291, 292, 293,or 294

So personnaly I'd buy a box of 291s. it'll make building easier.

http://www.sdeals.com/oscommerce/product_info.php/cPath/35_54/products_id/326

I can afford them... but do I need them?
This will be my first fixie.
I only have a 5k commute.
Streets here are ok.
My frame is crap anyway.
generally low cost build.

Go with the opensports then. They're solid rims, not too heavy, and very well priced. With the open pros you pay a bit extra, and save a little weight, is all.

The important thing IMHO is the eyelets. These make it easier for you to tension your spokes, and easier for the spokes to untwist themselves when you de-stress them.

Just post any more queries here.

I had an extra 4mm on my spokes for my polo build and they're lasted very well.
Is your polo rear going to be 32h C? :-s Can you get a 36h? Needs to be strong as, and you'll definitely need a cover on the rear wheel with 32 spokes.
Sorry, polo thread >>>>>>>>

I had an extra 4mm on my spokes for my polo build and they're lasted very well.
Is your polo rear going to be 32h C? :-s Can you get a 36h? Needs to be strong as, and you'll definitely need a cover on the rear wheel with 32 spokes.
Sorry, polo thread >>>>>>>>

I laced and tensioned the front last night, and decided that its too pretty for polo, so the pair will go on my commuting bike, which was next in line for new wheels anyway. I'll grab some more 36h track hubs in the PX sale, and will lace them to some deepish rims for polo.

Go with the opensports then. They're solid rims, not too heavy, and very well priced. With the open pros you pay a bit extra, and save a little weight, is all.

The important thing IMHO is the eyelets. These make it easier for you to tension your spokes, and easier for the spokes to untwist themselves when you de-stress them.

Just post any more queries here.

Thanks, I will stick with the sports.

I will return when it's building time.

What I've found between Open Pro and Sport is the consistency. With each Open Pro you can more or less guarantee that the rim itself is going to be true. This isn't the case with the Open Sport. You can get a brand new set that is totally fine and the next set is not quite as good. The join is another thing to consider. Much better join on the Open Pro and better finished. Worth the extra dosh IMO.

Just my thoughts, but I like rigida chrinas better than open sports at that price point, would have gone with them again this time if it hadn't of been marginally cheaper to get spokes and open sports from the same place (cyclebasket, super fast delivery too).

rigida chrinas better than open sports

^This. Mavic seem to pretty much rely on their history to sell rims at high prices, Rigida have a wider range at keen prices.

Just to throw a spanner in the works, I'd go for 23mm rims for commuting, assuming you're going to use 25-28c tyres. Rigida Sputnik are cheap and bomb proof, if you're never in a hurry :-) Mavic A119 is about the same price and 200g each lighter

I recommended the chrina, open sport, and Alex DA22 (http://www.lfgss.com/post2275986-330.html). But I'm not sure of the availibility of the alex rims unbuilt, and figured the sports and chrinas were much of a muchness.

For those purchasing from the UK its worth checking out Halo rims. They're all rebrands, but they offer some good options. I have some Excite 29ers for commuting. They have the 23mm width mdcc_tester recommends, eyelets, and a little depth to the profile for strength. I throw the the commuter around mountian trails occasionally, so the 588g weight penalty is worth it for me. Easiest rims I've ever built up I think.
http://www.halorims.com/products-details.php?id=RMHAXR72

I have done a few budget builds with Mach 1 rims- officially imported by Raleigh from France but also available from Sonic cycles, keen prices, decent rims. The Road runner is a good and tough rim. Open Pro's seem expensive given their weight and quality. Not convinced that we need eyelets.
YMMV.

I need 12 each of 213mm (214) mm & 236mm.

$100 inc.shipping from
http://www.wheelbuilder.com/store/sapim-cx-ray-spoke.html
which will be about £90 after HMCE have had their share.

You can special order them from any LBS with a Chicken Cycles account in packs of 20, which might work out cheaper than re-importing from the States.

How can you tell which direction a rim is drilled? The one I'm thinking of is supposedly left-handed, but all the holes look to be dead centre to me, which is unhelpful.

How can you tell which direction a rim is drilled? The one I'm thinking of is supposedly left-handed, but all the holes look to be dead centre to me, which is unhelpful.
I'm not quite sure what you mean here. Most low profile rims have a zero drilling offset angle. Deep section wheels often have an drilling offset angle alternating in direction, as it assumes you will be alternating which side of the hub you are lacing to. This easy to see from the outside of the rim.

I cant see how a rim could be drilled left-handed, and if it was ould'nt you just turn it around?. I havent had my morning coffee yet though.

I don't really know myself either, but Sheldon says something about left or right drilling determining whether you start lacing from the first or second hole from the valve. I think it supposed to affect the spoke angles? I asked a wheelbuilder to check one of the wheels I laced last week, and he reckoned the angles were off because I should have started one hole further round because of the drilling. Its a mavic open sport I used, which the internets would have me believe is a left handed rim, but I can't see any pattern myself...

Offset, or drilling angle? Looked at from the hub, the above is 'mis-drilled'. Looked at from the tyre, its normal.

For what it's worth, I couldn't tell the drilling offset pattern on a Mavic CXP33, so just built it as normal. Hasn't broken yet.

I cant see how a rim could be drilled left-handed, and if it was ould'nt you just turn it around?

No, you can't turn it round - it's still left handed if you turn it over. Fortunately, most hubs are not handed, but the old C-Record ones are - alternate spoke holes are rebated to take the spoke heads.

To the OP, if you can't see the offset or drilling angle being different from one hole to the next, the rim is symmetrical enough to be laced up either way.

I don't really know myself either, but Sheldon says something about left or right drilling determining whether you start lacing from the first or second hole from the valve. I think it supposed to affect the spoke angles? I asked a wheelbuilder to check one of the wheels I laced last week, and he reckoned the angles were off because I should have started one hole further round because of the drilling. Its a mavic open sport I used, which the internets would have me believe is a left handed rim, but I can't see any pattern myself...

I see what you mean now. I must admitt I was'nt aware of a standard for the way the offset angles alternate. so no, of course turning the rim over is'nt going to do anything.

You could thread sokes through adjacent holes and press the nipple shoulders plush against the inside of the drilling. The see the difference in direction of the spokes I suppose.

If you get it wrong the spoke angles will be that same, but the nipples will not be as well seated.

No, you can't turn it round - it's still left handed if you turn it over.

Coffee drank. Yes I'm an idiot.

yo..basically i just need to know wether a rear hub fixed/fixed..wether to lace it like a drive side or none drive side?? or is there no diffrence except the spoke lenght??

hope tht makes sence

cheers

Have a look at YouTube - there are plenty of wheel-building videos on there.

i have..but theres nothing about fixed hubs! just ones with cassettes and then they start going on about drive side and non drive size? is the only difference between these the length of spoke or are there other things to take in to consideration?
and is there a right or wrong way to fit the hub to the rim? or either way, doesnt matter?

cheers

Download a wheel building book on pdf. There are several available. If you stick with 2-cross or 3-cross then you should be ok as long as you follow a pattern. I wouldn't try any silly shit like spoking it radially; just build it strong.

Your wheel won't be dished to one side like a geared rear wheel, so spoke length should probably be the same, but you should use a spoke length calculator (eg. the free online Excel one).