Wheel-building gotcha???

Alex Rodriguez

In article <RIGdc.4194$Yw5.1039@bignews4.bellsouth.net>,
zilla62XSPAM@bellsouth.net says...
>
>
>I'm not asking how to build a wheel - enough instructional material
>exists for that. But what is the #1 "gotcha" in this endeavour?

Not tensioning the spokes enough.

>Where does the "art" come into play?

When you pick pretty colors for your rim. There is no art in building
wheels.

> I'm about to rebuild my Bontrager
>Race Lite 700c rear wheel, and I've never done this before but am
>eager to learn...

"The Bicycle Wheel" by Jobst Brandt. Nothing else to say.
----------------
Alex

Alex Rodriguez

In article <70e46fa6.0404100012.5b327af7@posting.google.com>,
drcaggianoplease@hotmail.com says...

>2) Don't mail order the spokes, better to buy from someone that sees
>the hub and rim.

Why? It is very easy to measure your parts and then calculate the spoke
lenght. Also, I've yet to find a LBS that carries my preferred spoke,
15/16 double butter. Most carry 14 straight gauge, a few carry 14/15.
Mail order will usually have a better selection and you can verify that
they have the spokes in stock.
----------------
Alex

Robert Brown

jobst.brandt@stanfordalumni.org wrote:

> Robert Brown writes:

---8<---snip

> of rebuilding on an old rim, when it's slightly
> > out of whack to begin with. You get it all straight but the spokes
> > all have radically different pitch. Rides nicely but the feeling in
> > your stomach says it wasn't good art this time 'round...
>
> > So - you say "rebuild" your wheel. If you're reusing the rim and if
> > you know it's in ugly shape, buy a new rim.
>
> Not so quickly. I guess that's where some art enters the task.

True.

---8<---

> I have repaired many wheels that were pretzeled, making them good for a
> long service life thereafter. This includes uncurling dings in the
> rim edge from bottoming on obstacles.

Goody for you, but you are giving bad advice in this situation.

Nobody following this NG can avoid hearing that you are the world guru at
bicycle wheels, who can straighten just about anything into a good true
wheel, but the OP seems to be looking for *elementary* advice. He appears
unsure about his ability and is doing this job for the very first time.
For such a situation, we should give advice so that he is able to build a
success story first time around. OTOH we don't know exactly what the
reason is for the rebuild. But given the wide range of (good) advice
given, he'll be sure to pick out the bits that fit the situation. If the
rim's a difficult one, he should buy a new one and save the old one for a
later-in-life challenge, or send it on to you.

If he is capable of handling bad rims and other ugly situations, then he
would not have needed to ask the question that he did.

>
>
> > I replaced a chewed-up Veloce hub last week.
>
> How do you chew up a hub?

As Nelson Mandela once said, ". . . one piece at a time" ;-)

But seriously folks . . . it was rust caused by training in -4C on
extremely salted and sanded (Swedish) roads.

>
>
> > I was making bets against myself making it work, seeing as the rim
> > is MA3, but I had a go and got something that was "straight enough
> > to train on".
>
> What means "train on"? Is that an allusion to your racing renown

Yes.

> or
> that your races are so filled with vanity that you dare not be seen
> with a wheel that isn't true within a millimeter, once-around.

Yes they are. When I race, the wheels should be somewhat round. When I
train, who cares what they are, as long as the wheels don't hit the frame.

> For
> what are you training that this wheel will not suffice? Does Lance
> know about this?

Please don't tell him. He'll get really mad, at least at one of us.

/Robert

John Carrier

> > I'm not asking how to build a wheel - enough instructional material
> > exists for that. But what is the #1 "gotcha" in this endeavour? Where
> > does the "art" come into play? I'm about to rebuild my Bontrager
> > Race Lite 700c rear wheel, and I've never done this before but am
> > eager to learn...

I'd say the "art" comes in making the most successful tradeoff in trueness
for even tension (a true wheel with tension way off will neither remain true
nor be durable). Given good rims and good instruction, anybody with a
modicum of mechanical ability can build a true wheel. Or they can build an
evenly tensioned wheel. Getting the balance (lateral and radial trueness,
roundness all near perfection) in an evenly tensioned wheel is high art.

R / John

dsr@Florence.edu

On 10 Apr 2004 01:12:39 -0700, drcaggianoplease@hotmail.com (remove
the polite word to reply) wrote:

>My recommendations as a builder of just 3-4 wheels
>
>1) Get advice from expert as to best cross pattern ( 2x, 3x etc)
>2) Don't mail order the spokes, better to buy from someone that sees
>the hub and rim.
>3) right from the start count turns as you screw on nipples, then you
>have beginning tension roughly equal.
>4) continue going around turning each 3 , then 2 ,then 1 or whatever
>until it looks close.
>5) when you pluck the spokes if you have any musical experience you
>can hear the pitch which closely reflects the tension, each tone
>produced by plusking should be very,very close for all spokes on one
>side.
>
>; of course on the rear wheel the drive side tension is much higher.

Good advice all the way around, It's a lot easier (but a little
unfair) to use a LBS if you don't know the correct spoke length.

Staggered, off center hole patterns can throw you off by a millimeter
in spoke length or two. If you trial fit with a partial lace using
your old spokes you can sometimes make a good length estimate for a
similar rim. Some thread should be left unused not threaded into the
nipple. The spoke should not extend through the nipple into the slot
that is used to turn the nipple.

It is easy to get the correct spoke length from an LBS if you can
bring in your old spoke for a reference, and just ask for one size
smaller or larger.

Tom Sherman

Alex Rodriguez wrote:

> ...
>>Where does the "art" come into play?
>
>
> When you pick pretty colors for your rim. There is no art in building
> wheels....

I borrowed a wheel once for a ride - the contrast between the turquoise
skewer and the red fork was truly hideous.

--
Tom Sherman - Quad Cities (Illinois Side)