Past master re-discovers wheel building: what's changed?

531 pro

rBotM Winner
All my modest little 'threads' on this forum seem to start with 'i used to be...' and this one is no different! Back in the day I worked in a cycle shop and was pretty handy at the old wheel building. Back then, generally speaking, I would get the wheel to its first stage of tension and true, check the dish, adjust, then stress relieve the spokes by turning the wheel horizontal and applying firm (not excessive) pressure: we had a special wheel tensioning stool for this purpose! I'd then bring it to the second stage, by which time the wheel was pretty much perfect, give it another stress relieve (a few more pings from the spokes but not much), give it the final true, then another pre-stress (by which time there would be virtually no pinging of the spokes), final perfectionist check and it was away: customers reported excellent robust wheels and came back for more.

So what's changed? I just built some Mavic Open Pro's onto Mavic 501's with DT double butted spokes, and if I haven't had to stress relieve the wheels 10 times i've had to do it 20 - every time the wheels ping right out of shape and i'm almost back to the beginning?! I've got it pretty good now - and decided to bed it in by doing about 200 miles of riding - but its still finicky.

Have I lost my touch...no one used to 'tweak a nipple' like me (fnarr fnarr)
 
When you are doing something often then don't do it for a long time, you're bound to be a bit rusty.

I think that's probably it...but I've never managed to build a wheel so what do i know!
 
I think it's also the fashion for Alu nipples instead of brass. A small weight saving but wibbly wheels ever after... :roll:
 
Back in the 70's our idea of "stress relief" was taking it around the block for a few miles. Radially spoked wheels needed less messing as I guess the friction of the contacts with crossover spokes wasn't there.

Then we tied and soldered them LOL

When I read "It's all about the bike" the guy who built the wheels had some sort of guage to measure tension........ Pah !!
Shaun
 
spoke tension

Just wind up the tension until you feel the spoke nipple go soft, then back it off 1/4 of a turn ha ha

Subject of wheel truing bodges and pranks, the best one was to hold each end of the recently trued wheel axle in your hand and press the wheel onto the back tyre of whichever bike was in the workstand. You'd then get the saturday boy to spin it up to maximum speed in 52x13. You'd then turn around, put it in contact with the ground and send it speeding down the shop at 40mph, followed by a shout to your colleague who would crap himself trying to stop it disappearing out into the street.

...I digress somewhat, but 'appy days eh.
 
Wheel building

Sorry guys but if the wheel is built and tensioned properly there should be no reason to ride it and then re-tension it.

Build loads of wheels especially for cyclo cross and never have them back to be retioned..

Just built a pair of GL330's, super lite and ride lovely, done over 500 miles on them and never needed to touch them.

Hubs Ritchey 28/32 from China £9
Rims Mavic GL330 tubular from e bay £30
60 spokes DB S/steel 20p each - £12 Cycle Basket South Wales..

I do not use a gauge either, just experience I guess...
 
But do you build wheels with double butted 14/16 chromed spokes with all the mechanical properties of a carrot shredded by a japanese sushi chef :)

Seriously though the chromed spokes of the mid 70's were a bit iffy, even the Robergel jobbies :)

Shaun
 
Re: Wheel building

orbeas":33fcu16b said:
Sorry guys but if the wheel is built and tensioned properly there should be no reason to ride it and then re-tension it.

Build loads of wheels especially for cyclo cross and never have them back to be retioned..

Just built a pair of GL330's, super lite and ride lovely, done over 500 miles on them and never needed to touch them.

Hubs Ritchey 28/32 from China £9
Rims Mavic GL330 tubular from e bay £30
60 spokes DB S/steel 20p each - £12 Cycle Basket South Wales..

I do not use a gauge either, just experience I guess...

Hi, there Orbeas. A bit of topic I know, and sorry for hi jacking the thread, but I was just wondering what you would charge to rebuild a pair of wheels?

Shimano 105 hubs, 36 spoke wienmann rims. Just need the spokes plus labour. Just after an idea of a reasonable price to pay.

Thanks
 
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