I just built my first wheel!!

[bm0p700f]

I have found factrory wheels tensioned to the point that rims crack quickly and the reverse where the nipples loosen off. This is why I use a gauge!

I will be doing my next MTB wheels this saturday I will photograph the build process and write up.

 

[Silvergoat]

I have found factrory wheels tensioned to the point that rims crack quickly and the reverse where the nipples loosen off. This is why I use a gauge!

I will be doing my next MTB wheels this saturday I will photograph the build process and write up.

Looking forward to seeing the build! From Misteroo's intitial posting of his wheels, this has been an informative lively thread. Everyone's guidance and opinions so far on wheel building are much appreciated indeed. Watching the exchanges has been like trying to listen to and understand another language. I feel I should at least attempt a front wheel though.

 

[velomaniac]

Ah the joy and excitement of that first wheel build
Ah the paranoia of every ride untill you've convinced yourself you did a reasonable job

 

[bm0p700f]

I think you have to be really cacked handed to screw up a wheel build. Wheels are inherantly strong and a bad build is unlikely to fold up a bad build will just ping at first and pop spokes sooner than it should. It would have to be terrible to fold up. That is why many find no problem with the pitch method of assessing spoke tension as outlined earlier in this thread as a high spoke counts (32 or 36) and the use of thicker spokes makes any spoke tension variation as the result of a poor ear (pitch method) not critical to the life of the wheel. Where thin guage spokes are used (i.e lower lateral/radial wheel stiffness), light rims, low spoke counts and hub that give less than 50% tension balance that is where the pitch method falls down.

This is how the differing opinions on how to build build wheels correctly results. If all you do are 32/36 spoke wheels then the ptich method can work well enough. If you are like me and build 20 spoke wheels and upwards then the gauge come out.

 

[Woz]

Ah the joy and excitement of that first wheel build
Ah the paranoia of every ride untill you've convinced yourself you did a reasonable job

....personally find the paranoia is far less than doing a chain rivet or stem adjustment; you could easily
loose your *ollocks and/or front teeth in the event of failure. If a wheel goes out of true on the first
couple of rides or pings a bit initially over cobbles as it settles I don't worry about as it can be
easily corrected.

 

[Silvergoat]

Ah the joy and excitement of that first wheel build
Ah the paranoia of every ride untill you've convinced yourself you did a reasonable job

....personally find the paranoia is far less than doing a chain rivet or stem adjustment; you could easily
loose your *ollocks and/or front teeth in the event of failure. If a wheel goes out of true on the first
couple of rides or pings a bit initially over cobbles as it settles I don't worry about as it can be
easily corrected.

I've been around to see a couple of these sort of mishaps happen to poor unfortunates. Myself, I've also impaled my shin on some bear trap pedals slipping off in the wet – ended up with cellulitis for a few weeks. Ouch.