Looking for a wheel builder

[Mossy]

I'm looking for a wheel builder. Am I right in thinking that a fellow Retrobiker does a good job for a reasonable cost?

I'm in the Manchester area and have been quoted £40 a wheel including the supply of spokes and tape (modern XT hubs on mavic xc rims). Seems a little expensive :? How much should I be paying?

I could take to a recommended wheel builder in Manchester or Sheffield - surrounding.

Ta

 

[FluffyChicken]

£40 an hour when you look at the time involved (minus the ~£10-£15 for some double butted spokes a wheel) is not that much really, try getting a plumber or electrician to come out for less to wire a plug or unblock the sink.

Though I have no idea what is a good rate for a decent build.

The problem is comparing it to new wheels.
http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/mountain- ... pokes.html
XT on XC717 pair at £135.

It may be cheaper if you lace the wheel for them so they do the tensioning/final truing, though if they're decent it may annoy them as it easier to do the lot yourself as you work a certain way and don't have to faff with different spoke tensions if laced badly.

 

[Average Mark]

cannondaleking is your man

 

[jimihendrix]

£40 a wheel including materials is'nt too bad, my LBS quoted me £56 per wheel, found another place to do it for £60 odd the pair so it pays to shop around.

 

[drystonepaul]

PM sent

 

[Mattythemod]

and i will second cannondale king on here ...hes a proper trained cycle mechanic and has built many wheels for members here myself included .

 

[cannondale king]

£40 per wheel is ok if they use dt swiss comp db spokes as the new retail is 80p for silver and £1.25 each for black times that by 32 and there labour is not alot for a very skilled job to get perfect

what i find funny is when people expect skilled work to be done cheap as the internet offers items super cheap like merlin but here's the but merlin wheels use a lower quality ACI double butted spoke and not dt-swiss db spokes and ask average mark how marked up the rims where when he got his wheels the time had not been put in or care when building so his black ano rimmed wheelset where scrached up by the spokes when lased (proberly by a machine and then finished/checked by hand not fully built) a fully hand built and balanced and crafted wheel will out last any factoy/unskilled wheel hands down everytime

 

[sastusbulbas]

I second that £40 including the spokes and tape per wheel seems fine, but try and get a gauge on how time served the mechanic is and his experience.

It may also be worth pointing out that some internet wheels are probably built by decent mechanics, but also that many often come poorly laced, disc wheels in particular seem to vary, as does the orientation of spokes, rim labels, and hub decals with valve holes, not to mention spoke lengths.

For these reasons I recommend utilising a local shop with the components and a wheel builder if available, I would not be shy about complaining about anything..

I should add though that my preference for lacing is old school and I understand much of it is hocus pocus and based on torque a bicycle wheel may never see, but in my experience it does lead to a more consistent longer lasting wheel which is easier to true and build.

You could always buy Roger Mussons book (Wheelpro) and have a go yourself, I have been a mechanic for around 20 years and my wheelbuilding classes for my mechanics are not too disimilar to his methods, in fact it's what I recommend they read. A no nonsense approach.
For the price of a basic pair of wheels you could buy all the tools and books you require to make it an easy job at home.

 

[DoctorRad]

You could always buy Roger Mussons book (Wheelpro) and have a go yourself, I have been a mechanic for around 20 years and my wheelbuilding classes for my mechanics are not too disimilar to his methods, in fact it's what I recommend they read. A no nonsense approach.

Seconded. Wheelbuilding is not difficult, it just requires patience and methodology. So long as you're using quality components and the right length spokes, you should be looking at 2-3 hours per wheel first time, dropping quickly to much nearer 60-90 minutes once you have the hang of lacing and initial tensioning.

Dr. Matt...

 

[dyna-ti]

Our builder charges £8 per build,you either buy or supply the bits and pieces