Why build your own wheel?

Shayne Wissler said:

I was looking into building a new back wheel and for the option I was
considering (Mavic Open Pro with Ultegra Hub) it looks like there's little
price advantage to building your own wheel. What I found was a $5 difference
in price online. It was going to be about $110 for the parts and $115 if I
bought the completed wheel.

So I guess the only reasons to build your own are:
- To learn and have fun. Plus, if you know how to build you know how to
true and repair.
- To build something special
- To get the job done right (assuming you know what you're doing, I
don't at this point).

The economics look much better if all I need to replace is the rim.

"Shayne Wissler" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:fYWSc.250127$IQ4.209738@attbi_s02:

Quoted message said:

So I guess the only reasons to build your own are:
- To learn and have fun. Plus, if you know how to build you know how
to
true and repair.

That's about it.

Quoted message said:

- To build something special
- To get the job done right (assuming you know what you're doing, I
don't at this point).

A good pro wheel builder can build anything you want and do a much better job
than you could.

Quoted message said:

A good pro wheel builder can build anything you want and do a much better

job

Quoted message said:

than you could.

He can do it faster, because of practice, but not better if you do it well.
The "pros" in this town, (Cork Ireland) vary from not bad to frightful.
I've built my own for years.

Use Jobst Brandt's book for starters.

My tips.

1. The only way to correct radial errors is don't put them in in the first
place. Give close attention to how much each nipple is screwed onto spokes
and only small adjustments per spoke.

2. Stress relieving is really important to prevent breakages. I find using a
large screwdriver handle more reliable for this than Jobst's hand squeezing
technique. I almost never break spokes, I tour and I weigh 200 lb at the
moment.

Quoted message said:

A good pro wheel builder can build anything you want and do a much better
job than you could.

Hardly, unless you're mechanically inept or not good at following
instructions.

They could probably do it faster, though.

--
Benjamin Lewis

Although the moon is smaller than the earth, it is farther away.

Shayne Wissler said:

I was looking into building a new back wheel and for the option I was
considering (Mavic Open Pro with Ultegra Hub) it looks like there's little
price advantage to building your own wheel. What I found was a $5 difference
in price online. It was going to be about $110 for the parts and $115 if I
bought the completed wheel.

So I guess the only reasons to build your own are:
- To learn and have fun. Plus, if you know how to build you know how to
true and repair.
- To build something special
- To get the job done right (assuming you know what you're doing, I
don't at this point).

Shayne Wissler

Unless the builder has a good reputation, I'd build the wheel myself.
Will save you a lot of hassle later.

Kenny Lee

Shayne Wissler said:

I was looking into building a new back wheel and for the option I was
considering (Mavic Open Pro with Ultegra Hub) it looks like there's little
price advantage to building your own wheel. What I found was a $5

difference

Quoted message said:

in price online. It was going to be about $110 for the parts and $115 if I
bought the completed wheel.

So I guess the only reasons to build your own are:
- To learn and have fun. Plus, if you know how to build you know how

to

Quoted message said:

true and repair.
- To build something special
- To get the job done right (assuming you know what you're doing, I
don't at this point).

Yes, but.

Who are building these low priced online wheels? Will the spokes/nipples be
properly lubed, spoke line adjusted, wheels properly tensioned, trued, and
stress relieved? If not, you're looking at trouble down the line. If you
break a spoke or the wheel goes out of true, how do get it fixed? What if
you want something a little unusual (like an ordinary 36 spoke wheel!) and
can't find one online?

Here are the options as I see it.

1) Buy online and then true, tension, and stress relieve the wheel yourself
before riding it. (This may be less expensive than buying the parts.)

2) Have a good local wheelbuilder design and build a set of wheels for you.
This will be more expensive up front, but if you have a problem (unlikely if
he's a good builder), there shoild be no hassles.

3) Buy the parts and build the wheel of your choice. You'll have to figure
out the correct spoke lengths, lace, the wheel, etc. Since it's your own
wheel, you'll spend the time to get it right, and you'll have the confidence
to make on the road truing if you break a spoke or encounter other problems.

By the way, you might want to do a Google Groups search on Mavic Open Pro
problems...

Art Harris

"Shayne Wissler" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:fYWSc.250127$IQ4.209738@attbi_s02...

Quoted message said:

I was looking into building a new back wheel and for the option I was
considering (Mavic Open Pro with Ultegra Hub) it looks like there's little
price advantage to building your own wheel. What I found was a $5 difference
in price online. It was going to be about $110 for the parts and $115 if I
bought the completed wheel.

So I guess the only reasons to build your own are:
- To learn and have fun. Plus, if you know how to build you know how to
true and repair.
- To build something special
- To get the job done right (assuming you know what you're doing, I
don't at this point).

If the ready-made wheel has the components you want, there's little to be
gained from buying the parts and assembling them yourself. This is what
machines are good for. What they're not got for (at least not in the way
they're currently used) is getting enough spoke tension and stress relieving
the spokes. Those skills, and the related knowledge of how to true a wheel are
very useful. It's not very difficult to take a machine-built wheel and
stress-relieve and tension it. The result will be as good as any wheel custom
built. All you need is a spoke wrench.

shayne-<< What I found was a $5 difference
in price online. It was going to be about $110 for the parts and $115 if I
bought the completed wheel. >><BR><BR>

<< So I guess the only reasons to build your own are:
- To learn and have fun. Plus, if you know how to build you know how to
true and repair.
- To build something special
- To get the job done right (assuming you know what you're doing, I
don't at this point). >><BR><BR>

bing, bing, bing, we have a winner!!

Most of us who build wheels started this way. We didn't join a shop and then
built wheels but built our own first.

BTW-look at Velocity rims, better rim, IMO-

www.velocityusa.com

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

In article <fYWSc.250127$IQ4.209738@attbi_s02>,

Shayne Wissler said:

I was looking into building a new back wheel and for the option I was
considering (Mavic Open Pro with Ultegra Hub) it looks like there's little
price advantage to building your own wheel. What I found was a $5 difference
in price online. It was going to be about $110 for the parts and $115 if I
bought the completed wheel.

So I guess the only reasons to build your own are:
- To learn and have fun. Plus, if you know how to build you know how to
true and repair.
- To build something special
- To get the job done right (assuming you know what you're doing, I
don't at this point).

Shayne Wissler

Because
- It will stay true

- When you have just destroyed a wheel in a crash you can replace the
rim and not have to wait for a wheel builder.

--
<a href="http://www.poohsticks.org/drew/">Home Page</a>
Life is a terminal sexually transmitted disease.

In article said:

A good pro wheel builder can build anything you want and do a much better job
than you could.

Assuming he's good he'll end up at the same tension (just shy of the
rim's elastic limit), with the same tension uniformity, and the same
little details (like campy grease port opposite stem).

He'll just do it in less time, drink less beer, and probably deliver
it later.

--
<a href="http://www.poohsticks.org/drew/">Home Page</a>
Life is a terminal sexually transmitted disease.

Shayne Wissler said:

I was looking into building a new back wheel and for the option I was
considering (Mavic Open Pro with Ultegra Hub) it looks like there's little
price advantage to building your own wheel. What I found was a $5 difference
in price online. It was going to be about $110 for the parts and $115 if I
bought the completed wheel.
Shayne Wissler

I bought an inexpensive (under $200) OpenPro/Ultegra wheelset online several months ago. When they arrived I checked out the lateral and radial true on my stand and they seemed perfect so I thought I was getting a great deal. Several months later the rear wheel (32 spokes) was going out of true and I was getting some seriously loose spokes. It seems (based on other posts I've read as well) that these machine-built wheels are often under-tensionsed so problems don't show up until later. Of course, I weight 180 and ride over very rough urban roads so if you are lighter and ride only on smooth roads you might not have so many problems even if a wheel is under-tensionsed a bit. If I was doing it again I would have immediately taken the wheels to a known wheel-builder and had them check it over first (of course, finding a good local wheel-builder can be difficult).

Shayne Wissler said:

I was looking into building a new back wheel and for the option I
was considering (Mavic Open Pro with Ultegra Hub) it looks like
there's little price advantage to building your own wheel. What I
found was a $5 difference in price online. It was going to be about
$110 for the parts and $115 if I bought the completed wheel.

So I guess the only reasons to build your own are:
- To learn and have fun. Plus, if you know how to build you know
how to true and repair.
- To build something special
- To get the job done right (assuming you know what you're
doing, I don't at this point).

Yup, those there are excellent reasons. Especially the first one.
For a minimal investment on tools and learning, most people can repair
their own bikes as well as any bike shop for a lot less money. There
are some things people rarely use and probably don't want to buy-
headset installation tools, bottom bracket taps, a brazing rig, etc.
IMHO independence is a good thing.

"sfcommuter" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

I bought an inexpensive (under $200) OpenPro/Ultegra wheelset online
several months ago. When they arrived I checked out the lateral and
radial true on my stand and they seemed perfect so I thought I was
getting a great deal. Several months later the rear wheel (32 spokes)
was going out of true and I was getting some seriously loose spokes.
It seems (based on other posts I've read as well) that these
machine-built wheels are often under-tensionsed so problems don't show
up until later. Of course, I weight 180 and ride over very rough urban
roads so if you are lighter and ride only on smooth roads you might not
have so many problems even if a wheel is under-tensionsed a bit. If I
was doing it again I would have immediately taken the wheels to a known
wheel-builder and had them check it over first (of course, finding a
good local wheel-builder can be difficult).

I'm surprised you have a stand but don't know how to true wheels. Wheels go
out of true mostly from spokes unscrewing because they weren't tight enough.
This was certainly the case with yours since you found loose spokes. All you
have to do with machine-built wheels is bring the tension up, stress relieve,
and true. All you need is a spoke wrench and maybe a half hour per wheel.
You're better off doing it yourself because many wheel builders will do it
wrong.

In article <fYWSc.250127$IQ4.209738@attbi_s02>, [email hidden]
says...

Quoted message said:

I was looking into building a new back wheel and for the option I was
considering (Mavic Open Pro with Ultegra Hub) it looks like there's little
price advantage to building your own wheel. What I found was a $5 difference
in price online. It was going to be about $110 for the parts and $115 if I
bought the completed wheel.

So I guess the only reasons to build your own are:
- To learn and have fun. Plus, if you know how to build you know how to
true and repair.

That's true.

Quoted message said:

- To build something special

Not really.

Quoted message said:

- To get the job done right (assuming you know what you're doing, I
don't at this point).

Probably the main reason to do it unles you have a trusted wheel builder
near by.
----------------
Alex

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

A good pro wheel builder can build anything you want and do a much better job
than you could.

Better? Not necessarily. Faster, definitely.
------------
Alex

If you learn how to build your own wheels, there is a pride knowing you can do most repairs yourself. Since the only tool needed for on-road spoke replacement is a wrench, carrying spares is a great idea.

I have one of each on my bikes, hidden in the seat post. Plus I have a Fiber Fix (tm) spoke that can be used to replace a drive-side spoke or any length spoke on another wheel.

This has been a "Murphy's law" aversion. Only once have I had a broken spoke on my own laced wheels and it was from a stick jumping into my front wheel, just behind the fork! No, I didn't crash and the wheel didn't collapse. I just flipped the caliper open and drove on, after removing the broken bits.

Peter Cole said:

"sfcommuter" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

I bought an inexpensive (under $200) OpenPro/Ultegra wheelset online
several months ago. When they arrived I checked out the lateral and
radial true on my stand and they seemed perfect so I thought I was
getting a great deal. Several months later the rear wheel (32 spokes)
was going out of true and I was getting some seriously loose spokes.
It seems (based on other posts I've read as well) that these
machine-built wheels are often under-tensionsed so problems don't show
up until later. Of course, I weight 180 and ride over very rough urban
roads so if you are lighter and ride only on smooth roads you might not
have so many problems even if a wheel is under-tensionsed a bit. If I
was doing it again I would have immediately taken the wheels to a known
wheel-builder and had them check it over first (of course, finding a
good local wheel-builder can be difficult).

I'm surprised you have a stand but don't know how to true wheels. Wheels go
out of true mostly from spokes unscrewing because they weren't tight enough.
This was certainly the case with yours since you found loose spokes. All you
have to do with machine-built wheels is bring the tension up, stress relieve,
and true. All you need is a spoke wrench and maybe a half hour per wheel.
You're better off doing it yourself because many wheel builders will do it
wrong.

I do know how to true wheels; however, I did not check the tension of the wheels when I got them (since I don't have a tension meter). The wheels were perfectly true so I didn't have to adjust them - I just had no idea that it was under-tensionsed. I did an earlier post asking whether it's possible to determine tension just by plucking the spokes but I think the general consensus was that it's fine for relative tension but not a good way to judge absolute tension.

sfcommuter said:

I do know how to true wheels; however, I did not check the tension of
the wheels when I got them (since I don't have a tension meter).

You can get an approximation of what is good tension by just squeezing
the spokes with you hands and comparing that to a well-built wheel.

JT
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Shayne Wissler said:

I was looking into building a new back wheel and for the option I was
considering (Mavic Open Pro with Ultegra Hub) it looks like there's little
price advantage to building your own wheel. What I found was a $5 difference
in price online. It was going to be about $110 for the parts and $115 if I
bought the completed wheel.

So I guess the only reasons to build your own are:
- To learn and have fun. Plus, if you know how to build you know how to
true and repair.
- To build something special
- To get the job done right (assuming you know what you're doing, I
don't at this point).

Shayne Wissler

Why not see if Trek will replace your Select wheel?