Wheel building

For discussions about bikes and equipment.
resus1uk
Posts: 294
Joined: 12 Mar 2007, 9:28am

Re: Wheel building

Post by resus1uk »

Thanks, I'll try the bolt and wingnut. Andy built my Spa trike wheels a decade ago, his transfer is on the rims.
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simonineaston
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Joined: 9 May 2007, 1:06pm
Location: ...at a cricket ground

Re: Wheel building

Post by simonineaston »

I think another tip is build the wheel and then don't forget to revisit it after a couple of hundred miles, specially if you're new to doing it, as the likelhood of not getting the tension right is higher - at least it is for me ! :wink:
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
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warey4life
Posts: 85
Joined: 5 Apr 2021, 8:08am

Re: Wheel building

Post by warey4life »

So I'm going for my first front wheel build. Here is the spoke calculation. Only issue now is can't seem to find the correct length spokes or the correct quantity anywhere ☹️

Please could someone suggest where to order them from?
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Screenshot_20220625-203419.png
alexnharvey
Posts: 1923
Joined: 10 Jan 2014, 8:39am

Re: Wheel building

Post by alexnharvey »

Spokes from Ryan, cyclebasket, spa cycles, ebay.

https://www.spokesfromryan.com/
richardfm
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Joined: 15 Apr 2018, 3:17pm
Location: Cardiff, Wales

Re: Wheel building

Post by richardfm »

warey4life wrote: 26 Jun 2022, 12:09am So I'm going for my first front wheel build. Here is the spoke calculation. Only issue now is can't seem to find the correct length spokes or the correct quantity anywhere ☹️

Please could someone suggest where to order them from?
There are plenty of online suppliers who provide custom length spokes. However, you will probably have to round up to the nearest millimetre.
Richard M
Cardiff
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531colin
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Joined: 4 Dec 2009, 6:56pm
Location: North Yorkshire

Re: Wheel building

Post by 531colin »

Spokes normally come in lengths of even millimetres.
Are the spoke flanges really different diameters? In my experience its never, ever 3mm different length for the two sides of a disc front wheel, more often than not you can use the same length both sides.
Wait for somebody competent to check your calculations, I'm more than 10 years out of it
Jamesh
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Joined: 2 Jan 2017, 5:56pm

Re: Wheel building

Post by Jamesh »

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warey4life
Posts: 85
Joined: 5 Apr 2021, 8:08am

Re: Wheel building

Post by warey4life »

531colin wrote: 26 Jun 2022, 8:57am Spokes normally come in lengths of even millimetres.
Are the spoke flanges really different diameters? In my experience its never, ever 3mm different length for the two sides of a disc front wheel, more often than not you can use the same length both sides.
Wait for somebody competent to check your calculations, I'm more than 10 years out of it
Here's a pic which hopefully demonstrates the different diameters
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IMG_20220626_103241_634.jpg
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531colin
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Joined: 4 Dec 2009, 6:56pm
Location: North Yorkshire

Re: Wheel building

Post by 531colin »

Yup, they are different.
Still nobody volunteering to check your calculations.
zenitb
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Joined: 7 Aug 2018, 9:59pm
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Re: Wheel building

Post by zenitb »

I am also a newbie wheel builder..what I can say though is I have found it great fun and strongly recommend you giving it a try.

One way I de-risked the whole process was to start with chunky rims and lots of spokes..

One rookie error I made was not to have diverging spokes either side of the valve hole!! This makes it harder to get a pump in.. its obvious once you know of course.

One huge benefit of all this is normal, run of the mill, wheel re-trueing becomes simple so you end up being a more self sufficient cyclist. I re-trued a rear wheel while touring in rural France (after hitting a rock fully laden with camping gear) and have recently successfully retrued a highly dished 20 spoke road rear 11 speed wheel with bladed spokes..a wheel I put in the "how could it ever have worked in the first place" category!! :-)

I recorded my tentative first steps in my blog here...with comparisons of the various spoke length calculators. Enjoyable and satisfying. :-)

http://zenit-b.blogspot.com/2016/11/tan ... d.html?m=1
Steve O'C
Posts: 165
Joined: 3 Mar 2013, 1:32pm

Re: Wheel building

Post by Steve O'C »

Still nobody volunteering to check your calculations.
Similar result from the Wheelpro site assuming this is a 32 spoke 3 cross wheel.

Steve
Capture.JPG
alexnharvey
Posts: 1923
Joined: 10 Jan 2014, 8:39am

Re: Wheel building

Post by alexnharvey »

531colin wrote: 27 Jun 2022, 9:45am Yup, they are different.
Still nobody volunteering to check your calculations.
I know I'm replying to Colin rather than the OP, but i trust the online calculators and slightly distrust their databases of rim and hub measurements. Do you have a caliper that will allow you to check that the hub measurements are the same as your hub? Even if you do not, a quick sense check with a ruler can confirm your hub is the same as listed. Similarly, are you able to use the two spokes method to check the erd?
rogerzilla
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Joined: 9 Jun 2008, 8:06pm

Re: Wheel building

Post by rogerzilla »

The biggest source of error in spoke calculations is usually the ERD figure. They also give slightly inaccurate results for non-interlaced spokes (radial, x1 and x2 if you build them the Brompton way). This can cause problems if you rounded spoke lengths up.
fastpedaller
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Joined: 10 Jul 2014, 1:12pm
Location: Norfolk

Re: Wheel building

Post by fastpedaller »

alexnharvey wrote: 27 Jun 2022, 4:32pm
531colin wrote: 27 Jun 2022, 9:45am Yup, they are different.
Still nobody volunteering to check your calculations.
I know I'm replying to Colin rather than the OP, but i trust the online calculators and slightly distrust their databases of rim and hub measurements. Do you have a caliper that will allow you to check that the hub measurements are the same as your hub? Even if you do not, a quick sense check with a ruler can confirm your hub is the same as listed. Similarly, are you able to use the two spokes method to check the erd?
The rim ERD measurement is more critical to the result than the hub PCD (especially if using a small flange hub.)
drossall
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Joined: 5 Jan 2007, 10:01pm
Location: North Hertfordshire

Re: Wheel building

Post by drossall »

resus1uk wrote: 31 May 2022, 7:20am Any guidance for tricycle wheelbuilding?
I have two Higgins parallel hex hubs and want to build them up. As there is no spindle how are they secured in the jig?
Calculating the spoke length, should be symmetrical like a standard front wheel, no dish.
Any spoke/rim combination known to work?
Pretty much what others said. I did it by jacking the back of the trike up, fitting the hubs loosely, and positioning my normal building jig to give me a gauge. Or try fittings for through-axle hubs. Or, to be posh, Trykit do an adaptor spindle (on their products page).

For specialist advice, try the On3Wheels forum.
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