Professional Guide to Wheelbuilding
Edition 7
Illustrated with over 90 photographs and CAD drawings.
Chapter 1 : Introduction | 1 |
Chapter 2 : Quick start guide | 3 |
The quick start guide describes the essentials for building and provides an index into the book with links to the sections that require reading. | |
1. Select your wheel components | 3 |
A previously used hub | 3 |
A previously used rim | 3 |
Previously used spokes | 4 |
2. Work out your spoke lengths | 4 |
3. Obtain some wheelbuilding tools | 4 |
4. Lace your wheel | 5 |
5. Complete your wheel | 5 |
6. Review what you've done | 5 |
7. Your next wheel | 5 |
A note for new wheelbuilders | 5 |
Chapter 3 : Components and features | 7 |
Hubs | 8 |
Hub countersunk holes | 8 |
Hub flange thickness | 8 |
Spoke hole diameter | 8 |
Non standard spoke holes | 9 |
Straight pull hubs | 9 |
Previously used hubs | 10 |
Rims | 10 |
Rim sizing | 10 |
Rim ERD | 11 |
Rim spoke hole stagger | 12 |
Angled spoke holes | 13 |
How to check the rim stagger | 14 |
Eyelet design | 14 |
Nipple washers | 15 |
Pinned rim joints | 15 |
Welded rim joints | 15 |
Rim compressive force | 16 |
Rim centering and wheel dish | 16 |
Tension differences in a dished wheel | 18 |
Offset rims | 19 |
Offset frames | 19 |
Conventional offset frame | 19 |
Fatbike offset frames | 20 |
Building a wheel for an offset frame | 20 |
Spokes | 21 |
Plain gauge spokes | 22 |
Double butted spokes | 22 |
Triple butted spokes | 22 |
Oversized spokes | 22 |
Bladed spokes | 23 |
Straight pull spokes | 23 |
Spoke threads | 24 |
1.8mm spoke threads | 25 |
Black spokes | 25 |
Spoke nipples | 25 |
Self locking nipples | 26 |
Internal nipples | 26 |
Interlacing of cross laced wheels | 27 |
Inside and outside spokes | 27 |
Pulling and pushing spokes | 28 |
Where to place the pulling spokes | 29 |
Disc brake road wheels | 34 |
Chapter 4 : Wheel design | 35 |
Strong and durable | 35 |
Want to go faster? | 35 |
Comfortable wheels | 36 |
How many spokes | 36 |
Using different gauge spokes either side | 37 |
Modifying the spoke tension | 38 |
How many crosses in a cross laced wheel? | 38 |
How to check the cross pattern | 40 |
Radial lacing | 40 |
Alternative lacing patterns | 40 |
Missing out hub and rim holes | 41 |
Type of spokes to use | 41 |
Chapter 5 : Tools | 43 |
Spoke wrench | 43 |
Wheel truing stand | 44 |
Wheel dishing gauge | 45 |
The nipple driver | 47 |
Nipple holder | 48 |
Leather gloves | 49 |
Bladed spoke holder | 50 |
Tensiometers | 50 |
Chapter 6 : Spoke lengths | 51 |
Measuring rims | 51 |
Measuring the rim ERD | 52 |
Measuring the erd in a built wheel | 53 |
Rims with a large hole stagger | 53 |
Measuring hubs | 53 |
Hub measuring method | 54 |
Spoke length calculators | 55 |
Rounding the spoke lengths | 55 |
Record your data | 56 |
Spoke lengths for offset rims and offset frames | 57 |
Offset rims | 57 |
Offset frames | 58 |
Fatbike wheels and offset frames | 58 |
How nipple length affects spoke length | 59 |
DT-Swiss nipples | 59 |
Spoke lengths for DT 14 and 16mm nipples | 59 |
Spoke lengths for other makes of long nipples | 59 |
Spoke lengths for non standard nipples | 60 |
Spoke lengths for a different rim | 61 |
The spoke length formula | 61 |
Test calculation | 62 |
Straight pull spoke lengths | 63 |
Flange diameter | 63 |
Flange distance | 63 |
Spoke offset | 63 |
Chapter 7 : Lacing the wheel | 65 |
Record your data | 65 |
Hub and rim checks | 65 |
Label your spokes | 65 |
Oil your spokes and rim | 66 |
Lace the wheel | 66 |
How to lace 2 and 4 cross wheels | 77 |
Lacing a radial wheel | 77 |
Cross combinations on the same wheel | 78 |
Option A, B and C lacing | 79 |
How to lace option B | 79 |
How to lace option C | 79 |
Other lacing patterns | 79 |
Spoke prep and adhesive | 79 |
Loctite 222 | 80 |
Chapter 8 : Completing the wheel | 81 |
1.Take up the slack | 81 |
2.Align the spokes | 83 |
3.Take up all of the slack | 83 |
4.Improve the lateral trueness | 84 |
5.Adjust the radial trueness | 85 |
6.Equalise the spoke tensions | 85 |
7.Check the wheel dish | 86 |
8.Final tensioning | 88 |
i) Spoke twist | 88 |
ii) Stressing the wheel (stress relieving the spokes) | 88 |
Complete the final tensioning | 90 |
Tensiometers | 91 |
The wheel is finished | 91 |
Wheelbuilding accuracy | 92 |
How long should it take | 93 |
Testing your wheel | 93 |
Retensioning your wheel | 94 |
Chapter 9 : Repairing wheels | 95 |
Checking a wheel | 95 |
Flat spots | 95 |
Damaged spokes | 95 |
Rim wear and damage | 96 |
Truing a wheel | 97 |
Nipples that will not turn freely | 99 |
Spoke breakages | 100 |
Replacing a broken spoke | 100 |
Replacing all the spokes | 101 |
Reusing spokes | 102 |
Replacing the rim | 102 |
Identical rim | 102 |
Different rim | 103 |
Replacing the hub | 104 |
Truing a wheel built by someone else | 104 |
Appendices | 107 |
Wheelbuilding Checklist | 109 |
Making your own truing stand | 111 |
Spoke length formula proof | 119 |
The straight pull spoke length formula | 121 |
The geometry of a wheel | 123 |
Geometry of a straight pull hub | 126 |
Straight pull hub wheelbuild example | 129 |