BikeTechWheelBuilding
Introduction/Definition/etc
Wheel building is putting together the parts
of a wheel and a whole lot more, but it seems to be
a rite of passage for a bike mechanic, so I'll
get into it a little...
Body
As I've been learning more about bike mechanics, I've found that
building a wheel is a rite of passage for bike mechanics...
My first was a dynohub (generates electricity say for a headlight,
but built into the hub instead of those old bottle ones on the wheel
tires, of our generation). Shimano disc brake model, to be more specific
DH-71 or similar, and got a lot of help.
Wheel Anatomy and Terminology
Let's step back for a moment, a bike wheel contains many parts,
starting from the outside,
the tire, which rubber hits the road, so to speak,
the tube (while not all have tubes, most do, it's inside the tire,
and the valve (Shrader like a car, or Presta needlie/ thinner & different end...)
the rim, which is the metal loop that holds it round, hopefully ;-),
the nipples which go through the rim and hold the
spokes, wire thingies, though some can be solid rims,
[ called something that I've forgotten, at the moment, ]
the hub which is the spindle type thing in the middle,
the back wheel probably has a bunch of gears with teeth,
called a cassette or freewheel/ attached to the hub,
but look at the front wheel instead, it's easier/ simpler ;-/
The hub has an axle and likely a quick release lever holding it
onto the Fork (front fork, or drop outs
(metal slots/ horizontal, angled or in special cases vertical)
and lawyer lips (ridges on the end of a quick release drop out
possibly holds the wheel on if the Quick Release
lever is loose), but don't count on it...
Older bikes and BMX (trick bikes) are probably solid axles
and use nuts and not Quick Release (hollow)
it is also a security thing, as Quick Release means
quickly stolen too...
A diagram here would help...
Process
Building a wheel is putting all the parts together,
though the artists and craftsmen / women
do a lot more, selecting components appropriate
to their use (I'm simplified, have a relatively cheap hub,
find a rim (some take brake pads against the rim,
others are disc hubs, and you'd be amazed how many different
rims and hub types and designs there are out there...
Mavic seems like a good brand for rims)
Anyways, choosing the parts may depend upon your
resources, the hub was located a long time ago,
from VeloOrange.com a local specialty place in Annapolis Maryland
really rather cheap $50 (down to $30 when discontinuing)
by comparison to the Shimano DH-71 at ~$110
Found a rim second hand, for $20 at a local Bike Coop/ Youth Program
and well, that leaves spokes.
It would cost about $60 LABOR ONLY for someone else
at a shop/store to build the wheel, and they can probably do it
in about an hour, (about their hourly rate),
assuming nobody else in line,
and other pressing shop business,
or even if they have that experience level on that shift...
It's going to take me/ you a lot longer, but once you learn,
even if you decide you don't like it, and want others to do it,
you will have learned a lot...
Calculating Spoke Length
SpokeCalc programs exist online, Excel Spreadsheet
(convert to free and open source, OpenOffice.org, watch for macros)
by Rinard (see SheldonBrown.com ... )
This requires measuring or looking up the dimensions
of the hub, which if I didn't have such an odd hub, would
be a lot easier...
Enter numbers into the SpokeCalc, ( or get a shop
to calculate for you, keep in mind you will probably need to buy
something, and well, do you have all the tools? how about
a spoke wrench? There is a winged one that is nice,
and there are different sizes... Park's are color coded.
Maybe you need a multitool, or a tube?)
Spokes cost about $60 for 40 (36 spoke hub, (most are 32, but I'm
special ;-), and some spares, nipples included,
the Art of Wheelbuilding book recommends
Brass Nipples, but most places round here don't have them...)
Spares
Come to think of it, get some spare spokes of your length,
for my 26 inch wheel with dynohub I'm in the 251 mm range,
depends on your hub, rim, etc... and you can't really change them
yourself and need the right size...)
Spokes are only about $1.50 each and you are going to break
spokes eventually, especially on the back wheel,
but that will be more involved, as you will likely
have to remove the cassette with a freewheel remover
(special nut tool that fits into the hub to get it off)
Sourcing and Parts
Would have been much cheaper to have bought online somewhere,
but would need SpokePrep (lube on the nipples, which are nuts
basically) specialized bike Loctite or similar, Effective Cycling
mentioned Linseed Oil, and well I bought a lot, it's combustible, and Toxic
so I'll just stick with buying locally and getting them to put
some on for me...
Tools
Aside, start getting the tools you need, in the long run,
might be better off. I'm disliking the condescending sales
people from stores thinking you can't learn this,
you need us, ad nausium, to do it for you...
Lots of times, as a bike commuter, hearing leave your bike
for a week in the shop is not acceptable. Even if you have
a spare bike (a good bike, say and a Beater (city knock about bike))
being without your bike is a pain...
And, well, sales people may never be mechanics,
basically why they are in sales...
A Spoke Ruler, is about $10 from ParkTool.com.
A Caliper is about $20, or digital is $50.
Get someone else to measure your first ones,
and get to know your Local Bike Shop (LBS)
as they are good to know. Warehouse places
like PerformanceBike may have cheaper prices and
larger selection, but there is a good chance you need
service too, and they suck at that a lot of times, IMO...
Repairs at Performance, almost non existent,
mostly they put together new bikes to sell,
AFAICT. Maybe look up the right parts,
but anyway, I go to all the local stores, and know
many pretty well...
How they treat me, in some instances, determine
how frequently and how much I would spend with them,
versus other places. Vote with your money,
sometimes your feet...
Exit Stage Right
But if you'll excuse me, I've got SpokePrep from the other day
drying, and need to build this wheel.
Photos
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=115627621249881554617&target=ALBUM&id=5627520975331161089&authkey=Gv1sRgCNX8_fzslcu7lQE&feat=email&mode=SLIDESHOW
Enter Stage Right
OK, tried it, and it's elliptical, instead of round.
The spokes won't reach the nipples on some parts of it,
for 5 or 6 spokes from the left hand side of the hub.
I did the Schraner Method, as best I could follow it from the book,
instead of classical/ traditional, because I don't have that method
in the book to follow. and maybe the measurements weren't right,
I generally don't get the results that others do from
written instructions, hence wanting the video and
multiple sources...
So likely calming down, taking a break,
looking for other resources I already know about,
checking with other people and places
(BikeForums.net ?)
Learning isn't always easy nor fun,
will be better when get some more positive
results. Until then, that's where the learning happens,
like old science experiments, it was in how you
wrote up what happened and what was learned,
we had a hypothesis in science...,
Here, I'm guessing it's learnable,
and was going to call this Wheel Building for Dummies,
though I dislike the book series, just some
of the basics, step by step, and learn as you go along,
hopefully nothing tragic, Crash Test Dummies, or anything
happens... Oh, and add a disclaimer,
Disclaimer
Your mileage and experience may vary. Do at Your Own Risk.
(Another rite of passage is working on someone else's
bike. Many people are nervous, Bike Coops take
used parts , volunteer labor and you work on your own
bike, with their tools, and maybe some advice from others,
as one class I took put it, most of the stuff on bikes
is out and doable, unlike cars/ motorcycles, etc with
more toxic chemicals, combustibles, etc.
There are risks with bikes, keeping hands/ fingers
out of moving parts. Wearing eye protection (goggles,
glasses/ face shield), an apron to keep grease off your
nice clothes (BTW, most mechanics wear something dark,
keeps the grease and grime from destroying light clothes,
I've modified that some to suggest some Bike Coop places make
reflective logos when making t shirts, to have
the best of both worlds, still hot in the summer sun,
but at least more likely to be seen by cars...)
We Return To Regular Programming
Anyways, that's it for now. More as it progresses...
Back to the books, and others...
Maybe just go with Sheldon's and skip Schraners
Method?
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html
Truing
Once built/ laced (spokes put in), I'll need to True
(make round) the wheel, and well, that will be a whole
other page here... :-)
They say it takes patience, and well, with me,
that is usually in short supply...
Resources
Books
Art of Wheel Building by Gerd Schraner
(high end stuff, but good overview of the art,
might need more of the science, see below)
http://www.amazon.com/Art-Wheelbuilding-Reference-Neophytes-Wheelaholics/dp/0964983532/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b
Bicycle Wheel by Jobst Brandt
Avocet
(haven't gotten it yet, might be useful)
http://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-Wheel-3rd-Jobst-Brandt/dp/0960723668
Effective Cycling by Forester
MIT Press
(of my generation)
and a lot on culture and advocacy.
http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=5650
Bicycling Science
MIT Press
(theory and history of bikes)
http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=10063
Zinn And the Art of Bike Maintenance
Zinn is a popular magazine writer on bikes, has books on road and mountain bikes
(haven't really looked at them yet, but heard some good things)
Park Manual
ParkTool.com , well, makes tools, specifically bike tools,
and one of the most popular, but not the only.
The manual seems to sell the tools,
instead Effective Cycling talks about how to build tools
for a home shop too. Like a Chain Whip is really just
some chain on a stick... You will eventually have some extra
chain, so why spend $20-$60 on a chain whip?
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_183844_-1___
Back in the day, mostly oils, and tools, but are growing since I last checked..
make a nice multi tool, and some eggbeater pedals
and many others...
Free online bike mechanics info,
more than you wanted to know, and slightly dated,
(notable John Allen is updating it) but start there anyways.
Then learn from other places to understand what he's talking about...
For most things bike mechanical, but some don't like him, go figure...
Sheldon was the first to really put stuff up online,
when the World Wide Web/ Internet was new, and he's now gone,
died in 2008 of heart attack, had MS...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheldon_Brown_(bicycle_mechanic
Video
Wheel Building 101
(haven't seen it yet, might be good)
Conclusion
Summary of experience or similar
Discussion
A place for feedback on the page presented
Page History
20110712 Jerry
- Adding Photo slideshow link
- Book names and author corrections plus adding MIT Press links
- correcting some typos noticed earlier
- adding and editing slightly
20110710 Jerry
- update status, lots of changes to the draft yesterday afterwards
- more to learn then describe up here...
- more notes than definitive guide
20110709 Jerry
- Jerry created this page to put up notes of resources and stuff learned
- about bikes over the last year plus with Bike Coops and taking
- volunteer classes...
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Comments (1)
jerry said
at 9:10 pm on Jul 9, 2011
http://www.jensonusa.com/search/?s=park&sc=park&x=y
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