So after having done just about every repair there is to both road and mountain bike, from shock and fork refurb to complete bike build, I’ve entered the satanic world with the dark art of wheel building.
First one a back one, do I need to say any rite cast any spells or just ride it ?

Throw ’em down a rock-garden. If they fold then, good news(!), you’re not a practitioner of the dark arts, if you come out the other side then you’re good with him down there.

Will you die? Yes, however, if you’ve done a good job, it might not be due to the wheel.

Will i die

, eventually.

Wheel build is on my shortening list of bike skills I need to try, good on ya.

Did you buy a stand or make something/build in the frame?

It was done in a turbo trainer with bits [ tie wraps ] sticking out as measuring things. fine tuned for dishing in a frame.
Bent a rim bought a new one and swapped everything across. Looked odd at first then realized that its an asymmetric rim.

Unless you are particularly adept and/or lucky it’s very difficult to get spokes to the ideal tension and even for any particular rim. I thought I was quite skillful until a wheel I built started to fall apart on about the 4th or 5th ride. I invested in a Park tension meter which so far has allowed me to build strong, reliable wheels for myself and several friends.

I use a park meter as well. It helps get an even tension but unless you reference a wheel you know to be good, I find the calibration to be so far off that the conversion chart is next to useless. According to that, my flow rims should have died years ago as it says I’m running about 140 kgf on each spoke. A fair bit above the recommmended 100 kgf. 2nd one I’ve had and they both read wildly off the mark.

n+2

Unless you are particularly adept and/or lucky it’s very difficult to get spokes to the ideal tension and even for any particular rim. I thought I was quite skillful until a wheel I built started to fall apart on about the 4th or 5th ride. I invested in a Park tension meter which so far has allowed me to build strong, reliable wheels for myself and several friends.

Balls… well sort of, while I am sure that a tension meter will help a skilled builder assemble consistently tensioned wheels, I have built lots of wheels without the use of posh tools, none of them have folded. The most fundamental elements are taking time, paying attention and being methodical…

Telling every enthusiastic amateur that they have to thow lots of money at Park just helps preserve the ‘Dark art’ mythology.

Tension meter is one of those things that are ‘nice to have’ but not essential.

Make sure it’s straight and true (take your time) and tighten it evenly. Ride it and tighten it again. You did oil the spokes ends beforehand? right? 🙂

Well done on you for building a wheel. PITA isn’t it 😆

just bought a s/h park tools stand and tension meter off ebay – I just need to save up again for rims and spokes 🙁

Park tension meter is a guide, a guides better than a guess and no more posherer than a torque wrench and we all use one of them….don’t we?

They’re not essential, however, if I where to build two sets of wheels, one with, one without, I would take the set I’d built with the help of tension meter all day long.

Well done on building your first one.

Well its true and still running fine, in fact on my wifes bike as an upgrade.
[Do you think I’d be foolish enough to test em myself ? 🙂 ]

Unless you are particularly adept and/or lucky it’s very difficult to get spokes to the ideal tension and even for any particular rim.

Bollocks. Unless you are tone deaf, you hve no real need for a tensionometer. I’ve built countless wheels with nothingmore fancy than a bike frame, bits of stick/ipties, and a spoke key. None have ever had any broken spokes, and all have stayeed true. From 26″ mtb disc, 700c lighweith, 1-cross Nexus hubbed (experiment with existing spokes; remarkably didn’t fail! 🙂 ), etc.

The most fundamental elements are taking time, paying attention and being methodical…

Telling every enthusiastic amateur that they have to thow lots of money at Park just helps preserve the ‘Dark art’ mythology.

+1. It’s wheel building,not rocket science.

stoffel – Member

Agreed its not as difficult as first thought. Must buy a plectrum thogh as it marmalises your finger nails.

hope not – I’m keen to bite the bullet and give it a go

no way could I get away with putting a wheel I’ve built on mrs antigee’s bike though – I only get to do odd jobs when she finds out the LBS has a 5 day backlog

I’ did treat myself go to a Secondhand park wheel building stand and it definitely makes life easier….haven’t got a tension meter though….

The hardest part I find is the spoke sizing – get it right and the wheel comes togeather sweet but slightly off and it’s aggghh time .

I built a nice set of ebike wheels up with downhill rims recently due to wheel quotes of about £180 (which are probably not unfair it’s labour intensive) took about 2 hrs a wheel.

Recommend the wheelpro ebook to anyone wanting to play as a necessary purchase above anything else

Onzadog – Member

I’m running about 140 kgf on each spoke. A fair bit above the recommmended 100 kgf. 2nd one I’ve had and they both read wildly off the mark.

Isn’t it 130kgf for Stans?