Appears to be from the start of this month for all wheels, just a coincidence?

Why a coincidence?

CRC slowly being closed down by Wiggle?

Speeder maybe, below from CRC this morning:

“Our customer wheel build assembly facilities are currently being restructured for future efficiency. This means we cannot provide custom wheel build again until late 2017.

We can provide, rims, hubs and spokes. You can then get a local mechanic to assemble the parts for you”

Wiggle are hiring new wheelbuilders so sounds like consolidation. No surprises I guess, shipping from NI is more expensive than mainland UK. I expect all CRC warehouse ops will eventually move to wiggle.

I’ve also noticed that JRA have dropped their custom wheel builder. You can only get limited rim options on one of their JRA hubs now 🙁 . I can’t find anywhere offering custom builds with a wide variety of options I want. Hope Hoops it is!

Its just a ploy to try to get rid of the old stock, by not allowing you to obtain something thats not already sitting on a shelf.

Go to your friendly LBS.
Ask to speak to the wheel builder.
If they don’t have one, walk away.
Discuss and agree on the wheel you want.
Sorted.

I can recommend 2 such builders on the Midlands an I’m sure other can suggest people in others parts of the UK.

DIY

It’s not magic.

I used to get my wheels built by Spa cycles. last time I spoke to someone, I asked if I could bring my own rims/hubs in and have them build them, like I had done a few times previously.
I was told that they only use their own stock for wheel building now.

DIY

It’s not magic.

I beg to differ.

Was annoying JRA dropped their options.

However – ptcycles offer the same service and lots of options I like (DT stuff basically). Had one set off them that’s been great and planning to order another. Seem to do the same as JRA with bedding in.

Problem with a some online (and maybe a few local) wheel builders is they’ll just slap together, spin true, and ship. Then a ride or two and it’s out of true. Wheels from JRA after running for years and PT so far, have stayed true. Factory sets I’ve had though have been poor.

scotroutes – Member 
DIY
It’s not magic.

It’s voodoo. You also need wizard level of beard to be a wheel builder. 😀

I can’t find anywhere offering custom builds with a wide variety of options I want.

Our local lbs (Ride On) will build whatever you like.

Still cheaper than the equivalent factory builds and you get exactly what you want.

Paul Hewitt’s are really good for wheels too, will build pretty much anything you like within reason.

Double post, sorry.

http://www.bromleybike.co.uk/

There are a few options on the ‘wheelbuilder’ tool on their website, but they’ll do anything you want.

They’ll also build up wheels using your own hubs/rims/whatever.

Lunge – who would be your midland recommendations?

Problem with a some online (and maybe a few local) wheel builders is they’ll just slap together, spin true, and ship. Then a ride or two and it’s out of true. Wheels from JRA after running for years and PT so far, have stayed true. Factory sets I’ve had though have been poor.

scotroutes – Member
DIY
It’s not magic.
It’s voodoo. You also need wizard level of beard to be a wheel builder. [/quote]

None of mine have needed any post-ride attention. Likely because I only build wheels in the winter (when it’s not British Shaving Time)

Coombes Cycles in Hereford will build whatever you want, though you’ll need to ring and speak to Mark.

DIY really isn’t difficult. Just practice.

DIY really isn’t difficult. Just practice.

How many rims/spokes/hubs will I destroy in my practice?*

*bear in mind I am a cack handed bodger…

How many rims/spokes/hubs will I destroy in my practice?*

*bear in mind I am a cack handed bodger…
None – I built my first set of wheels a few weeks ago and was amazed with:
a) How easy it was
and
b) How much I enjoyed it

In fact, I can’t see myself buying wheels again because building them is so enjoyable 🙂

And I didn’t muck around either – I built some carbon wheels for my son’s new mountain bike, so expensive bits and if I screw up, he loses teeth. And not once have I been remotely nervous about the process.

Don’t think it’s been mentioned, but buy this and read it:
http://www.wheelpro.co.uk/wheelbuilding/book.php

It tells you everything you need to know. Just follow the instructions. I used the PlanetX jig with some Park wheel mount inserts for bolt-through axles and a home-made dishing tool (aka a lump of wood). Use the DT Swiss online tool to work out your spoke lengths and you simply can’t go wrong. I did buy a tension measuring tool as well, but I didn’t really need to and this was just for my own peace of mind. I also made a spoke driver (i.e. a flat bladed screwdriver bit, ground down so there’s a “point” sticking out of the front) – this made it much quicker to get the spokes all screwed up to the same amount, which makes tensioning quicker and easier.

Give it a go. It’s fun 🙂

(I should perhaps add that I have two LBS nearby that would both build me the wheels for probably less than it cost me to buy the tools – but this was a matter of principle. I’ve never built a wheel before and thought it about time I did!)

Lunge – who would be your midland recommendations?

Julie’s cycles in Leicester have an excellent wheelbuilder.

I ended up picking a set of the Stans S1 builds for £315 quid.
They are slightly heavier than a custom build but at that price with tape and valves I think they are worth serious consideration

Lunge – who would be your midland recommendations?

Two Wheels in Stourbridge have done a couple for me of very high standard as have the guys at Fred Williams in Wolvo.

Fred Williams used to build my wheels in the very late 1990’s – after I left my last shop job. They built an excellent wheel.

Core +1

Mark at Coombes cycles is excellent

It’s voodoo. You also need wizard level of beard to be a wheel builder.

I can build wheels, but I do have a beard so maybe that’s it.

I’m also skint so if anyone want’s wheels built drop me an e-mail.

And I didn’t muck around either – I built some carbon wheels for my son’s new mountain bike, so expensive bits and if I screw up, he loses teeth. And not once have I been remotely nervous about the process.

Stiff rims are much, much easier to build with, my first pair was a set of mavic D521’s which were easy to build and stayed true for a few months, my second was a set of Alpha 340’s, which took several attempts to get right. Thirs was another set of AM rims which were easier, but this time with the knowledge/practice of the Alpha’s they went together perfectly and never needed so much as a tweek.

I’ve built a rear, it was ok. I wouldn’t ever dare try building a front. it just feels like the failure mode is more risky to teeth if the front goes.

Strada on the south coast specialise in wheel builds. Agree re Just Riding Along, I’ve had a few sets built by them and they have been bombproof. Also August Cycles build wheels as well as frames. He does all the wheels for BTR so decent experience in building stuff to take some abuse!

Julie’s cycles in Leicester have an excellent wheelbuilder.

He’ll need to be better than the shop itself and sales staff in particular.

Julie’s has something of a bad rep amongst a lot of people I meet and ride with as they pressure sell to newbs and are unbelievably unhelpful if there is any after-sales needed.

I will qualify that statement by saying I haven’t had any dealings with them for nearly ten years, but that is because they really were that bad and I wouldn’t go near the place again.

I just get big Al at wheelcraft to build mine, no point trying to waste time trying to learn when its cheap to get it done. He’ll also source parts for you to.

Stiff rims are much, much easier to build with, my first pair was a set of mavic D521’s which were easy to build and stayed true for a few months, my second was a set of Alpha 340’s, which took several attempts to get right. Thirs was another set of AM rims which were easier, but this time with the knowledge/practice of the Alpha’s they went together perfectly and never needed so much as a tweek.

That’s a fair comment, but tbh, I’ve re-tuned normal wheels in the past without any real issue. I’ve got a new 29er KOM rim sat on the bench waiting to be built this evening and I’m riding it at the weekend, so no room for failure here 🙂

In reality, if you get the wheel in-true (which is easy to measure) and the spoke tensions all similar and within spec and you don’t twist up all of the spokes while doing it, I’m not sure where the magic is here. It’s either built right or it’s not built right and there’s no witchcraft.

Roger Musson’s book is quite explicit here. He actually states that if you follow his instructions exactly, you will get exactly the same quality wheels he produces in his professional shop. The only exception he makes is that he sometimes uses threadlock if he knows the wheel is going a long way away and he absolutely doesn’t want to see it again, but he recommends that this is not done for home-built wheels because it’s not needed.

This was the specific statement that elbowed me to give it a go and I’m glad I did and would recommend that others do too, if for no other reason than to say they’ve done it. It’s a feeling of pride to ride a wheel you’ve built yourself 🙂

Priced up parts and tools to build stans on hopes and all the tools and it comes out less than getting them built. Hmmm

Go for it 🙂

So, just to complete the thread hijack here, I happened to need to build a wheel this evening after I trashed a rim earlier this week. It took around 2.5 hours to go from a clean hub and pile of spokes to a built, trued and tensioned wheel.

I really am no expert (I think this is wheel #3 now!) and don’t have anything more flash than anyone else in the garage, but with a bit of common sense, you can get a reasonable job:

For reference, the smallest graduations on these dials are 0.01mm. I’m generally looking for around 0.1mm laterally (i.e. side to side) and a little more generous (say 0.3mm) radially (i.e. up and down). I could probably have got the radial true even better, but in truth, it’s only as accurate as the rim edge, which isn’t very accurate at all. In any way, the spoke tensions were all spot on (within 5% of each other) and I need to cook tea, so this is as good as we get. You’ll notice that the biggest lateral displacement is at the rim weld, which gives an indication of how sensitive these dials are!

In short: have a go 🙂

The thing that surprised me, is that building a wheel from scratch with a new rim, is actually easier than straightening an old wheel, because you’re not fighting it. I always thought it’d be like truing a bent wheel, all the way round, but it’s not like that at all. Assembling a wheel’s really boring, mind, it’s the sort of job that’s too involved to take your eye off the ball but not hard enough to keep the brain going

But if you’ve got a good, inexpensive builder local, that’s such a good option too… I always used to get Steve at Icycles to do mine, he’s great, but he didn’t want to do my fatbike wheels so I did it myself and now I do them all.

It took me about 3 builds to feel I was building a decent wheel but the first 2 were trying to reuse old spokes which was a mistake. Definitely give it a go, its not much cheaper but when a spoke breaks just before a weekend away and you fix it in 20 minutes with the spares you bought you will be glad. The book mentioned above, mid priced jig, spoke driver made by filing the edges off a screwdriver, spokey tool, dish tool made out of old shelf wood is all you need. Sounds intimidating but honestly not. Start with the book

Compromise. I used to. Buy the parts and sling them together. Get your local wizard to true them. Dave Evans at Cannot charged me a fiver a wheel.

Dave Evans at Cannot charged me a fiver a wheel.

Bloody hell, either he’s undervaluing his time or he’s seriously quick at truing wheels! Probably a little of both.

Good idea though – I suspect a lot of bike shops would be open to negotiation for the final finish on an already built wheel. Just make sure you lightly oil the spoke threads and rim eyelets as you assemble, or your bike shop will never speak to you again 🙂