My DT swiss 4.2d rims have seen better days so I’m planning a winter project to have a go at re-rimming the Hope Pro 2 hubs with something offering a bit more width but hopefully not adding much weight.

First off any recommendations for a decent tubeless ready rim for general trail riding? I’ve had a quick google of Stans rims but they seem to be quite pricy so a cheaper alternative option would be good.

Secondly, what do I need to know and where can I find it out? Any pointers to a good wheel building guide and how to work out what spokes I’ll need would be great.

Once I get it all together I might even start a “wheel building live” thread to offer an alternative service to all the bike builds going on (like a BBC4 arts documentary for those trying to avoid Strictly Come Dancing on BBC1).

Cheers
Rio

If you plan to reuse spokes then you’ll need to get a rim with the same ERD (or within a mm or two). Merlin were doing some of the older Stans rims cheap which I found I coudl use to re-rim some 4.2D wheels using 12mm instead of 14mm nipples.

If you’re saving the price of the spokes (£30-£40) then a slightly more expensive rim might be worth looking at.

Roger Musson/WheelPro book is good but Sheldon has a resonable guide on it.

I use the DTSwiss calcualter but they’ve dropped non-DT-Swiss products off the list so you have to supply your own measurements now.

Went for these; http://www.wiggle.co.uk/stans-no-tubes-ztr-arch-ex-rim/
oh, and used mussons book. Easy to follow. Make sure you have the stuff recommended (tools, oil etc) in the book before you intend to start.

+1 Musson’s book

Went for the Arch EXs from Wiggle too. Built them up on an old pair of Hopes with Sapim D-Light spokes, all with the help of Musson’s book. Very pleased with the results.

I got some Pacenti TL28s, smashed teh rear one on its first ride in a water bar or something but the front has survived teh Macavalache, downhilling, a week stravaing the alps, Calderdale cobblecore and a few Lakes/Torridon trips. Not bad for something nudging crest weight and suefully wide too. Got an Arch EX to repolace the pacenti I smashed, smashed it in much the same way. Now have an old mavic xm819 wheel on the back as even though it’s heavy and narrow it doesn’t break.

Those Arch EXs look spot on especially if I can reuse the spokes. I’ll do a bit of reading tonight and see if I can check on the DT calculator to confirm things.

I think I know where I can borrow a jig, so if all goes well the first exciting installment of wheel building live will be up early next week. 😀