[Closed] Wheel Building Course

I've bought roger musson's book. Considering buying a cheap but new wheel, dismantling and rebuilding before ploughing into expensive parts...

I've also got a copy of Rogers book, but I was after some hands on training.

Can't recommend it but am looking to do this one sometime soon :

http://www.cambridgewheelbuilding.co.uk/

£85

No - self taught here too from 'the book'.

You could approach your lbs if they are any good and build wheels regularly and see if you could hire the mechanic for half the day. My old lbs used to farm out wheel builds to an old boy who did it in his shed for pension enhancing beer money - on reflection half a day with him might have been ace. also great way to build up lasting relationship with them.

I'm interested in this as well. People have pointed me towards bike-inn.co.uk and been pleased with the course, but it is in deepest Lincolnshire!

Cytech do a wheel building course. Not sure where you're based though?

I haven't delved too far into it -- but hands-on would be good. I did a first wheel build in tandem with a nearby mate - I don't think he'd done it either so we both learnt as we went along.

Combination of Park Tools book, Sheldon Brown website and trying it out (with time and a warm space, ideally garage). To my mind yes, a mechanic would be ideal -- you can ask questions, about direction of travel e.g. and stuff like getting right length of spokes..

I just started with the Sheldon Brown guide online and figured it out from there. Actualy I lost the printout so did the first attempt by guesswork and copying another wheel, then dissmantled it and did it properly. Which actualy helped learn as you learn why certain seemignly mior poitns are actualy really important.

Mistakes made:
1) rim drilling is asymetric (blindingly obvious if you know)
2) the order you build in doesn't matter, but some orders are eaiser than others, for example trying to do the inside spokes last is a PITA.
3) take any advice/instructions with a pinch of salt, things like whther the pushing or pulling spokes should be on the inside or outside varies depending on which guide you read. Personaly I went for drive side pushing spokes on the outside, so that if/when the chain falls off the biggest sprocket it's pushed out by pedaling rather than sucked into the gap. But there's logic to building the other way too, for example whther you want the spoked loaded under driving or braking to have the straightest path to the rim.

Where are you based?
As Above, maybe LBS or look for a bike shop that does the PARK tool school.
Or find a wheel build, that might be able to help.

I found The Art of WheelBuilding by Gerd Schraner a good read and ref book.
I find working out spoke lengths is the hardest and most time consuming thing than building the wheel.

I'm based in Woking, but more than happy to travel to the right course.

Don't really have an LBS to tap up for this.

[url= http://www.velotech-cycling.ltd.uk/basic_wheelbuilding.shtml ]Velotech basic wheelbuilding[/url]

Graeme is a great bloke, hugely experienced and a really good teacher.

The basic course leads on to their advanced too.

Considering buying a cheap but new wheel, dismantling and rebuilding before ploughing into expensive parts...

I wouldn't bother doing this, unless you need the cheap wheel anyway.

Read the book through (or at least have a through scan) but properly read each section of the wheel building process as you go, have the book open next to you. There's a lot in there, nicely laid out in a sensible order, and even if you're certain you've got a new question, not answered in the book and email Roger, there's a very good chance he'll tell you which page it's covered on!

Better practice building with stuff you're planning to build with rather than cheapo stuff, and cheaper too, as you're only buying once. You can always practice lacing and dismantling seveeral times, you're not going to wear anythign out.

There's a limit to how much damage you can do to new parts, even expensive ones. Go slow, read and follow the instructions closely (I've wasted plenty of time thinking I know this bit and missing important bits - like making sure you label the spokes properly - front left, front right etc 😳 ) If it starts to go wobbly in the tensioning stage don't forge ahead and try and pull it back, back it right off and start again.

The only thing you need to get right before you start is buying the right spoke length. If you're buying from lbs and trust them, you can get tehm to give you the right ones, but if you're internetting (or don't trust the shop 100%), order the rims and hubs first, measure them yourself carefully, chuck into the calculator and then order the spokes.

Again, that's all in the book.

Does Mike Jenner still run courses?

I did the bike-inn.co.uk course years ago. So long ago that it was run in Aylesbury! Fantastic course though, and Alf and Theresa really do know their stuff and explain everything very clearly. Can't recommend it highly enough.

Cheers chaps...

I've dropped Alf and Teresa an email at Bike Inn.

Paul