After buggering my rim on Friday night and trying to recover the massive dent I now need a new rim. I can swap.in.an EX511 as the rim dimensions are the same. I’ve never built with straight pull or squarx/washers before but figure I can reuse the spokes and nips. What tools do I need? I can see a squarx/torx driver but will I need a clamping spoke holder to get tension?  Any advice welcome on tools or build points to consider would be great.

I wouldn’t build a DT Swiss rim without the supplied washers at least. I’m sure DT Swiss would say to use the nipples too for some compatibility reason.

Last 2 sets I built,  plus a rebuild on one to swap to brass nipples, I’ve managed with just a spoke key. Takes longer than with a spoke driver but the squorx drivers are expensive and I don’t build that often.

Torx disc brake bolts fit squorx perfectly but need the edge filing down to get through the nipple hole. I use pliers with some tape round the jaws to hold the spokes and just put the caliper bolt in an electric drill to get things started.

New nipples and washers will come with the rim. Ask for them if it doesn’t – they can get lost in transit.

I would get a black handled squorx wrench and a unior spoke holder or similar.

Just for ref it’s an XM1501 rim that’s currently on so hopefully should have the nips and washers already, but if new ones come with the rim then happy days and I have spares. Thanks for the tips. I’ll investigate further.

Use the new ones that’ll come with the rim especially if they are alloy (likely on a DT Swiss wheel set). Even if you end up with silver/black mismatch.

Add a dab of grease to hold the washer on the nipple.

They’re actually really easy to build with, I was expecting hassle from the washers but they just work, and naturally fall into the right place without any trouble. The washers <are> essential (and come with the rim) but you can use standard Sapim nipples if you prefer, they’re almost exactly the same shape as the Squorx and work perfectly. As scruff says a little grease prevents any risk of the washers falling of but it’s not really a big risk anyway. I use oil for mine and it’s good enough. (and the time honoured cocktail stick to fit them)

I don’t like specific <anything> so I used normal nipples because I already had ’em and so I could use my normal tools, especially the depth setting nipple driver which I love, you can buy a squorx compatible one though. But just using normal parts that you can get in every bike shop in the world is a bonus. Squorx were designed to be better for wheelbuilding machines, at the expense of human beings so they can get in the bin as far as I’m concerned. Having said that even if you build with squorx you can always replace with a normal nipple in an emergency anyway so it’s not a big drawback.

Straightpull is more of a hassle but it’s not a problem, it just slows you down a bit. If they’re bladed it’s easier, if they’re round then you need some sort of clampy tool but I tend to just use molegrips with a little bit of innertube or cardboard to protect the spokes. It’s fiddlier than the proper tools but it’s also free and I always feel like buying tools is an admission I might do it again in future, when the correct answer is to avoid ****ing stupid straight pull spokes in the future as they’re pointless and crap and more expensive and harder to find.

Oh yeah PS while I am being grumpy and old you know how we were told that boost wheels enable better triangulation and were an advantage and that’s why we should abandon standards that had lasted forever and worked perfectly and replace all our perfectly good wheels? Straight pull hubs almost always have less triangulation because the flanges are almost always smaller and more inset. It’s all absolute horseshit.