Got 26″/700c/27.5″ wheels needing some love, and want to explore the dark art that is wheelbuilding.

What’s best – keep an eye out for something cheap on here/eBay, build one, or just use the frame/fork and some ingenuity? Budget is £30 tops…

Commenting to follow.

i use the frame, some masking tape ans a felt tip.

I’m on my 4th set of home built wheels. the homebrew wheels seem to stay tighter than my £100 superstars (but almost definately cost more!).

my homebrew wheels get weekends in wales, as well as local jumps drops etc- so not an easy life.

I’ve done several with just the frame, but recently bought a basic stand from Unior, which made it more enjoyable, but is over your budget.

No harm trying without any special tools, and then getting stuff if you like it.

I’ve only built one pair, I used the frame and fork and it did work ok. I suspect it’d be easier to get the dish and final truing right with a dedicated stand.

If I was building lots of wheelsets I’d buy a stand, I am on the look out for a cheap used stand for truing and general maintenance. It’s not essential if you’re only planning on building one wheelset though.

Always just done it in the frame. Thing about that is, it’s guaranteed to be compatible, whereas if I’d bought the jig I was going to buy, it wouldn’t have done the job when I built my second set of wheels as they wouldn’t have fitted.

Done I think 6 sets now, no doubt it’d be a little easier in a jig but IMO you have to do a lot more than that to make it worthwhile.

Built at least 4 pairs using frame, Blu tac and a cocktail stick.
A jug would be nice so I didn’t have to have a bike in the house, but it costs money

I bought one of the Minoura stands several years ago. It’s done multiple wheels now so easily paid back its cost. Much easier than a frame as I can take it indoors onto a table and it’s less faff.

Accuracy of build has everything to do with technique – you can build a pair of wheels using a frame and forks with some cable ties and a ruler. I’ve used everything from pro-level bike shop kit to none at all, the pro-level stuff only makes life easier / speeding up build time. If you’re handy with DIY you can build the stand in Roger Musson’s book

If you can get a bargain on a jig it is easier than doing it in the frame for building wheels. If you’re just trying up existing ones then the frame on the bike will do fine. Just blue tac some cocktail sticks on or something as gauges.

I think I only paid £25 for the one I got secondhand from Facebook classifieds – think it’s a Minoura. Does the job – since then I’ve also invested in a spike tension meter and dish stick but you can do fine without those.

Just bear in mind a lot of the stands are designed for 9mm qr and you might need adapters to fit the wheels in them.

Frame is probably more accurate than cheap jigs.

But whatever you use, first check it for truth.

I built a nice set of wheels first time in a frame – DT xm481 on hope pro 4.

I’d say either frame/cable tie or a nice jig! Cheap jig/home made won’t be any better than a frame.

I’d say a Park tension meter is worth it though! Some people say they aren’t accurate but they give you a consistent reference to work to and made the job much easier for me.

Well I picked up one of these for a tenner. Ymmv.

The Roger Musson (I think) book has plans for building one out of wood that seems pretty well regarded.

I built the Roger Musson one after reading his book. It works a treat and cost me £1 for the wood.
There’s a nice sense of pride in building your own wheels on your own home built jig.

i built rogermussons one too. Inexpensive, basic, does the job. Book is good too

I’ve had a park Ts2.2(?) for 7 years and have built probably about 30+ wheels using it. I have little doubt that it’s more accurate than a frame build as it’s also got feeler gauges for roundness and trueness. It’s a very pleasant experience, sitting in front of the TV with it clamped to a small side table, building wheels. My wife doesn’t necessarily agree, especially once you start placing spoke keys next to rims and nipples “ting, graunch, ting” repeat…

I’ve built dozens of wheels in frames and forks fine, but it’s uncomfortable and compromised (some of this time I was a mechanic and used a pro jig at work)

Recently spent £50 on a discounted planet X one, why didn’t I do that 30 years ago?

I’d try it in frames/forks and see how you get on. It it goes well, save until you can afford a decent one (or look second hand?) then you only ever buy one.

I picked up a planetx/jobsworth wheel truing stand a few years back, contemplate buying a dishing tool as well, but you can just flip the wheel in the stand.

Only recently started to build full wheels as the local shops are hopeless and the nearest good place is an hour round trip to drop off and another hour to pick them up.

First set I’ve built have been running fine since this time last year, built another set up a week ago, very satisfying.

Its worth getting a spoke tension meter and I like to build with DT squorx nipples, you can use a driver on the back of the nipple which makes it easier/quicker.

As simple as it sounds, count the number of turns on the nipples if you are building a new wheel, makes for a pretty straight wheel from the start.

I’ve done it with forks and also borrwed a mate’s stand.

the stand was certainly easier nut at least once I’d used that stand only to find the hub had slipped in the dropouts and it was dished and aligned completely wrong.

For most adjustments and tweaks I use the frame or forks, as that’s where the wheel is being used.

Use a jig to build them, but i do stick them in the frame and then make sure they’re centered for that frame using digi calipers and other measuring tools, i am a bit OCD with this stuff i guess.

I’ve got a cheapo Tacx stand and while it’s not exactly super high quality, precision-engineered perfection, it’s a hell of lot easier than trueing wheels in the frame. You don’t have to mess about with zip-ties, tooth-picks and hard to see gaps.

I’d put it in the same general category as a headset press, vis, you can manage without, but it’s easier with.

If I were building lots of wheels, I’d probably invest in something better and more solid, but it does the job.

For a home wheel builder like me a jig certainly makes the job easier but I don’t think it needs to be anything fancy.  So long as it is solid so the wheel can’t wander and takes the hub and rim size you want to build it will be fine.  Home made would be fine but I bought a Planet-X cheapie when they were cheap enough it didn’t seem worth going DIY

Agree with BadlyWiredDog. Cheap stand is better – but make sure it’s compatible with all axle types.

Frame is probably more accurate than cheap jigs.

Cheap jigs aren’t “inaccurate”, just made of cheaper materials, so just not as sturdy.

This applies to any specialized tool purchase:
A) attribute yourself an hourly rate (everyone should do this, we should know how much we think an hour of our time is worth)
B) estimate how much longer it takes to build a pair of wheels by improvising Vs by using the jig
C) define for how long you expect to keep that tool or hobby. Let’s say 5 years
D) estimate how many times in that period you expect to build wheels
E) multiply you hourly rate by the wastes time at B) by the number of times at D)
F) compare the result with the cost of a jig

I guess for 99% of people the jig will be more expensive than the time they waste by improvising. So then you can just say “that jig looks like fun, screw it I’m going to buy it anyway”

A) attribute yourself an hourly rate (everyone should do this, we should know how much we think an hour of our time is worth)

I know how much my time is worth and I would never bother building a wheel based on your statements

However, I build wheels because I enjoy it not because it is my business/income so everything you said is irrelevant. Sometimes I may even go more slowly than I could, just think of the productivity losses of my hobby! My hobby is never going to be a success at this rate…

I built a simple one out of wood just for 148mm because my jig couldn’t do my boost rear, I used a router for perfectly straight 12mm holes and a 12mm rod slides through, its shaped like a tuning fork and fits in my vice or stand. A ruler is screwed across with some homemade sliders attached for accurate measurements and the ruler slides up n down for different wheel sizes and vertical truing. Hope that makes sense, cost me next to nothing. In the past I’ve used an old fork and an old frame with some homemade attachments bolted on. It’s amazing and amusing what you can come up with to improve your design.

Agree with Kerley. Woah, never thought I’d say that.
My wheel building is done at my pace, sometimes I give up and start again the next day, I have spare wheels so I can take my time. zezaskar’s comments are just odd, I find wheel building can be therapeutic at times and aren’t most hobbies a waste of time, keeping a jig and building wheels for only 5 years would be strange, I will always build my own wheels, I’ve built my mates wheels as well as my own and sold many pairs too, and my old improvised homemade jigs were no slower to use than a proper jig. Plus I’ve saved myself hundreds over the years.

The Roger Musson (I think) book has plans for building one out of wood that seems pretty well regarded.

I built the Roger Musson one after reading his book. It works a treat and cost me £1 for the wood.

I built Roger Musson’s design. Wood was scrap so cost nothing. Bolts cost a few quid. Getting the metal parts to hold the wheel (QR at the time so with notches) cost a bit more. Then needed to find someone to get plastic bits cut for the guides. Adding the cost together and time it took messing about I really wish I’d just spent the cash on a factory made jig (but now can’t justify one having made Rogers…)

If you havent STARTED making your own Misson stand by growing your own tree and fabricating the axe to cut it by mining your own ore then, frankly, you’re just playing at DIY.

+1 for roger musson. I made a variation on his design. Much more enjoyable than using the frame or fork. You don’t need any measuring tools. Just references for wobble and hop and a dishing tool.

And a small toffee hammer to strike spokes to listen for even tension.

I made a musson one first then got one like comolyolly’s cheaply. Both work fine but the cast one is slightly easier. Even something that bug though you can see the flex in the arms if you clamp the hun too tight.

I built Roger’s jig and prefer to the Park ones I used in bike shops. Roger is quite right about tuning the doors acoustically rather than a spoke tension meter. I’ve got the Park meter but it seems to vary a lot.

I got the 3 mm plastic and metal bits of eBay for a few £. Cut the plastic with a score and snap with a Stanley knife. Metal was just a hacksaw and a file. I did get a quote from a metal shop to make the metal bits but they wanted £50 for a job that took me 20 minutes.

You could use a frame, but it’s much more enjoyable sat at the dining table listening to some tunes rather than on a cold garage floor with crap lighting. IMO, A better experience will mean more patience, which will result in a better wheel.
It’s not expensive, and as with any tool, once you have one, it’s always there when you need it.

I built the Musson stand in MDF because that’s what was to hand. I’ve built loads of wheels with it in the last eight years and it’s still going strong.

Ive always used the frame, i’ve built maybe 5/6 wheel sets over the years.

Just built a front wheel with a lefty hub, using only the fork, zip ties and tape – an interesting build to say the least but got there in the end!