What do I need to know about wheels?

[jrenaut]

I had my Bianchi in the shop the other day because the tire sidewall was starting to bulge unpleasantly and I happened to be nearby. While he was checking it out, the mechanic noticed that I need new wheels. Years of braking have made the rims nearly sharp to the touch.

Bianchi lists the wheels as “Shimano Tiagra hubs, Bianchi DRX6000 double wall w/ eyelets”. The hubs are HB-4600 and FS-4600. On the strong-light-cheap scale I’d head towards strong and cheap, but I don’t want cinder blocks on there.

So I don’t even know what I don’t know about wheels. But I know many of you know a lot and love talking about it, so I thought I’d give you the opportunity.

Topic

[JorgeGortex]

@jrenaut 180424 wrote:

Reviving this thread because I’ve already broken two spokes on the wheels from TwoWheels.

Is there a good resource for teaching me about all the different parameters you can change on a wheel? For example, I know that more spokes generally means a stronger wheel. Does the rim width vary? If so, what does a relatively smaller width do compared to a larger one? What else don’t I know about wheels?

If you want to learn everything and more about wheels, and from one of the nicest and most knowledgeable out there, then talk to Bill Mould at Spokes Etc. on Quaker. Bob is a master wheel builder and teach classes. You won’t go wrong. He is the Clovis of bike wheels.

[n18]

@jrenaut 180424 wrote:

What else don’t I know about wheels?

You can buy spokes and nibbles from most LBS for $2 to $3 per spoke/nipple set, and they measure it for you. If you don’t find the exact length and color, try another LBS, or even another branch of the same chain. Amazon and online stores usually sell by the box(32 to 36 spokes/nipples mostly), and the good ones cost like $30-$40+. Asking LBS to do it for you costs extra, but you can do it yourself if you have lots of time to watch Youtube videos about wheel truing.

[hozn]

Breaking at the nipples (nipple heads) usually means the spokes are too short. Alloy nipples are especially sensitive to this.

bikehubstore.com is a great place to buy spokes and nipples. My luck with LBS spokes has been really terrible — they just stock only the most basic spokes in any lengths. Sapim recently raised their prices everywhere, but they are good spokes. So are wheelsmith double-butted spokes, though, and lighter than Sapim Race. And wheelsmith brass nipples are great.

The teachings that I apply: Always measure rim ERD yourself. Use Sapim Polyax round washers (and factor into measurements). Use (Wheelsmith) brass nipples by default. Use butted spokes always. Use motor oil for lubricant. Get a good spoke wrench/key. Use a tensionometer or equiv. Detention the spokes many times during build — until the detensioning doesn’t drop the tension anymore. And do all your lateral and radial truing at the lowest tension possible; it’s much easier than trying to do this later — and will make a better wheel.

Good luck! It’s not hard and it’s lots of fun.

And maybe a little addictive. I’m waiting for another set of carbon rims to ship next week. Replacing my carbon commuter rims with LB (also carbon) rims, due to my tubeless Compass tires not liking (blowing off the rim on) the hookless, slightly small Yishun asym rims. Yes, Compass tires are nice enough to make me build new wheels. (And Hope hubs are nice enough to make that a rebuild rather than just selling these perfectly functional wheels and building a new set.)

[hozn]

Oh, and the book you want is Roger Musson’s e-book:

https://www.wheelpro.co.uk/wheelbuilding/book.php

I’ve read a few books, but this is easily the best for practical wheel building.

[Author]

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