For rear wheels, I always follow Sheldon’s guidelines http://sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html :

Derailleur wheels: all trailing spokes heads out

Singlespeed with freewheel: all trailing spokes heads out

Coaster brake hub: all trailing spokes heads in

Fixed gear: all trailing spokes heads in

Flip flop: all trailing spokes heads out on freewheel side, all trailing spokes heads in on the fixed sprocket side

Front wheel: all trailing spokes heads in

Disk brake (and other hub brakes): all trailing spokes heads out (however, I ignore this for wheels with coaster brake hubs)

The spokes with the heads inside the flange are capable of carrying more load, but that’s not an issue on derailleur wheels. That’s true. Here http://www.peterverdone.com/archive/bikewheels.htm says that the drive-side trailing spokes should be heads in. However, on wheels with disk brakes, the braking forces are much, much higher than the driving forces, so it’s worth lacing all the spokes that carry the braking load (leading spokes) with the heads in, like I do. And a wheel built symmetrically, with all trailing spokes oriented with the heads outside (or inside) is much better than a wheel built asymmetrically. If someone is concerned about breaking spokes on a derailleur rear wheel without disk brake (for example a road racer), than it’s better to lace the wheel with all trailing spokes with the heads inside. For the same reason, I sometimes lace coaster brake wheels and fixed gear wheels with the trailing spokes with the heads on the inside, if the owner of the wheel wants.

I always lace with the label on the hub pointed directly to the valve hole (readable from left to right, or same as the matching rear hub); the label on the rim readable from the right side.

Whenever possible, on single walled rims withous eyelets, I put M4 washer under every nipple. And fair amount of grease on the thread on every spoke.

And I always make sure that the valve is boxed the right way http://www.troubleshooters.com/bicycles/wheelbuilding/index.htm

Great thanks to Sheldon Brown, Jobst Brandt, Gerd Schraner, Roger Musson and John Barnet.

Almost every mechanic who has ever laced a wheel owes a debt to Jobst, and he’ll be missed.

RIP

The Force Who Rode

@roger Get some swissstop green pads, the ano on the rims will last longer.

I learn something new every day. Thanx

Too funny about the records.  You’ll have to post the gems.  They sure are heavy though.  I worked at the radio station in college, and we had an entire 12×20 room in a dorm basement filled with 35 years worth of old LPs.  We decided to move some of them for some reason and ended up having a contest to see who could carry the most.  I had the advantage of long but grimpeur-y arms, another guy of squat bodybuilder physique.  He could load up to his nose, and won.

@Anjin-san
You’re kidding, I hope!?

Hey,Mate.  Where have you been?  Have missed your learned comments amidst these Trekkies.

All the builds in here, from wheels to working tools, are insane.  Just beautiful, especially the truing stand.  It would take me 4 passes with the saw before I made a proper cut.

@xyxax Those C2’s I’ve read are being discontinued.  Proper job snagging a pair and building them up.  And killer floor.

And as long as vinyl is being discussed, I’ll share a story too.  I bid on an estate auction of something around 1000 records.  Little did I know, there’s very little activity on those auctions, and ended up winning.  My VMH at the time and I took the 4 hour drive down and loaded up her Hyundai Elantra.  It was thoroughly packed with records, and I had a shit eating grin on my face since there were some old Dr. Seuss and Disney recordings I saw while digging through them.  If you don’t know, vinyl records weigh a fucking ton.  I lost track of all the extra weight and half a kilometer down the road, I smell smoke.  The wheel wells are sitting damn near on the tire, and any little bump would have them rubbing.  Was the last time I ever bid on estate auctions.

@razmaspaz
Making a truing stand, from a few bits of MDF and stainless. Really simple accept that I don’t have a router so I will porbably get a local wood shop to cut and shape the wood for me, I have the stainless bits already made up.

As someone who has spent a good deal of time becoming mediocre at tying flies, and now embarked on a similar quest for mediocre wheelbuilding, I have to say I am amazed at the depths people will travel to build tools for their pursuits. As though learning to build wheels weren’t enough you’re taking on a woodworking hobby to be able to do it. (I point this out with the sincerest admiration). I’ve been similarly struck by tyers who have curated entire sub hobbies of collecting, skinning and tanning ROADKILL for materials. Maybe I’m even more bewildered by the fact that during a conversation about said tying, I am not the least bit phased by such things, and consider them completely normal in the context of the discussion. Likewise, I don’t find this strange, though if I take a step back, I think, “you’re building a fucking wheel truing stand!” Of course most people would have said, “you’re building a fucking wheel”, “tying files”, “making your own beer”, etc.

I’ve also got a couple of mountain bikes, a Cannondale Prophet and a Marin Quake. I couldn’t bear to let the prophet go but the Quake will make be sold off to finance some aero wheels. There’s no decent mountain biking round here and the Prophet is built pretty burly so it can do big days in the mountains as well as XC duties.

(went out with the kids, my brother and his kids for a hoon around his local woods for his birthday. I took the BMX as I could get in the boot of my car with the kids bikes rather than load up the trailer. It was absolutely perfect – I was frowned at alot by all people with knee pads and big Camelbaks on their long travel MTBs)

You want some Maxxis Hookworms for that dropped bar bike.

I built my last two bikes and whilst the singlespeed was a piece of piss, I spent ages in getting everything done just right from the tubless setting up of the wheel rims (SS MTB), to getting the BB centred in the shell (old school square taper Phil Ti/Magnesium BB) to make sure the chain tracked smoothly.

Also the time spent cabling just the two brakes took an age in ensuring the outers did not run on any paint when the handlebar was turned. As for the bar tape ??? Merckx have mercy !!! I threw the first lot away it was such an abortion and since it was Brooks leather it had been stretched out of shape rendering it useless.

My road bike took me two days, well one afternoon, evening and a morning due to the gears and very delicate carbon being used. Much the same though, I was methodical, checking that everything fitted just so before dismantling to grease the threads on all bolts and then torquing to the correct value, also remembering that the Ti bolt on Super Record is reverse threaded !!!

I loved the process and it filled me with great joy to know that if it fell apart it would be all my fault. Barring the usual school boy errors and first few miles of minor tweaks it runs as smooth as anything I can imagine.

I am therefore looking forward to a second road bike now. I keep thinking about getting something that will serve me for both CX and rain / winter bike but think I will be compromising my choices by trying to get somthing to be the jack of all trades but fear it be a master of none.

The purpose being that I was going to sell both MTB’s ( I have a pretty sweet Lynskey Lefty 29er that I havnt used in six months and it’s taking up space that could be for my N+1) and then I would have one No.1 for road and Sunday best and No.2 which would suit CX / rain & winter.

I am now thinking that if I keep my dropped bar MTB which is a singlespeed, get a geared hub and build a new rear wheel, I can switch out between SS and gears when the needs arise (which will not be too often).

Then I can concentrate on a decent bike made only for the road, I really like the thought of a skinny tubed steel frame, either lugged or fillet brazed, steel fork and mudguards (fenders?), Campy Chorus gruppo, I will stick with New Ultimate stem, seat post and bar as per No.1 and to keep it retro looing with a Brooks saddle and bar tape as per my SS.

Decisions decisions …

@razmaspaz

Making a truing stand, from a few bits of MDF and stainless. Really simple accept that I don’t have a router so I will porbably get a local wood shop to cut and shape the wood for me, I have the stainless bits already made up.

Making a truing stand at the moment

Curious what that means exactly? Welding your own together, or finding a place to put the one you bought?

I’ve been working on becoming self sufficient and only usually resort to the LBS if time doesn’t allow or it requires a tool that cannot be justified fiducially. I’m fine with the hub service thing, mountain biking helps with that. Similarly, I’m quite happy to pull a bike apart so there’s nothing left on the frame bar the headset then pop it back together with new cables etc. I’m not great at adjusting derailleurs but that’s getting better. (I’d best whisper it here but I really don’t get the fuss about bleeding and adjusting pad clearance etc on hydraulic brakes.)

I did bar taping for the first time last night which wasn’t completely successful but was better than I was expecting.

Just gotta figure out how to strip by hubs, clean and re-grease, then I’m all ready. Again, old inexpensive wheels are great for practise.

Lace Tension True from Ben Leighton on Vimeo.

Making a truing stand at the moment so I can get building my wheels for No. 2. Will post progress on said truing stand.

@Simon
It was Rudy Dhaenens, but he made up for it by becoming an undeserved World Champion the next year! He was off the front in the 1989 Tour and rolled his tire. But as @Oli says, I’ve never heard he was on tape? I’d heard he was just on a poorly glued tire.
I’ve tried many, many times to find that video…

Ah no, you misunderstand me. I was just pointing to that as the moment that spawned my paranoia about inadequately fastened tubs…

@Tartan1749
Great minds, Tartan. I’ve a black frame, black rims, black spokes, black thoughts, black ops. The examples of Frank and others really had me hankering for some shiny bits. Buy one part and it all falls fast into place and before you know it, your saying, “How the fuck do I take a good picture of a wheel?”

I am gluing my C2’s this week and cannot wait to ride them after they dry! They should be perfect for just about anything, just like yours.

Belgium C2’s, 28/32h, DT Swiss Comp 14/15, 3X throughout, White Industry hubs, brass nipples, Zipp Ti QR’s, Velox rim tape. 1665 gm without the QRs and tape.
Not the nec plus ultra of Frank’s Ambrosios, but nice for a plodder.

Finally pinned on a number again today for the first time in eons – felt great. Long and short is that I’m now hunting around for some dedicated race wheels. Riding 36h Ambrosio Excellences on Ultegra / DA hubs with 25c conti GP4000’s on – great for the shitty roads of NZ, great for long days out, but probably not the quickest to spin up to speed and well, not exactly a light combo.

Any suggestions for reasonably-priced wheelset / handbuilt specs? I’m at 80kg – leaning towards something like ambrosio excellights in a 28 – or should I be looking at something like 2nd-hand ksyriums (the decent ones, not the bottom of the ranges)? I’d rather not wear mavic on my bike, so all suggestions gratefully received. Anything carbon within my budget (under 1k NZD) is likely to be shite, so I’m discarding that as an option straight away.

Ta in advance…

Simon

@Anjin-san
Speaking of tubular benefits, hit some sort of fender bender debris 3 kms from home this afternoon that took a 5mm divot right out of my rear tire. As the tire was toast from that, I simply VanSummeren’d home.

First day on the tubbies! One ride isn’t enough to go off, but I think I might be a convert. Nothing at all wrong with riding clinchers, of course; they are very good tires. But there is something intangible, something more solid and firm about riding tubulars. Very good ride and loads of fun in any case.

(These are the training tubbies, not the FMBs…)

I cant agree more. Glued up my first set in Sep or October of 2011 and now I don’t want to ride anything else. One really nice benefit… I flatted doing about 30 mph on a descent and the tubbie stayed on the rim (used the Vittoria PitStop and road home). That probably would have been a bad tumble on a clincher.

I’m glad you took the time to do it and do the same when gluing.Remember that once you’ve done the initial glue coats yourself you do not remove the glue completely again when mounting new tube so all hard work now will pay off later and gluing a new tire will be a much quicker process.

Did you glue them on or use Tufo tape? Seems the tape would eliminate the negative aspect of trying to change a tub if you puncture, i.e. messing about with the glue.

(These are the training tubbies, not the FMBs…)

Put the 27 on it to stretch overnight and will glue it tomorrow, hopefully. I have my first licensed road race tomorrow morning since the early 90’s so no idea what shape I will be in tomorrow after the race!

You won them?

@lucky
They’re collect from seller only. Do you live nearby, if so could you pick them up for me and pop them in the post? Ta.

Looks like. Can always salvage the rims.

Nice article Frank. When you build up your own bike and do your maintenance it forges a bond between man and machine like no other. As a kid I learned how to work on bikes out of necessity, now I do it for the love of my machine and sport. Surely the Gods of The Arenberg will show you the path of least resistance as you ply your way through cobbles.

Beautifully said, and thanks!

@jimmy
Both of you are spot on, good points, my use was strictly road and I never had tires that went more than 1/3rd of a season.

I have to throw in here to anyone new to glue jobs – please do not mix glues/techniques stick to one method at a time and start fresh if you change to a new method. Like Jimmy the only time I ever rolled a tire was when my bike shop mate did me a favor and glued on tires for me using a different glue – soon after my chin became intimately familiar with an switch back in Puerto Rico. Really my fault because I should have had the brains to ask him what he used.

Of course the greatest force holding the tub inplace is the air in the tire. But we don’t talk about that when arguing the merits of different methods.

Thanks mate.No problem.And yes tape is a solution to the problem that never really existed in the first place.

I am lacing a set of NOS F20s to a set of C4 hubs right now. I will post some pics from the laptop

@frank Welcome to wheelbuilding! May you never go back to factory again…

Is the rate it eats through relevant to the life of the tire? Seems a very easy and quick way to glue a tire!

@frank

Sent to me by windsurfing legend and badass cyclist, David Ezzy

if you had been sent a love letter from the Queen of England, I would have been less impressed – in my former world Dave Ezzy was God – I had a full quiver of his wave sails (actually, still have them if anyone wants to buy a set – look great hanging on a cafe wall…) – anyway, I’m seriously jealous of that man love
doesn’t surprise me he is a badass cyclist, as he was a fuckin nutter on a waveboard – one of the great pioneers of big wave sailing in the later early days – sadly before video cameras could be taken into the surf for youtube benficiaries – major inspiro

Yeah – his son is a fucking badass as well. Only bloke in the world who can do a no-handed backflip on a windsurfer.

I spent an afternoon drinking seawater with David last summer. Top notch guy, and the origin of Rule 86 after he casually tossed me in the hurt locker on a spectacular ride to Kaupo on Maui.

Frank: So much for a casual ride today!
David: I’m not the one setting this pace, you are!
Frank: I’m just following you!

I’ve tried many, many times to find that video…

Sent to me by windsurfing legend and badass cyclist, David Ezzy

if you had been sent a love letter from the Queen of England, I would have been less impressed – in my former world Dave Ezzy was God – I had a full quiver of his wave sails (actually, still have them if anyone wants to buy a set – look great hanging on a cafe wall…) – anyway, I’m seriously jealous of that man love

doesn’t surprise me he is a badass cyclist, as he was a fuckin nutter on a waveboard – one of the great pioneers of big wave sailing in the later early days – sadly before video cameras could be taken into the surf for youtube benficiaries – major inspiro

What was the name of Sean Kelly’s domestique – Rudy something – remember watching him lose a TDF stage rolling a tub coming into the last couple of corners. Always put me off the tape, as well as making me grateful I wasn’t his mechanic.

Rudy Dhaenens. I didn’t realise he’d died, or what an impressive palmares he had. Sorry for calling him Kelly’s Domestique…

Cheers, thanks for all the info. BTW I tend to concur with your opinion on tape (unless you’re a triathlete) because it seems to be a solution on search of a problem, which doesn’t clearly provide a better solution.

RIght, so tape is like disc brakes on a road bike.

@TommyTubolare

Cheers, thanks for all the info. BTW I tend to concur with your opinion on tape (unless you’re a triathlete) because it seems to be a solution on search of a problem, which doesn’t clearly provide a better solution.

I had one happen to me at the weekend doing the Round the Mountain – hit a pothole when I got a bit tired towards the end and the nipple itself sheared in half. Pulled the spoke out, opened out the QR and carried on with no worries – but that’s a new kind of breakage on me…

[dmalbum: path=”/velominati.com/wp-content/uploads/readers/frank/2012.01.15.02.45.26/”/]

@TommyTubolare
My dad had just gotten the wheels and we stuck some Conti’s (don’t remember which model) to them…they did seem very easy to move, though I don’t remember checking again after we finished our ride a few hours later. What was nice was the immediacy of the tape, as compared to my two-day journey with glue.

But the glue was amazingly ritualistic and fun, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. And the tires seem absolutely bolted in place. Based even on how hard it is to pull the tape off, it seems like more of a hassle than it might be worth. Plus, I have an enormous tub of glue to use up before I consider making the change!

@Spearfish
I haven’t done any winter racing in the past. Those are mtb races I think, most of my mtb career was gravity based. Now that I’m not afraid of pedalling, I should get back over to Thetford.
I’m planning on doing some road racing this summer though, Rockingham and Milton Keynes seem to be the ones round here. There’s also a crit in Spalding but thats the weekend after I disappear to the Keepers Tour which might be a bit hard to justify given that I’m warming up for the Tour with a Century sportive, the Cheshire Cat.

Sounds like a good summer! I’ve been looking to get a few big sportives booked in around the MTB stuff, so I might well check out the Cheshire Cat. Not sure i’ve got my peleton technique sorted well enough for proper road racing yet though.
You should definitely get out to Thetford when you get the chance, not much downhill but singletrack for miles and a really friendly racing scene.

@Steampunk

@frank

@Spearfish

@Chris

@SpearfishThetford eh? I see from your profile your in Cambridge. I’m just up on the other side of Huntingdon. Who do you race with?

The team name is MTFU, a slight regional variation on the theme of Rule #5.

Mop The Fuck Up? A team of hardcore house cleaners? Awesome. Focused on the college crowd focusing on cleaning up after good parties?

This is Britain, yeah? Surely: Mod

nah -its what I say to my kids when the argue – Make the Fuck Up

Ha ha! All good suggestions, mopping is certainly involved when you ride MTB in the UK winter. As for “mod”, I was always more of a rocker (was delighted to see Frank reference Pearl Jam a couple of days ago, Ten and Vs are two of my favourite all time albums) and “make the fuck up” has uses… 24 hour team racing can certainly have it’s moments!
We came up with marinade the fuck up, to get drunk the night before a summer ride, then ride in your winter kit.

@frank

@TommyTubolare

Sorry my man but I don’t know more about those stamped numbers.Almost every rim I saw has that B/86 no mater what year so no clue.I think only someone from production plant would know.

Mine do too.

I think that might be a reference to a patent.

Patent is ‘Brevetto’ in Italian so this seems a logical assumption.

@TommyTubolare

Sorry my man but I don’t know more about those stamped numbers.Almost every rim I saw has that B/86 no mater what year so no clue.I think only someone from production plant would know.

Mine do too.

I think that might be a reference to a patent.

Sorry my man but I don’t know more about those stamped numbers.Almost every rim I saw has that B/86 no mater what year so no clue.I think only someone from production plant would know.

Mine do too.

I don’t mean that your eyelets have discolouration..These are brand new rims and look gorgeous.I mean that overtime after some use and abuse over some stones,potholes,riding in the rain etc. discolouration begin to slowly appear on regular eyelets.Stainless eyelets don’t follow this pattern.I don’t have access now to my old wheelsets to take some HR close up photos of the eyelets to show the clear difference.Despite the discolouration issue the rims remain very strong.

Right-o. Understood that’s what you’re saying – I’m pretty sure mine are stainless, but I’ll confirm in a few years.

@Dan O

Cool post. Wheel building is an art. One I never learned, despite that fact I worked in bike shop for a few years. I am lame. At the time, other shop rats did the wheel building. I have however, trued a few zillion wheels.
Wheel building is only piece of the bike puzzle I’ve never attempted. I gotta learn someday…

Go for it – its an amazingly fun project. I’m also dying to build a frame some day…I’ll do it some day, I’m sure, but for now, this is as close to building a bike from scratch as I’ll be able to get.

@Nate

@frank
I have Folsom on vinyl somewhere. Today is the anniversary of the performances.
Turntable is presently in storage “” little boys in my house are hell on tone arms and needles.

Wow, big day!

@frank
From my experience with tubs Frank I’d advise you not to use the tape.Never.
Has Rouleur referred to using tape as in Belgian Method for cyclocross or the tape as adhesive like Tufo Extreme without any glue?

It was the Tufo Extreme, seems awful simple, and we used it to good effect on my dad’s HED’s, though it did seem the tires were tempted to come off. Having just done the first coat on my wheels and tires (a set of trainer tires), the glue way is definitely slower! But infinitely more intimate. Having a blast so far.

Turntable is presently in storage — little boys in my house are hell on tone arms and needles.

Wheel building is only piece of the bike puzzle I’ve never attempted. I gotta learn someday…

From my experience with tubs Frank I’d advise you not to use the tape.Never.
Has Rouleur referred to using tape as in Belgian Method for cyclocross or the tape as adhesive like Tufo Extreme without any glue?

Thanks for that info.Very interesting.I wish I knew more about the production process.These rims are very very strong and that’s for sure.

@ Minion

Thanks!
Sorry my man but I don’t know more about those stamped numbers.Almost every rim I saw has that B/86 no mater what year so no clue.I think only someone from production plant would know.

@ Frank

I don’t mean that your eyelets have discolouration..These are brand new rims and look gorgeous.I mean that overtime after some use and abuse over some stones,potholes,riding in the rain etc. discolouration begin to slowly appear on regular eyelets.Stainless eyelets don’t follow this pattern.I don’t have access now to my old wheelsets to take some HR close up photos of the eyelets to show the clear difference.Despite the discolouration issue the rims remain very strong.

I’d love to get that Paris Roubaix label as a stamp and impress it on all my tires.

@minion: i have also ran these as well, a couple years ago, zipp csc 101, very much the same, and were phenomenal!

I am really looking forward to getting properly stuck into the cycling here and will be uploading some pictures in the future.

Good to see you back. How’s the riding in Istanbul?

I haven’t done any winter racing in the past. Those are mtb races I think, most of my mtb career was gravity based. Now that I’m not afraid of pedalling, I should get back over to Thetford.

I’m planning on doing some road racing this summer though, Rockingham and Milton Keynes seem to be the ones round here. There’s also a crit in Spalding but thats the weekend after I disappear to the Keepers Tour which might be a bit hard to justify given that I’m warming up for the Tour with a Century sportive, the Cheshire Cat.

@frank

@Spearfish

@Chris

@SpearfishThetford eh? I see from your profile your in Cambridge. I’m just up on the other side of Huntingdon. Who do you race with?

The team name is MTFU, a slight regional variation on the theme of Rule #5.

Mop The Fuck Up? A team of hardcore house cleaners? Awesome. Focused on the college crowd focusing on cleaning up after good parties?

This is Britain, yeah? Surely: Mod

nah -its what I say to my kids when the argue – Make the Fuck Up

With his hair going astray and his being bent over his task in obvious concentration, Frank reminds me a bit of the stereotypical maestro in those pictures-a bit disheveled in appearance but commanding perfection, with the end result of his labors being a symphony, where the whole eclipses the sum of its parts.
How’s that for romanticization?

I forgot to mention that yesterday we went to see Joshua Bell play with the Seattle Symphonic…The conductor was incredible…pulling everything from everyone. One of the greatest performances I’ve seen Remarkable.

@Spearfish

@Chris

@Spearfish
Thetford eh? I see from your profile your in Cambridge. I’m just up on the other side of Huntingdon. Who do you race with?

The team name is MTFU, a slight regional variation on the theme of Rule #5.

Mop The Fuck Up? A team of hardcore house cleaners? Awesome. Focused on the college crowd focusing on cleaning up after good parties?

This is Britain, yeah? Surely: Mod

@frank
By the way, I’d like to thank Royce for making the thread on their lockring the old 9-Speed Campa CS102″²s. Fuckin’ell, it sure would be great if I could ride the wheels, lads, but I’ll be without our fucking special little lockring for an age before it gets mailed to me.
I’ll look in the old stuff and see if I have one of those (I just might). Let you know tomorrow.

You’re a saint for even trying. I did manage to scrounge one up that works, but I’m putting an 11-23 on the bastard and all the 9 speed rings are 12 and up. This really makes you wonder about standards. But if you track something down, I’ll gladly take a look at it!