Wheel building

[ivan888]

Who would you recommend for mountain bike wheel balancing in Cape Town?

Edited September 1, 2020 by ivan888

[CAAD4]

Who would you recommend for mountain bike wheel balancing in Cape Town?

Droo.

[ivan888]

Droo ?

[CAAD4]

He gave advice a few pages back. He has a business in Cpt by the name of Stoke Suspension Works.

[ivan888]

He gave advice a few pages back. He has a business in Cpt by the name of Stoke Suspension Works.

Thanks, will check them out.

[MrJacques]

I have a question:

 

How much can a wheel be out of true before it needs to be trued?

 

- The spokes seem fine, although I don't have a tension meter to be 100% sure.

- There's about 1mm of lateral movement (buckle) in a section.

- There's also a very slight vertical hop, but I think those are pretty difficult to get rid of.

 

Any guidance / recommendations on this? When is it time to true your wheels?

Edited February 26, 2021 by MrJacques

[EddieV]

 

I have a question:

 

How much can a wheel be out of true before it needs to be trued?

 

- The spokes seem fine, although I don't have a tension meter to be 100% sure.

- There's about 1mm of lateral movement (buckle) in a section.

- There's also a very slight vertical hop, but I think those are pretty difficult to get rid of.

 

Any guidance / recommendations on this? When is it time to true your wheels?

 

 

I don't think there is any hard and fast rules about when to get your wheels trued. As you said your spokes seem fine, but if there is play - higher tension on neighboring spokes could cause issues/breakages down the line.

 

Vertical hop isn't difficult to remedy by an experienced wheel-builder, unless the rim was damaged at some point. I've had instances where I just could not get the hop out .... where the flat spot was caused by damage to the rim.

 

On a MTB you probably won't feel a slightly oval wheel, but on a 'road bike' a flat spot will obviously make a world of difference at speed.

[nick_the_wheelbuilder]

 

I have a question:

 

How much can a wheel be out of true before it needs to be trued?

 

- The spokes seem fine, although I don't have a tension meter to be 100% sure.

- There's about 1mm of lateral movement (buckle) in a section.

- There's also a very slight vertical hop, but I think those are pretty difficult to get rid of.

 

Any guidance / recommendations on this? When is it time to true your wheels?

 

 

Pluck the spokes like a guitar string - they SHOULD all sound alike. If there's a big variance, get the wheel looked at by a pro.

 

1mm lateral or vertical deviation from true won't make any difference on a disc brake MTB, so don't stress.

 

Get your wheel looked at when you're breaking spokes, the wheel has 2mm or more wobble or if the spokes have wildly varying tensions.

[Dieter ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

Right now I have WTB Frequency I23 rims with a DT Swiss 370 hub. (2015 Transition Smuggler 2)

The tyres I want are only offered by Maxxis in WT, so I need? wider rims... 

I don't have lots of budget or I would have a newer bike probably, so i'm thinking of getting just rims for now and getting decent rubber. Any suggestions for reasonable 30mm ID rims? 

I was having a look here but the options are overwhelming http://www.speedercycling.com/29er-MTB-Rims_c18

[nick_the_wheelbuilder]

Right now I have WTB Frequency I23 rims with a DT Swiss 370 hub. (2015 Transition Smuggler 2)

 

The tyres I want are only offered by Maxxis in WT, so I need? wider rims... 

 

I don't have lots of budget or I would have a newer bike probably, so i'm thinking of getting just rims for now and getting decent rubber. Any suggestions for reasonable 30mm ID rims? 

 

I was having a look here but the options are overwhelming http://www.speedercycling.com/29er-MTB-Rims_c18

 

Great question!

 

Yes, the 23mm inner width rims are too narrow for WT tyres. Yes 30mm rims will be great.

 

My recommendation would be to go with Spank 350 or DT Swiss XM481 rims.

Both are currently available in SA and both are just over R2000 per hoop.

 

WTB KOM Tough i29 rims are another solid option at around R1850 per hoop.

 

Going this route let's you perform a sensible upgrade without over-capitalizing on the bike.

Those DT 370 hubs are fine and should last forever anyways.

 

Remember to factor in the cost of the wheel rebuild and possibly spokes.

[Dieter ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

Great question!

 

Yes, the 23mm inner width rims are too narrow for WT tyres. Yes 30mm rims will be great.

 

My recommendation would be to go with Spank 350 or DT Swiss XM481 rims.

Both are currently available in SA and both are just over R2000 per hoop.

 

WTB KOM Tough i29 rims are another solid option at around R1850 per hoop.

 

Going this route let's you perform a sensible upgrade without over-capitalizing on the bike.

Those DT 370 hubs are fine and should last forever anyways.

 

Remember to factor in the cost of the wheel rebuild and possibly spokes.

Thank you for the valuable info Nick, as always! I think new rims are the next step for sure and when I have the means for something special I will get in touch   

 

From one of your emails you said "Carbon rims are expensive, so if you decide to go that route, make sure you invest in the right brand which offers a good warranty and crash replacement policy." The link I sent may not be an investment set of hoops but I want to see the price anyways for interests sake. What option would be good in your opinion? 

[EddieV]

Nick, what is your opinion on future proofing ito hub spoke count?

 

I used to exclusively buy 32hole hubs and rims in order to re-purpose the hubs and rims.

 

It allowed a nice 3 cross spoke lacing ..., but lately I find it difficult to get hold of 32hole rims and hubs?

 

Seems the new max standard is 28hole? Thus I'm going to have to start doing 2 cross lacing instead?

[nick_the_wheelbuilder]

Thank you for the valuable info Nick, as always! I think new rims are the next step for sure and when I have the means for something special I will get in touch   

 

From one of your emails you said "Carbon rims are expensive, so if you decide to go that route, make sure you invest in the right brand which offers a good warranty and crash replacement policy." The link I sent may not be an investment set of hoops but I want to see the price anyways for interests sake. What option would be good in your opinion? 

 

The Speeder Cycling rims work out to around R4500-5500 per rim, depending on shipping. Similar to Nextie, which I import a lot of.

 

The rims with the best warranty and support today are South Industries. Love those rims!

[nick_the_wheelbuilder]

Nick, what is your opinion on future proofing ito hub spoke count?

 

I used to exclusively buy 32hole hubs and rims in order to re-purpose the hubs and rims.

 

It allowed a nice 3 cross spoke lacing ..., but lately I find it difficult to get hold of 32hole rims and hubs?

 

Seems the new max standard is 28hole? Thus I'm going to have to start doing 2 cross lacing instead?

 

Firstly, 32-hole is going nowhere. It's only straight-pull hubs which come mainly in 28h.

Secondly, you can lace a 28h wheel 3-cross.

 

Many OEM wheels come in 28h these days, but I see around 50/50 32/28h in MTB wheels these days.

 

Oh, and it's becoming difficult finding any stock in decent rims and hubs these days, regardless of spoke count.

 

A wheel with 24 spokes can only be laced 2-cross, (or radial, if it's a rim brake front wheel)

[johnson]

I Finally got my new wheels built 

Nox Composites Teocalli 29 rims.

Hope Pro 4 hubs.

Pilar double butted spokes laced 3 cross.

Udo at Bikeworx built them for me. With rim tape and valves they weigh in 1772g.

 

Oh yes..........32 holes    

[nick_the_wheelbuilder]

I Finally got my new wheels built 

Nox Composites Teocalli 29 rims.

Hope Pro 4 hubs.

Pilar double butted spokes laced 3 cross.

Udo at Bikeworx built them for me. With rim tape and valves they weigh in 1772g.

 

Oh yes..........32 holes    

Very nice indeed!