A Practical Guide to

Wheel Building

3rd Edition

Roger Musson A Practical Guide to Building 3

Thank you for purchasing this book. The book represents a factual account of how I build and is provided in the hope that it is useful.

I am obliged to write the following terms and conditions for use of the book and if you disagree with anything below then please contact me and I’ll refund your purchase.

1. If you have any doubts about your own ability and mechanical skills then consult a qualified cycle mechanic before attempting any of the procedures contained in the book.

2. The book and any related materials are provided “AS IS” and without warranty of any kind and the Author expressly disclaims all other warranties, expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Under no circumstances shall the Author be liable for any incidental, special, or consequential damages that result from the information contained in this Book.

3. Please do not give copies to friends, it’s not expensive so please ask them to purchase their own copy. If you are reading a copy that you obtained without paying then please go to www.wheelpro.co.uk and make a purchase and obtain the most up to date version.

Unauthorised distribution, duplication, or resale of all or any portion of this book is strictly prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, shared or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the Author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews.

BY USING THIS BOOK, YOU ARE AGREEING TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, DO NOT USE THE BOOK AND DESTROY ALL COPIES IN YOUR POSSESSION.

Copyright © Roger Musson 2005-2006 3.05 CONTENTS

1. Introduction ...... 5

2. Components and Features...... 7

Rims - holes...... 7 Rims – eyelet design ...... 8 Hubs ...... 9 Downhill wheels...... 10 ...... 10 Spoke threads ...... 13 Inside and outside spokes...... 13 Spoke orientation...... 13 Nipples...... 14 Wheel trueness ...... 15 Wheel dish...... 16 Dishless frames and wheels...... 16

3. Tools ...... 17

Spoke wrench...... 17 The wheel jig ...... 18 Wheel dishing gauge...... 25 The nipple driver...... 28 Leather gloves...... 30 CX-Ray tool ...... 31 Nipple holder ...... 31 Chain whip...... 32

4. Building...... 33

Lubricants and Adhesives ...... 33 Lacing the Wheel...... 35 Completing the wheel...... 45 Wheel tolerances...... 55 How long should it take ...... 56 Testing your wheel ...... 56

5. Repairing ...... 58

Checking the wheel ...... 58 Loose spokes ...... 59 Damaged spokes ...... 59 Spoke breakages ...... 60 Rim wear and damage ...... 60 Hub damage...... 61 Dismantling an old wheel...... 62 Lateral truing...... 65

6. Wheel Designs ...... 68

Standard crossed wheels ...... 69 Tying and soldering ...... 70 Radial wheels ...... 71 Cross combinations on the same wheel...... 71 Inside or outside pulling spokes ...... 72 Other lacing patterns ...... 74 Missing out hub and rim holes...... 74 Number of spokes ...... 74 Design considerations - the Last Word ...... 74 Warning...... 75

7. Spoke Lengths ...... 76

1. A different hub ...... 76 2. A different rim (on a hub you’ve previously built)...... 77 The spoke length formula...... 79

8. Measuring rims...... 83

9. Measuring hubs...... 85

10. The Geometry of a wheel...... 88

11. Wheel building checklist ...... 92

12. And finally… ...... 93 1. Introduction

For many people their cycle maintenance routines stop when it comes to tackling wheels. Retruing, replacing a spoke or building them is something for the experts