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IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 15years old!
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As it happens, i'm enrolled on this weekend's EBC wheelbuilding day class, which was a xmas gift purchase.
Can't say I was impressed by the EBC's enrollment letter:
"If you intend to cycle to and from the class, we would advise you to wear a helmet"
Poor guy who wrote it got a real earful down the phone when I called to tell him what I thought of that.
Did the letter than conclude with, "And if you don't have a helmet why not browse our extensive selection in-store"?
Heh.. fortunately not, and i think on the whole it was meant to be construed as practical advice only, nothing subliminal in intent.
But it did set me to thinking how much political lobbying the helmet manufacturers reps *might* be engaging in, to legislate for mandatory adoption.
Seventy-odd quid or more for a bit of polystyrene...
Pondering the cost thing - I wonder if the next time there are calls for mandatory laws we start getting the bike shops and manufacturers onside by suggesting that all new bikes must be provided with a helmet just like cars are provided with seatbelts, and that the cost must NOT be passed on to the consumer...
Scupper the argument from within...
So, inspired by this thread I had been tentatively considering attempting to build a wheel using guesswork/logic, youtube and forum advice. Now further inspired (if I understood him correctly, on another thread) by DaveC suggesting he was considering the same - I have a couple of questions:
I am contemplating a front, either 700c or 26", for v brakes.
1. Any recommended hub, rim, spokes?
2. Arellcat suggests "it's the preparation process that is most important" - what preparation is this?
"Seventy-odd quid or more for a bit of polystyrene..."
I got a decent giro helmet online for £19....
"what preparation is this?"
Making sure you've got all the bits (esp. spokes right length).
http://www.google.co.uk/search?&rls=en&q=spoke+length+calculator
"
While an experienced wheelbuilder can build a wheel in well under an hour, a beginner should expect to spend several hours on the task. It is best not to try to do this all at one sitting, because you are likely to get frustrated at the slowness of the truing and tensioning process. Better to put the job aside, even overnight, than to get careless and ruin a good wheel-in-progress.
"
@Exciteable Boy - I was quite impressed with System X track hubs when I had them on my old commuter.
I mainly have Deore hubs now, a popular choice but don't like them because they use traditional bearings. With hubs like the above that take cartridges, you never need to think about anything until the day comes when you want to spend £3 a pop buying replacements, that slot right in.
Rims, Rigida Sputnik or similar have a good rep. I can't remember off the top of my head which sort I bought for my last build. I used the cheapest sort of double-butted spokes.
I quite enjoyed (if that's the right word) overhauling my deore hubs. There's something inherently satisfying about cleaning and greasing ball bearings - such a simple, efficient bit of kit.
Maybe it's just me...
I've got System Ex in my racer and they're lovely and good at...um...turning. Not much more to it, really.
Another broken spoke today - arghh!
Back a month ago I tried taking the advice above to find a suitable combination of hub, rim and spokes for a 36 hole, 700c front wheel (I could more urgently do with a rear, but don't want to bite off too much). Unfortunately I didn't feel sure enough that I'd pick the right stuff, ie mainly get the spokes right, even though I looked at spoke length calculators.
So broken spoke again today, I thought I'd see if anybody has made a similar wheel recently and has the details of what they used and I'd buy & use the same. I guess this would work? Apologies if this is a little too presumptious.
I did a 32h rear one last year: Mavic CXP23 rim, 32h Tiagra rear hub and 292mm spokes, though I could have got away with 290mm. Peasy, except for having since twice found that one spoke (at a time - didn't notice if it was the same one) had completely slackened. If it does it again I'll label it and replace the nipple the next time I have to replace a worn tyre.
I rebuilt the rear wheel on an old Dutch bike last week and followed the instructions at Sheldon Brown. Great step-by-step guide.
Right, I've bitten the bullet, bought the Musson book (ta recombodna), ordered a hub, rim and Spokey, and will order up spokes to match using Musson's calculator.
All that will then be required is the truing stand, dishing gauge and nipple driver (stop sniggering at the back) - I think I can live without the tensiometer...
Would any kind soul have any of the above that I could borrow once the spokes arrive?
I did break a spoke on the Pino (Uphill! Not sure of the physics of that one!), so want to get to grips with a build to improve the efficiencies of future repairs. I'm not certain, but that's the third front spoke, or the third time for that spoke (first was probably crash damage from fooling around), so that wheel could do with some TLC.
I'm happy to have company (experienced or otherwise) for the build, so we can share the experience/ignorance...
Robert
"what preparation is this?"
I was thinking, not so much in terms of calculating the correct spoke lengths, but the post-purchase, pre-build and early-build prep. Jobst Brandt covered it in his seminal publication.
i) Group your spokes by length, and keep them separate.
ii) Apply light machine oil to all the spoke threads and all the rim holes/eyelets using cotton buds. Wipe off the excess.
iii) Thread the spoke nipples on an equal amount, left and right, and keep them equal during the first couple of rounds of tensioning.
iv) Forcibly manipulate the spoke bends at the hub flange to eliminate the bending stress that will otherwise bite you later on.
v) Aim to get the rim centred, plus or minus a couple of millimetres, early on.
vi) Watch radial trueness more than lateral trueness during the early tensioning.
Then just go round and round and round, watching and listening to your trueness gauges, and stress relieving the spokes after every couple of rounds of tensioning.
It will often be entirely possible, on a lightweight 26" or 700c wheel, to start pringling the wheel before you think the spokes are as tight as you can make them. That's a function of your rim's compressive strength, not the spokes.
Robert - missed this last week as on hol, but you're welcome to borrow my truing stand.
I haven't used a dishing gauge although I'll take a look and see if I still have one lying around. If you swap around the wheel periodically you can tell whether or not it's centred properly.
You want a better spoke key than the one I have, I think - worth picking one up from your local.
For the first X turns (until the spoke heads come through the nipples) I just use a flat-bladed screwdriver. It's slightly more hassle than I imagine a tool being, but perfectly useable just to snug everything up.
Thanks for the offer Dave - the spokes arrived yesterday and the lacing up went smoothly enough, so the offer is very timely.
I resisted the urge to take an angle grinder to a screwdriver bit last night - self preservation kicked in as I was tired enough that the result would have been the bit being propelled at high speed through people or possessions...
I'll see if my work's mechanical workshops can help today (much more sensible approach) - there are definitely days I miss having a farmer's workshop across the yard!
Robert
Will you be at PY tomorrow? I could bring up the stand (would fit on a rack or in a pannier, or I could bring it in a backpack.
@Dave - Will you be at PY tomorrow?
I can be - what time slot will you be present? I can fit in, with only a little spousal eye rolling...
Robert
I'll be there from a little after 7am until 8:30
Let me know, as the Blue Beast doesn't have luggage space so I'll need to figure out some kind of bag.
@Dave - Yes please, I'll make a special effort to get there earlier than you to stand you coffee & pastry...
Robert
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