Home wheel builds, worth it not not?
Discussion
Absolutely yes in my opinion, even if it's just for the extreme satisfaction of being able to look at your wheels and say to yourself "I built those, and they haven't even killed me!!" 
As for the stand, you could buy one, and yes, it might cost the same as a shop charges you to build a set of wheels, but are you only ever going to buy one more set of wheels? Buy a stand, and you'll pay once. Pay the shop, and you'll pay every time.
That's also assuming you buy a stand. I built one following instructions on the web (I'd have to be at home on my laptop to give you details), and it cost me under £30, with £20 of that being paying a machine shop to make the metal pieces to support the hub.
So far, I've built up wheels for my 26" hardtail and my 27.5" full susser. My disc-equipped CX commuter will quite possibly go forever, as there's nothing to really wear the rims, but my road bike will definitely need new rims at some point as a result of brake wear, so that'll be a third set made to justify the cost of building the stand, and that's without counting the ease with which I can replace any broken spokes and re-true the wheels.
As for the stand, you could buy one, and yes, it might cost the same as a shop charges you to build a set of wheels, but are you only ever going to buy one more set of wheels? Buy a stand, and you'll pay once. Pay the shop, and you'll pay every time.
That's also assuming you buy a stand. I built one following instructions on the web (I'd have to be at home on my laptop to give you details), and it cost me under £30, with £20 of that being paying a machine shop to make the metal pieces to support the hub.
So far, I've built up wheels for my 26" hardtail and my 27.5" full susser. My disc-equipped CX commuter will quite possibly go forever, as there's nothing to really wear the rims, but my road bike will definitely need new rims at some point as a result of brake wear, so that'll be a third set made to justify the cost of building the stand, and that's without counting the ease with which I can replace any broken spokes and re-true the wheels.
Wheel stands are a colossal waste of money for the home builder, and completely unnecessary. I've built motorcycle and bicycle wheels professionally, and while I've used a home built jig for the motorbike stuff I have never felt the need for a proper bicycle jig.
I use an old pair of forks for the fronts, complete with brake caliper fitted with number plate bolts as a truing guide, and a mangled frame for the rears.
Shop around for the bits and you can save loads of cash...
I use an old pair of forks for the fronts, complete with brake caliper fitted with number plate bolts as a truing guide, and a mangled frame for the rears.
Shop around for the bits and you can save loads of cash...
gazza285 said:
Wheel stands are a colossal waste of money for the home builder, and completely unnecessary. I've built motorcycle and bicycle wheels professionally, and while I've used a home built jig for the motorbike stuff I have never felt the need for a proper bicycle jig.
I use an old pair of forks for the fronts, complete with brake caliper fitted with number plate bolts as a truing guide, and a mangled frame for the rears.
Shop around for the bits and you can save loads of cash...
Which is great if you happen to have a spare fork and frame and some way of mounting them reasonably securely to your dining room table or wherever you happen to be building your wheels. I use an old pair of forks for the fronts, complete with brake caliper fitted with number plate bolts as a truing guide, and a mangled frame for the rears.
Shop around for the bits and you can save loads of cash...
Presumably you'd also need multiple pairs of old forks and frames if you're building wheels I different sizes?
Far easier to build yourself a stand for next to nothing and then use it forever after in my view.
Kermit power said:
gazza285 said:
Wheel stands are a colossal waste of money for the home builder, and completely unnecessary. I've built motorcycle and bicycle wheels professionally, and while I've used a home built jig for the motorbike stuff I have never felt the need for a proper bicycle jig.
I use an old pair of forks for the fronts, complete with brake caliper fitted with number plate bolts as a truing guide, and a mangled frame for the rears.
Shop around for the bits and you can save loads of cash...
Which is great if you happen to have a spare fork and frame and some way of mounting them reasonably securely to your dining room table or wherever you happen to be building your wheels. I use an old pair of forks for the fronts, complete with brake caliper fitted with number plate bolts as a truing guide, and a mangled frame for the rears.
Shop around for the bits and you can save loads of cash...
Presumably you'd also need multiple pairs of old forks and frames if you're building wheels I different sizes?
Far easier to build yourself a stand for next to nothing and then use it forever after in my view.
gazza285 said:
I ride grown up bikes with either 700c or 29er rims, the only other size I've built is 26" wheels, which are trued up with a clothes peg on the stays. Scrap frame and forks came from the LBS for free, but there's nothing stopping the one off builder using the frame and forks that the wheels are intended for...
How do you secure the frame/forks in place?It's far more civilised sitting building wheels in my nice warm lounge with music or TV in the background, but my coffee table doesn't have a vice fitted to it.
I agree with you that buying a stand is a waste of money, but making your own is so cheap and simple that I just don't see why you wouldn't. All you need is a bit of MDF, a few nuts & bolts and a bit of steel to make the bits the hub sits in. I paid someone £20 to do the last bit for me, but I'm sure you'd probably have pretty much everything kicking around anyway, so if you were so inclined, I'm sure you'd be able to easily do it for nothing with bits and bobs kicking around the garage
Kermit power said:
gazza285 said:
I ride grown up bikes with either 700c or 29er rims, the only other size I've built is 26" wheels, which are trued up with a clothes peg on the stays. Scrap frame and forks came from the LBS for free, but there's nothing stopping the one off builder using the frame and forks that the wheels are intended for...
How do you secure the frame/forks in place? How do you cope with bolt thru axles and the like?It's far more civilised sitting building wheels in my nice warm lounge with music or TV in the background, but my coffee table doesn't have a vice fitted to it.
I agree with you that buying a stand is a waste of money, but making your own is so cheap and simple that I just don't see why you wouldn't. All you need is a bit of MDF, a few nuts & bolts and a bit of steel to make the bits the hub sits in. I paid someone £20 to do the last bit for me, but I'm sure you'd probably have pretty much everything kicking around anyway, so if you were so inclined, I'm sure you'd be able to easily do it for nothing with bits and bobs kicking around the garage
upsidedownmark said:
Erm.. I've built about 6 now, and I just use the bike (upside down). Move/tweak the brakes as truing guides (set up to a point where i can use the quick release lever to move them in or out, occasionally supplemented with a ruler/zip tie taped to a stay. 'tis pretty easy.
Exactly. Is that why you are upsidedownmark? Stop overcomplicating things Kermit, I have a vice on my bench, but an upside down bike in your nice warm house will suffice.gazza285 said:
upsidedownmark said:
Erm.. I've built about 6 now, and I just use the bike (upside down). Move/tweak the brakes as truing guides (set up to a point where i can use the quick release lever to move them in or out, occasionally supplemented with a ruler/zip tie taped to a stay. 'tis pretty easy.
Exactly. Is that why you are upsidedownmark? Stop overcomplicating things Kermit, I have a vice on my bench, but an upside down bike in your nice warm house will suffice.
Oh well, if you must use this new fangled nonsense 
Just get a bit imaginative. Duck tape, zip ties, whatever.. point is it's not rocket science, you just need something to hold steady, near to the rim to give a reference / catch the high points.
If you must buy something, this might be interesting: http://www.probikekit.co.uk/bicycle-tools-and-main...
Just get a bit imaginative. Duck tape, zip ties, whatever.. point is it's not rocket science, you just need something to hold steady, near to the rim to give a reference / catch the high points.
If you must buy something, this might be interesting: http://www.probikekit.co.uk/bicycle-tools-and-main...
gazza285 said:
Kermit power said:
How do I use my disc calipers to true my rims then?
Sellotape a bloody biro to the fork leg...I can fully understand why anyone wouldn't want to spend silly money on buying a stand made by someone else, but I'm totally perplexed by the Luddite attitude of refusing to build one yourself when it costs at most £30, and quite possibly nothing if you've already got the bits lying around.
Kermit power said:
And by the time I've done all that, I've spent more time and effort getting ready to true a single set of wheels than I did spending under £30 to build myself a stand which I will be able to use time and time again.
I can fully understand why anyone wouldn't want to spend silly money on buying a stand made by someone else, but I'm totally perplexed by the Luddite attitude of refusing to build one yourself when it costs at most £30, and quite possibly nothing if you've already got the bits lying around.
I built one for free out of an old frame and forks and you shot me down for it...I can fully understand why anyone wouldn't want to spend silly money on buying a stand made by someone else, but I'm totally perplexed by the Luddite attitude of refusing to build one yourself when it costs at most £30, and quite possibly nothing if you've already got the bits lying around.
I think that in order for home building wheels to be an economical proposition, you need to tick a variety of boxes to make it worthwhile.
A) You need to appreciate a hand built wheel and really WANT to make a set for yourself. You can pick up pretty decent factory built wheels for not very much money which are reasonably light and reasonably stiff so for cost, it's certainly not the easiest way to get yourself a set of wheels.
B) It's best if you're not in a hurry and don't need them urgently. If you can pick up the various bits when there is a sale on then you can get some really nice components to build up for not much more than you could have got some average ones.
C) Once you have the wheel stand, then you WILL get friends and family asking you to sort out wheels for them, rebuild wheels or build new ones. I've had my stand a couple of years and more than paid off the cost of the stand just in a few beer tokens here and there for doing this kind of job for people. So if you want to do this for people then you can write off the cost of the stand against a years worth of odd jobs!
D) Wheel building is a fun hobby. You'll understand a lot more about a wheel having made one, and it doesn't take very long to do it really. If you need another hobby, then this is good for you!
I'm currently in the process of building up a pair of rims for my road bike. The nearest off the shelf equivalent is the DT-Swiss R23 Spline and my build is considerably cheaper than that (same rims and spokes, but novatec hubs instead of DT-Swiss)
If all you want is a new pair of wheels, then pay someone else to do it or buy off the shelf. If you really want the experience of building a set for yourself then go for it. Take your time and enjoy the experience of doing all the stages. Sourcing the parts, measuring the hubs, calculating the spoke lengths and then building it up. I'd totally recommend it!
A) You need to appreciate a hand built wheel and really WANT to make a set for yourself. You can pick up pretty decent factory built wheels for not very much money which are reasonably light and reasonably stiff so for cost, it's certainly not the easiest way to get yourself a set of wheels.
B) It's best if you're not in a hurry and don't need them urgently. If you can pick up the various bits when there is a sale on then you can get some really nice components to build up for not much more than you could have got some average ones.
C) Once you have the wheel stand, then you WILL get friends and family asking you to sort out wheels for them, rebuild wheels or build new ones. I've had my stand a couple of years and more than paid off the cost of the stand just in a few beer tokens here and there for doing this kind of job for people. So if you want to do this for people then you can write off the cost of the stand against a years worth of odd jobs!
D) Wheel building is a fun hobby. You'll understand a lot more about a wheel having made one, and it doesn't take very long to do it really. If you need another hobby, then this is good for you!
I'm currently in the process of building up a pair of rims for my road bike. The nearest off the shelf equivalent is the DT-Swiss R23 Spline and my build is considerably cheaper than that (same rims and spokes, but novatec hubs instead of DT-Swiss)
If all you want is a new pair of wheels, then pay someone else to do it or buy off the shelf. If you really want the experience of building a set for yourself then go for it. Take your time and enjoy the experience of doing all the stages. Sourcing the parts, measuring the hubs, calculating the spoke lengths and then building it up. I'd totally recommend it!
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