Classy

I love you UPS man.

I will be matching these with 50mm carbon clincher rims. These are the first CK hubs I have built with.

I excite!

- Borat

MY CLINCHER TIRES ARE RATED UP TO 180 PSI BUT I NOTICED ON YOUR WEBSITE THAT YOU RECOMMEND A MAXIMUM INFLATION OF ONLY 120 PSI (8 BARS), CAN I STILL PUT IN 180 PSI?

We use lightweight road clincher rims. We recommend not exceeding 120 psi (8 bars) even if the tires have a higher rating. Your risk of tire puncture, tire coming off the rim or rim damage is increased significantly by inflating to extreme pressures over 120psi (8 bars).

That question and answer is from the American Classic website. I was on it earlier today researching a new 29er rim they're offering to consumers. Looks promising: 380 grams, 25mm wide, and a 600mm ERD--all for 99 bucks.

No one preaches like the converted. I too was once addicted to high tire pressure. I thought   that the higher pressure meant a smaller contact patch and thus less road resistance. So I endured years of sore wrists and subpar braking and handling all in the pursuit of straight line speed. I used to buy Vredestein TriComp clinchers because they advertised a maximum inflation of 175 psi. I spat on the ground whenever anyone mentioned Michelins, as their max inflation was only 116 psi. Also, the skinnier the tire, the better. I was running nothing wider than a 700 x 23. I would use 20s if I could find them.

Once or twice a person tried to get through to me by forwarding an article about how lower pressures could actually offer lower rolling resistance. Whatever. What the hell does Sheldon Brown know? I was riding about 200+ miles per week (all commuting) so I wasn't about to test an idea that sounded illogical and that might add minutes to my commute by slowing me down.

But with age comes wisdom, sore joints, and product innovation. In 2007, HED released its Ardennes wheelset with the C2 rim profile. I paid attention because they're from Minnesota (as am I) and as a student of cycling tech history, I knew HED's reputation for pioneering ideas that were taken up by other manufacturers. The original tri-spoke was a HED design.

The C2 promised a tubular like experience by virtue of its wider rim bed, which changed the shape of the tire contact patch. Nothing over 100 psi was recommended, and nothing narrower than a 700 x 23. I guess I was ready to hear the message this time about tire pressure.

I ordered some rims once they became available and paired them with some White Industries hubs. Ever since, I haven't ridden over 100 psi on any clincher wheelset. I out roll, out handle, and out brake all the other fools who cling to their 19mm wide rims and 130 psi ways.

Mateo's Powertap

I'm not an impulse buyer, but a 24 hole Powertap for under 200 bucks was a bargain I couldn't resist. Hub acquired, the next question was what rim to use. The 24 hole drilling limited options and applications.

The Beast. It is laced 2x on both sides using Sapim Race spokes (2.0/1.8mm)

Possibilities (ranked $$$ to $)

- 50mm Carbon clincher (520 grams)

- 50mm Carbon tubular (400 grams)

- HED C2 tubular or clincher (439/478 grams)

- Velocity Chukker (664 grams)

- Velocity A23 (450 grams)

- H Plus Son Archetype (~460 grams)

Note: these rims are all 23mm or wider.

I settled on the A23 which was available in 24 hole and is a good combination of weight/cost. The only downside is the rim's 601mm ERD; it is a shallow rim, so it is not as tolerant of high spoke tensions. It is this characteristic that is significant with Powertaps.

Velocity A23. Made in the USA!

There are two knocks on Powertap hubs:

1. they're bricks. The one I am using is about 430 grams. Compare that to a White Industries T11 at 260 grams. It would be a significant weight penalty to carry in a race, unless paired to a stupid light rim, or mounted on a very light bike.
2. their geometry is compromised. The Powertaps have a large hub shell because it is stuffed with electronics. The transmitter electronics are stuck on the outside of the NDS flange. The effect is that the NDS flange moves towards the center of the hub, significantly affecting wheel stiffness on the NDS side. (Google Powertap spoke detensioning and you'll get lots of hits.)

For #2 compare the Powertap's center to flange measurements with the run-of-the-mill Dura Ace 7850 (in parenthesis): DS center to flange 17.4 (21.1); NDS center to flange  31.7 (36.9).* The closer the flanges move to the center of the wheel, the less laterally stiff a wheel becomes. This becomes especially relevant when using a box section or low profile rim which will be less stiff laterally and radially.

Given the special hub and rim properties, extra care had to be taken when building this wheel. I deburred the spoke holes on the rim. (If the drilling wasn't clean, the leftover material can cause spoke wind-up.) I used 14mm brass nipples (more tolerant of spoke tension, less friction against the aluminum rim, and more supportive of the spoke). Lastly, I made damn sure there was little variance in spoke tension. The tensiometer got a lot of use. This was a slow build process.

Continental GP4000s. The finest clincher out there. I will fight anyone who suggests otherwise.

The wheel is a gem. I rode it for several weeks before turning it over to Mateo. It was plenty stiff radially and laterally. There was zero brake rub, even when mounted to my v-brake equipped cross bike. The spoke tension, with a tire mounted and inflated to 100 psi, is: 100 Kgf on the driveside and 47 Kgf on the non driveside. That might seem low, but the tire is a 700 x 25 Conti GP4000s mounted to a soft, low spoke count rim. I am probably losing 10 percent or more spoke tension due to the compressive force of the tire/tube on the rim.

* The venerable DT Swiss 240 is has a DS spacing of 17 and 33.2.

CX wheelset

Due to slow progress on current wheel building projects, there hasn't been much to blog. I did procure some Chris King R45 hubs (20/24 hole) for a future project. I've also been adding to my knowledge by corresponding with Ric Hjertberg from Wheel Fanaytk about how spoke flanges and hub shells behave under compression from spokes.

For filler I am profiling the wheelset on my cross bike. I rock a steel frame/fork, so there's not much to be gained by racing a sick light wheelset. Besides, I like to keep it interesting when racing, so in the spirit of that I often make questionable choices in the lines I ride, the equipment I choose, and whether I ride or run a section. (On that last one: always ride.)

I started with a solution looking for a problem: a 20 hole front hub. Later I added another solution looking for a problem: a set of 20/24 hole Velocity Chukker rims. Why that rim?

Those are some sweet specs for a low tire pressure, cyclocross application. What that diagram leaves out: 664 grams for the rim. That's about double the weight of an Ambrosio Nemesis rim or a Mavic Reflex. The 50mm carbon tubulars I use are about 400 grams, and the H Plus Son Archetypes are 450 grams. We're also talking rotating weight, so adding 200 grams handicap for each rim makes things really interesting.

Velocity's label includes helpful pictographs that indicate the rim's suggested uses: bike polo and free ride. Note the rim's weld that is clearly visible on the brake track. Not your finest work, Velocity. The tire is a 700 x 32 Continental Gatorskin.

The front wheel is 20 spoke and built around a C-4 hub that I picked up for cheap. It is a decent design, with the flanges pushed out to 39 mm, a solid forged hub body, and a stiff axle. I used 2.0 mm straight gauge Sapims and 14 mm Sapim Polyax nipples. Lastly, because the hub had been previously laced, I included spoke head washers to eliminate any extra gap at the spoke hole. (I nearly always include spoke washers when lacing wheels to used hubs.) The measured spoke tension with tire mounted and inflated (90 psi) is 115 Kgf. Not too shabby.

I needed a rear wheel. I have several perfectly acceptable ones, but they didn't match my front. (Aesthetics are very important even in cyclocross.) I needed a hub for my 24 hole rim, and short of shelling out serious cash for a Chris King or White Industries, there weren't many options. I did notice the Bike Hub Store was offering 24 rear hubs drilled 16 (drive) and 8 (NDS). That sounded promising--like another solution looking for a problem--so I went for it.

The rear wheel with 8 spokes/radial on the NDS; 16 spokes/2 cross on the DS. Lessons were learned.

The theory behind having half the spokes on the NDS is that those spokes could be equal tension to the DS (instead of 40-60% like a regular, evenly spoked rear wheel). Of course one needs a center drilled rim to do it right. Turns out that the Chukker isn't quite that rim. But I built it anyway and am riding it with no problems.

Warning: due to the additional system resources required, do not consume while calculating spoke lengths for a 2:1 wheel, or while lacing said wheel. 

Lessons learned: 1) builds that start as solutions-looking-for-problems will invariably lead to a compromised outcome; 2) the drive side needs to be laced 3x because 2x looks sort of funny; and 3) be prepared to live with the results of your experimentation (because it's unlikely that anyone else would want it and selling it would be irresponsible). That back wheel and I are like Dr Frankenstein and his monster.

Punked

The wily Shimano DH-3N72 dynamo hub. It's capable of generating 3 watts at 10+ mph. It will power your  LED headlight and vex your wheel builder, because its dimensions are so damn hard to find. For the record: 70mm for the spoke circle diameter, and 28.5mm center-to-flange. There are a variety of Shimano dynamo hubs other there, so don't assume those measurements apply to yours. I like the dynamos: they will light the road, but won't lighten your wallet or your bike.

Recent wheel building adventures since my last blog entry:

• Discovering the spokes were too long on the dynamo wheel I am building for my dad. The wheel was laced, the spokes were at 80% tension, and I was finishing off the wheel when I stripped a brass nipple. That should've been my first sign that something was wrong, because an aluminum rim will fold itself into origami before a brass nipple will strip. I cut the stripped spoke, threaded in a new one, and continued to the next spoke. That one also started to strip. Once I figured out that I had run out of threads on the spoke, I took the wheel apart and measured the spokes. They were 286; I needed 283. Tip: always measure your spokes before a build. You wouldn't believe how many times there will be an oddball length in the lot.
• The joy of carbon rims. As noted in previous posts, tall rims are exceptionally rigid, and as such they can mask vast discrepancies in spoke tension. Last night I finished the 50mm carbon tubular with the assistance of the Park Tool spoke tension map. The map made it a lot easier to spot under/over tensioned spokes, even though the rim was within truing stand tolerances.
• Losing the will to live. There's no worse feeling--in wheel building--than finding a fatal flaw once a wheel has been assembled. It happened this week with that super cool elbows-out front wheel I built. During the final truing it became evident there was excessive play in the axle/bearings/hub body. It was only a millimeter but that becomes amplified at the rim so much so that the final truing becomes impossible. Fortunately, my supplier was understanding and immediately dispatched a replacement hub. Still, that was a couple hours down the drain.
• Black spokes. I built my first wheelset with black spokes because I thought would look sweet. (It did.) That set: HED Belgian C2 rims, White Industries H2 & H3 hubs, DT Swiss Competition spokes, 32 hole and 3 cross all around. I vowed not to use black spokes after that because the coloring creates additional friction where spokes cross. That stiction is a small but annoying annoyance when tensioning a wheel.

In the queue:

• The best wheels of 2013 (aka Tod's wheelset).
• Gigantex carbon tubular rear/24 hole/White Industries T11. This rim has a spoke tension limit of 130 Kgf. Gigantex is arguably the best mass market Asian-sourced carbon rim. It is made in Taiwan. They don't sell direct to consumers, but the Bicycle Hub Store does stock them in 38mm and 50mm. (I also believe they are center-drilled for those of you with 2:1 spoking aspirations.)

Graphing the wheel

I'm not in any particular hurry with the wheel I am building, so I'm free to experiment. Last night I downloaded the Park Tool spoke tension mapping spreadsheet and charted my wheel. The wheel was true, round, and stress relieved.

This is for a rear wheel: the red represents the higher tension drive side spokes; the blue the  NDS. An evenly tensioned wheel will be round on this graph, devoid of peaks and valleys. This actually looks pretty good, but the spoke tension needs to be increased by 10%.

I busted out the spoke wrench and started tightening the drive side spokes. Slowly. 1/8 a turn until the desired tension was reached. At this spoke tension is can be easy to strip a spoke nipple whether it is aluminum or brass.

With the ideal spoke tension reached on the DS, I moved to the NDS and started by correcting the dish of the wheel. Once the wheel was true and dished I graphed the spoke tension once again.

The DS spoke tension is now uniformly 125 Kgf. That should be balanced by an ideal NDS tension of 50 Kgf. I haven't adjusted the radial trueness and you can see that on the graph: the #3 spoke reads low (a high spot on the rim); and the #9 reads high (a low spot on the rim). My next session with the wheel will balance the DS spoke tension and correct the radial true. Then this wheel will be done.

Miss this step and you'll look like an amateur. The hub logo shall always be aligned with the valve hole.

Your Equipment

Given sufficient time and determination it's possible to build a wheel with the ubiquitous $7 Park Tool spoke wrench. You can eyeball the wheel's roundness and check its true by mounting it in your bike's frame and watching the gap between the brake pads and rim. The end result will be roundish and true-ish, but not all that reliable or pretty.

A good friend of mine is a restoration carpenter. Of the many things I learned from him, the most important (and relevant) is the value of quality tools. For him, a $60 chisel and a $5 chisel might do the same job, but the cheaper chisel loses its edge much more quickly and thus needs to be sharpened more often. (Sharpening is very time-consuming.) A sharper tool requires less time to complete a task. Finally, the higher quality tool often lasts longer than its less expensive counterpart. 

Wheel building is no different than carpentry in that good tools will save time and yield a better result. In addition to the $7 spoke wrench, I use a Park Tool TS-2 truing stand. It is relatively expensive and heavy, but I have owned it for 15 years and its robustness means it is less likely to fall out of adjustment. I have rebuilt and recalibrated it twice in the past two years.

If there's a weak spot in my suite of wheel building tools, it would be the tensiometer. The Park Tool TM-1 (mentioned in the previous post) is simple and fairly inexpensive (there are certainly people building wheels with less capable equipment); however, it lacks precision and is very cumbersome. 

There are plenty of options for moving to the next level for spoke tensiometers--it all depends on how much you are willing to spend. For something precise and accurate the entry point is 400 bucks, which will get you something with an analog dial from DT Swiss, Hozan, or Icetoolz. Fancier digital models go for $800+.

Back to reality: this isn't my day job, and I am on a budget. I continued looking for something a little more appropriate. Found it!

Less expensive and…. made in the USA!!! If you really want to dork-out...

http://www.wheelfanatyk.blogspot.com/

The Wheel Fanatyk also sells the world's best and most expensive truing stand:

http://www.wheelfanatyk.bigcartel.com/product/p-k-lie-truing-stand

Stay tuned for a review...

I do love it when a wheel comes together

Well, I was watching the A Team while finishing the front wheel, so it had to be said. Characteristics of a good wheel building workspace: 1) properly calibrated equipment; 2) the correct components; 3) plenty of lighting; 4) good ergonomics; and 5) some sort of palaver in the background. Hello, A Team.

Note the super cool stamped Sapim on the spokes. In your face, DT Swiss!

This is the first radially laced wheel I've built with spoke elbows out. Nearly all radial lacing occurs with spoke heads pointed out. Not sure why, but as this is the internet, I am free to speculate: 1) to ensure proper clearance between the spokes and the fork; 2) because it looks better than elbows out; and/or 3) tradition. There is an advantage to building with elbows out: the spoke bracing angle is increased, so the wheel will be 13 percent stiffer than with heads out. It's a scientific fact.

The spoke bracing angle is something I'm only learning about, so I won't dig into an explanation here. For the moment let it suffice to say that the farther outboard the flanges move, the stiffer (laterally) the wheel will be. If you can't wait, here is an explanation of the importance of the bracing angle.

Approaching the ideal spoke tension. The spokes will ultimately register a 23 or 124 Kgf/1240 N. A front wheel can range from just under 1000 N for a carbon or ultralight aluminum rim, to 1500 N for a strong V section aluminum rim. Always comply with the manufacture's guidelines on maximum spoke tension, because pulling a spoke through the rim is embarrassing... and expensive. This I have done.

What I learned today: the difference between a 21 and 22 is not the same as the difference between a 15 and 16. For the standard 1.8mm section (as you would find on a 14/15 gauge spoke, really a 2.0/1.8mm spoke) the jump from 15 to 16 is 540 to 590 N; the jump from 21 to 22 is 990 to 1110 N. Once you get higher on the tensiometer the gap between the numbers widens: 25 to 26 is 1550 and 1750 N, respectively. That's a huge difference. 

The reason I bring this up is two-fold: 1) I just figured it out; and 2) any wheel builder who advertises spokes tensioned to +/- 10% is probably quoting the numbers off the Park Tool and not the units of force that are being represented.

The only true way to measure oneself.

I spent a lot of time with the tensiometer this morning. It's a bit unwieldy, so for spot checks of spokes I pluck them. Plucking is actually more accurate then the meter--as long as you have a good ear (thank you Dr. Suzuki!). Note: the pitch of the spoke will vary according to the number of crosses (length), the diameter of the spoke, and its tension (obvi). There's an iPhone app out there which will help you with this task.

Once the wheel has been tensioned and trued, the taping of the rim bridge comes next. There are a few options here: plugs, nylon rim strips, cloth tape, and Stan's tape. All of these have advantages and disadvantages. I use Stan's tape because it is super strong and thin. It's that second characteristic that I'm particularly concerned with (hint: cloth tape is much thicker and can hinder tire installation). It's two layers of 21mm Stan's all the way for Jackass Wheelwerks.

Cleaning the rim is the second to last step. The linseed oil will sometime get on the sidewall and brake track of the rim. I've tried all the cleaners; Acetone is the best. Why screw around? Ten bucks at the same hardware store where I got the linseed oil. It also works for taking glue off tubular rims.

Last step

Admire your work. This is best done by test riding the wheels. This is the responsible thing to do before turning a wheel over to a customer. Also, it is the best payoff for all those hours you invested in building the wheel. It is a very satisfying thing when the wheel you just built is solid and responsive under sprint power, and confidence-inspiring in a descent. Second best payoff: the customer enjoying his/her wheels.

The hard life of the hub flange

These days I rarely build 32 or 36 spoke wheels. Exceptions: dynamo hubs, disc hubs, and fixed gear hubs. I don't like building high spoke count wheels because 1) they're not as necessary now that hubs, rims, and spokes are very good; and 2) the more spokes, the longer the build time. Even as equipment has improved, one thing that hasn't changed is the advice to avoid radial lacing on hubs that are 28 hole and up. Some hub manufacturers will go so far as to void your warranty if you ignore their recommendation. I used to wonder why.

This 28 hole Tune hub, which was radially laced, demonstrates what can happen when the manufacture's advice is ignored.

That's a $200 lesson learned the hard way. (This wasn't a wheel I built, FYI.) Why did this happen? The most likely explanation: insufficient material remaining on the hub flange. Every time material is removed from the hub (e.g. drilling spoke holes), the hub is weakened.

Here's that same hub drilled for 20 hole.

More space between the spoke holes = more material left on the flange = a stronger hub. Radial lacing is permitted on this hub.

It is possible to do radial lacing on a 28 hole hub, but only if the manufacture uses a thicker flange (DT Swiss 240). A large diameter flange will also decrease the likelihood of flange failure with radial lacing. For example...

This hipster hub, with a flange diameter of 67mm, or nearly twice that of the above Tune hub, can be laced radially, even at 36 spokes, without fear of failure.

Why the talk about radial lacing? Well, it comes up because it looks cool, it builds a slightly lighter wheel (shorter spokes), so people always ask for it.

In conclusion...
I can thread and build a wheel in 16 minutes if needed, which it often was when I worked for the Animal Team. Normally I take more time to get it right – around 40 minutes per wheel – but certain wheels just take more time. This pair will take a lot of time but it’s a challenge! I’ll need some special spokes to finish them.” 

A true wheel building Jedi. Read more about that guy here.

I will focus on my day job...

... because a low volume wheel builder earns about as much as a good poet these days. Wheel building is mos def a side gig for me. What is distracting me: the ingredients for the next wheel, fresh from the Bike Hub Store.

H Plus Son Archetype
80 gram front hub (~ 40mm center-to-flange)
Titanium QR skewer
Sapim 280mm Race spokes
Sapim brass Polyax 14mm nipples

Stay tuned....

Tips on messing with your wheel builder

A wheel-builder, like a elementary school teacher, can remember the gifted and the satanic, but not much in between. There were certain builds that make me laugh today, but that caused much wailing and gnashing of teeth at the time. I'm stronger for the experience, and if you want to do your wheel builder a similar good turn, here is my advice for setting up her or him.

Tip 1: Start with the wrong ingredients

If you are packing more than 2 bills, there's nothing funnier than using superlight rims and the wrong gauge of spokes for the wrong application. For this project I recommend starting with Stan's Crest or Stan's Alpha 340 rims, spec'ing DT Swiss Revolution or Sapim Laser spokes, and sourcing your disc hubs from one of the many Chinese suppliers/middlemen on Ebay. Then after said build, come back to the builder complaining of softness in the front wheel.

Funny because: those rims are light, shallow, and have tire pressure and spoke tension (95 Kgf) limitations. That means they're fine for race day and light riders. For any use outside those parameters, nipple washers are required to boost allowable spoke tension. The 2.0/1.5 spokes are totally inappropriate for disc applications. Finally, your builder will be cursing your mother when he's lacing those cheap hubs which will sit in the turing stand differently each time, and then pop apart when stress relieving the wheel.

Tip 2: Demand straight-pull hubs

Preferably with aluminum spokes to lower weight and add expense and frustration to the build.

Funny because: as I have previously mentioned, straight pull hubs don't work well with conventional spoke calculators. A 2x pattern for a 20 or 24 spoke hub is supposed to use a 2.5x multiplier; for 28 or 32 spokes it is 3.5x. But your builder may not know this so he'll eat about 100 bucks or more in wrong-sized straight pull spokes before he catches on.

Tip 3: Exotic spoking requests

See something you like in a factory wheel? Tell your builder you want any of the following: radial lacing on the drive side like a Ksyrium; 2:1 lacing like a Fulcrum/Campy; Crow's foot like a DT Swiss Tricon.

Funny because: all of these things are bad ideas for low volume wheels. For reasons that are beyond me, but are probably explained by some original sin design flaw, Ksyriums have radial lacing on the drive side. Run, don't walk away from any builder who agrees to do this for you. Shock value is the only reason to request a Crow's foot pattern from your builder. The 2:1 lacing is actually a sound idea, but the selection of hubs and suitable rims is rather limited.

Tip 4: Forget how to count

Often the neophyte builder is working with rims, spokes, and hubs that have been supplied by a customer. To the builder this may sound ideal because he gets to practice without having to float the customer a de facto loan until the wheels are finished. 

Funny because: when you supply your builder with a 32 hole hub and a 36 hole rim, he will get at least 30 minute into the build before he realizes there is a problem. Can't you just imagine him sitting there scratching his head trying to figure out where he went wrong on the lacing pattern? Hilarious! FYI: You won't be the first to have done this to him.

Future tips on messing with your wheel-builder as they occur to me.

90 percent

Work usually gets in the way of my wheel-building habit. Not yesterday. Here's how I spent the first day of 2013:

• A morning ride. The roads were deserted as DC slept off its New Year's hangover.
• Build 1: Wide 50mm carbon tubular rear wheel laced to a White Industries hub. Pic below.
• Build 2: This is more involved because I had to deconstruct a tubular wheel. This went as follows: 1) pry off the tire using plastic tire levers; 2) curse myself for using so much glue; 3) carefully remove the spokes (the procedure is wheel-building in reverse); 4) curse the crappy hub I used in the first place; and 5) lace up the new hub/spokes.
• Inventory. There are about 500 spokes in my room at the moment. Knowing how many I've got, what lengths, what colors, and their butting is pretty important if I don't want to order redundant spokes. So I spent 30 minutes sorting, counting, and inputting the requisite info into the database.

Notes:

1. A roll of athletic tape is indispensable. I usually tag a piece to the rim opposite the valve hole for use as a reference when I am tensioning a wheel. I also use small pieces of it to mark high and low spots on the rim when I am doing radial truing. The tape doesn't leave any residue.
2. Keep that spoke tension chart handy. You will notice it in the background of the photos. That's not a prop. Only the truly pro and the truly amateur build wheels without a tension meter. The Jedi way is to acoustically tune your wheel. Easton wheels are acoustically tuned and are some of the finest around. 
3. If you are building lots of deep rim wheels, get yourself a nipple guide like this one. There is nothing louder and more annoying than a loose nipple rattling around in a deep V carbon rim. The poor man's way of doing this is to thread a spoke into the back side of the nipple, and guide it into the spoke hole.
4. If you are going the el cheapo route for #3, use a spoke that is a different color, a different configuration (j bend or straight pull), or exactly the same length as the spokes you are lacing to the rim. Why? Because, if you are lacing silver 272mm spokes and using a silver 280mm as your el cheapo nipple guide, without fail you will pick up the 280 and lace it. Then you will be wondering what the hell went wrong. Seriously, this will happen.

The title of this post refers to Build #1 which is now 90 percent complete. The driveside spokes are at 110 Kgf and the NDS are at 45 Kgf. Those #s need to be: 120 and 50. I will make one more careful adjustment to the spoke tension before the final radial and lateral truing.

About dish:

There are a number of ways to check the dish of your rear wheel: 1) a dishing gauge; 2) a properly calibrated truing stand; 3) installing the wheel in your bike frame and eyeballing it between your chainstays; and 4) measuring spoke tension. I list #1-3 in order of preference. For #4 a bit of math is involved. The NDS spokes should be 40-60% of the tension of the driveside spokes--depending on the dimensions of your hub. Determine your optimal NDS spoke tension by dividing the center-to-flange distance on the driveside by that same dimension for the NDS.

For example: the White Industries T-11 center-to-flange distance is 18mm and 38mm for the DS and NDS (respectively). That would be 18/38 for non driveside spokes that are 42 percent the tension of the driveside spokes. Seems low, right? Maybe, but it does work: the White Industries hubs are the most reliable I've used.

I love these hubs. 270 bucks and made in the USA. The large flange on the driveside reduces spoke lengths, which increases the relative strength of the spoke.

Athletic tape is indispensable for wheel-building.

In the queue

Now that cross racing season is over, I can address some of those back burner projects. 

Above is one: a rear (obvi) SL211 hub (http://www.bikehubstore.com/) on a 24 hole H Plus Son Archetype. The lacing is 2x and the color scheme is black/black/black/black. The wheel is just over 800 grams. This weekend I will build the front: 20 spoke radial, on an SL hub and Archetype rim. FYI: the Bike Hub Store is a great source for rims, spokes, and hubs. The proprietor is a straight-shooter.

Upcoming builds

• Rear. 50mm Yishun carbon tubular with a 24 hole White Industries T11. I laced this one today.
• Rear. Re-lacing the 50mm Gigantex to a 24 hole White Industries T11. The current hub (C-4) is junk and failed after one ride.
• Front. A Shimano dynamo on a 36 hole Velocity A23 rim for my old man.

Back to the rock pile...

2012 Wheelies

A new year, a new blog. Last year I acquired a wheel-building habit. Much of my discretionary time and a large portion of my discretionary income were devoted to this craft. This blog is where I write down lessons learned from countless hours and dollars expended in my wheel-building pursuit. Now for some substance...

First carbon rim build

In 2012 I crossed that great carbon rim rubicon. The ultimate objective was to learn enough with some practice builds so that I would be able to build a solid 50mm carbon wheelset for my cyclocrossing friends. I built with Zipp, two Chinese suppliers, and one Taiwanese supplier (Gigantex). I approached the carbon rim with fear and respect. I rode the initial builds so it was my own neck I was risking. As Alberto Gonzales would say: mistakes were made.

Lesson 1

Carbon rims will make rude noises when you are tensioning the spokes. Carbon is not for the squeamish.

Lesson 2

High profile rims (+30mm) are very stiff and can mask vast differences in spoke tension even within a wheel that is round and true.

Lesson 3

3x on 16mm nipples is a terrible idea when used with high flange hubs and 50mm rims. Go with 2x and 12 or 14mm nipples.

Conclusion

Aluminum hoops are beautiful and strong; they're fine for most applications. Carbon clinchers are the dumbest idea ever: they don't save you that much weight; they're vastly more expensive; they have crappy braking and require special $60/set pads; they ride like shit because the rims are so stiff; and if they are not compressed by proper spoke tension, mounting a tight clincher (Conti GP4000s) can be next to impossible.

Think carefully before buying a 38, 44, 50, 60, or 80mm carbon wheelset. They will be fun and fast, but the impracticalities of riding with them (needing long stem innertubes or *blech* long stem tubulars) and the discomfort (tall rims are very good at transmitting shock to your wrists, arms, shoulders, and upper body) may lead you to park them in favor of higher spoke count aluminum clinchers.

New wide rim supplier

With HED C2 rims running 100-120 bucks and in scarce supply this year, I explored new options for wide (23mm) clincher rims. The H Plus Son Archetype is a great alternative to the HED: same width; same ERD (591 vs 592); nearly the same weight; and more tolerant of high spoke tension due to its semi v-profile. As a bonus the Archetype is half the HED's price.

First builds with Sapim

I'd stayed away from Sapim until now. The reasons: DT Swiss spokes worked just fine, they were affordable, the CX-Ray spokes were simply too damned expensive, and no one seemed to be carrying Sapims.

That was until I had to use Sapims due to a particular manufacture's hub design flaws. Sapim Race and Laser spokes (J-bends) are fantastic; they're lighter, stronger, and less expensive than DT Swiss. When paired with Sapim Polyax nipples (my nipple of choice) they build a very tight wheel.

Construction of a wheel-building database

Prior to building my own database, whenever I built a wheel I would have to research the rim and hub dimensions, and then use the DT Swiss spoke calculator to determine spoke length. That worked ok for one or two wheels, but the process became cumbersome for anything more than that. With a relational table database, I have access to the dimensions of all the rims and hubs I've ever used, as well as a record of the spoke lengths and lacing patterns of the wheels I have built. As an added bonus: the database will calculate spoke lengths for me.

Use of Linseed Oil for spoke prep

If you have done any background reading on wheel-building, you are likely to have come across the topic of spoke prep. For the uninitiated, spoke prep is thread lock that is applied to the spoke threads to keep the spoke/nipple from loosening over time. The spokes in a wheel are subject to a tremendous amount of force both radially and laterally. Those forces can, over time, lead to the wheel softening due to spokes coming undone. That is less likely to happen with thread lock.

The problem with using conventional Wheelsmith spoke prep: 1) it is expensive (30 bucks for a few ounces); 2) it adds time and mess to the wheel-building process; and 3) it can really hinder the building if you happen to get too much spoke prep on the spoke threads. DT Swiss sells nipples already containing spoke prep (Pro Lock) to save you some time. Problems: 1) they're expensive; and 2) you still have the problem of spoke wind-up.

So, knowing that the old school builders once used linseed oil, I went down to the local hardware store and bought a quart for 10 bucks. It is fantastic; I am never going back to spoke prep. Linseed acts as both a lubricant (between the nipple and rim) as well as a thread lock. Afterward the build the mess is minimal and easy to clean. Note: even when using conventional thread lock you still have to lubricate the nipple/rim interface. Using linseed oil combines all wheel-building prep into one step.

Building with straight-pull hubs

Sucks. Never trust the manufacturer's dimensions. Normal spoke calculators do not apply. Spokes are more expensive. Wheels are no stronger or lighter than conventional j-bend spokes. Yes, you could retort that the straight pull eliminates the major weakness of the traditional spoke (elbow fatigue). In reality this means nothing because I have never seen a failure at the flange of any properly built j-bend spoke.

My best wheels of 2012:

• Roger's front wheel. Specs: Velocity A23 24 hole, White Industries H2, DT Swiss Revolution spokes, 14mm Sapim Polyax nipples, radial lacing, and spoke tension of 110 Kgf. I plucked those spokes and they were uniformly in pitch. Then I plucked the spokes of the new Ksyrium Equipes on my significant other's new Cannondale. I was embarrassed for Mavic.
• Mateo's cyclocross wheelset. Specs: Yishun 50mm carbon tubular 20/24 spokes, White Industries H2/H1, Sapim Race, 14mm Sapim Polyax nipples, and 2x lacing all around. Withstood the rigors of cross racing while remaining round and true.