Saturday, May 18, 2013

Mickie's Front Wheel

Currently building up a set for my friend Mickie. This will be her do-everything wheelset. Criteria: light, durable, comfortable and pretty. We chose navy blue Chris King R45 hubs in 24 and 28 drillings, with 2x Sapim Race spokes, 12mm brass nipples, and Pacenti SL23 rims.

The set is half way complete. This morning I finished the front, which I find more challenging than the rear.
The workspace: stand, Spotify, coffee mug, and spoke ruler. The pieces of tape on the stand are used to mark the rim in quarter sections, which aids in spoke tensioning.

One of the best.

Vital equipment: spoke tensiometer, spoke wrench, and tension chart. Wheel building is like a basketball game: the final minutes of the game can occupy a third of your time. This wheel didn't foul. Thankfully.