@@cbtpro thanks for watching and yes that’s a good tip, tire soaps work well and are used for car tires too. Talcum powder can be used on tubes - some come dusted with it to help keep the tube from sticking.

@@XPCTECH actually that’s very dangerous with today’s tires and rims. It’s SO easy to blow off tires and if you do - just like so many pro mechanics like me and others I’ve heard from (see my recent YT poll or read my weekly online column), you can get hurt and pretty badly like some permanent hearing loss, concussions and blurred vision for a day or too - my friend Larry suffered a broken wrist even. It wasn’t so bad when things were more standardized but now it’s really risky. We have hookless rims, too loose/too tight tires, and suggested pressures that can be much too high. Also, over-inflation will not seat real problem tires, it just makes them harder to seat. As I said in the vid, the smart, safe way is with your hands only. Lubing beads can help, as can the rubber gloves I mentioned. But over inflation is Russian Roulette these days.

Exactly Sylvain! You can get pretty frustrated if you don't figure out what's causing the wheel not to cooperate 🤣

Thanks a lot for watching and commenting jeanyluisa, appreciate it. I can see how it might seem theoretical but it's not at all. It has to do with the ability of horses basically, which was what people were getting around on. Horses tire out, they need food and water. If you look up how long horses can travel in a day, it'll say 20-30 miles. As I mentioned in the video, it was relatively easy for me to ride 100 miles in 7 hours on this antique bicycle. It's not that I can put out more than a horse can, it's that the bicycle lets me use my energy more efficiently - with a tailwind, flat roads and especially down hills, I don't even have to pedal and the bike will just cruise along. Plenty of people have ridden more than double what I did in a day on these antique bikes actually, they're that efficient. And regarding the roads, there were some paved roads back then but even on dirt roads with an oversize wheel like this, you could move right along. Because it's so large, each pedal stroke moves you farther than was possible with the smaller wheels that came before. The large hoop tends to roll over bumps too. Muddy and sandy roads would definitely cause problems as would hills. But when you would encounter those you would walk if needed or try to find a better route to your destination if possible. Some interesting trivia a lot of people don't realize is that it was a bicycle club and bicycle company (The League of American Wheelmen and Columbia Bicycle Company) that introduced legislation called "The Good Roads Movement" to congress that eventually led to the paving of our roads and shortly after, cars took over but they had bicyclists to thank for nicer roads. Hope this answers and thanks for asking!

@@JimLangley1 Yes, my comment about "theoretically" was because I think you need pretty good roads to go long distances on those old highwheel bikes. I'm aware that big wheels are an advantage on uneven ways, but only one of both wheels is big, the other one is rather small. But probably my idea about how bad roads have been is wrong. As horses are only used by hobby riders here, they mainly use designated equestrian trails. Those are almost impossible to use by bike, because they are extremly soft and muddy or sandy. But anyway, of course you are right. Bikes are an amazing invention that enables people to move long distances in short times by their own power and they of course are easier and cheaper to "maintain" than horses. Thats why they still are quite commonly used for transport here in Germany and many of our naighbour countries.

@@jeanyluisa8483 excellent points, thank you for sharing 🙏

Thanks so much for watching, the great tips and for subscribing Andrew - much appreciated 🙏I didn't know that about boiled LO or about walnut oil, great information, thank you!

Thanks for watching and the great video suggestion Michael. I'll do that as soon as I can and let you know. Thanks!!🙏

Thanks for watching and commenting. Here you go: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bGiUdKeneMmmaLs

Thanks for watching and the excellent question Superogobongo. Actually all parts with bearings in them or pivots (like chains), and moving pieces with lube between, will be stripped of lubrication during the ultrasonic cleaning. It cleans that well. That isn't any different than if you clean parts in a solvent tank - same thing happens if you use a strong solvent. So after however you clean these parts, you are sure to lubricate them properly before you reinstall them on the bike. That's standard procedure and very important. If you don't lube the parts, they will wear quickly. In the case of some chains, they'll rust quickly too. Thanks for the great questions. Hope this answer is helpful.

@@vanscran1672 thanks for watching and the great comment, appreciate it. 🙏

@@EK1H thanks a lot for watching and sharing how Flower Power is working so well for you in the rain. That’s great to hear, appreciate you letting me know 🙏

Thanks a lot for watching and the tip about using a jar and petrol to clean chains, Brian, appreciate it. I actually show that in another video kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZCznaCMmt-Wors You're right, it works great as long as you keep shaking and shaking and shaking. The thing that's cool about ultrasonic cleaners is that they do the work for you, plus with a big one you can put in the crankset, cassette, chain, derailleurs all at once making it really easy. Thanks again!

@@JimLangley1 I'll put it on my Xmas list. Just in case Santa is checking KZbin comments! Cheers

@@BrianRPaterson 🎄🎅Good idea, hope he hears you!

Wow, great job and congratulations on your new bike and that super price! I think you're going to love it. Let me know!

Thanks for watching and the great comment kidsafe, made me laugh - you've got good👀! I had a piece of protective tape over that, I'll check and see if I wore though it or it fell off. Thanks for pointing it out so that I can cover it again. I'm not too worried about the wear. It's pretty easy to fix cracks in carbon as I showed in this vid kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5eseomDg92imdk and if I can remember to keep it covered up it shouldn't wear much more. I'll put on thicker stuff this time, the Shelter tape that Cantitoe Road sells: amzn.to/4fqwCwH Thanks for pointing it out!

That's a really awesome tip Sylvain, I love it and much cleaner and easier than electrical tape too! Thanks a lot!

Thanks for watching and the question about Ryde Andra rims oscalsmen. Usually you can measure the ERD no matter what the design of the rim is. But if there's any issue, then you would look for the ERD in the company's tech pages. Here it is for the Ryde Andra 30 rim on this page: www.ryde.nl/andra-30/ I hope this is helpful and thanks again.

@JimLangley1 hello Jim, if I use Ryde's ERD spokes are close to 2mm short. If I use my ERD spokes are like 1 to 1.5 long. These rims are very thick, now I have to order another set of spokes... :( Thank you,

@@oscalcmen thanks for letting me know. I've encountered incorrect ERD from companies before. In theory companies wouldn't assume they can get an exact ERD from engineer's drawings, but I believe that's what causes this error. What they should be doing is building wheels to make 100% sure that the ERD results in perfect spoke length. I used to work for a rim company and it was my job to do that. In any case, it always falls on the wheel builder to find the right spoke length. In your case, the too short spokes won't work, but 1.5mm long is almost always fine. The only time it wouldn't be acceptable is if the spokes protrude enough to cut into the rim strip/tape. So I would go with those long spokes you have unless it'll put the tape/tube (if it's a tubed tire) at risk. Hope this helps.

@@JimLangley1 hello, I agree, technical information should de correct. Another thing I notice is the internal length thread of nipples, sapim has less threads and allows me to accommodate longer spokes (from 1 to 1.5mm) but other nipples like pillar do not allow the spoke to get above the nipple head, longer threads section.

@@oscalcmen yes, that's a good point and it's why some professional wheelsmiths only build with their chosen spoke brand and type (spokes & nipples) so that they can guarantee their work with confidence since they know exactly what they're working with. My preference is DT Swiss. I started with them when they first arrived about 1980 I believe and they just work. Thanks for the great comments and happy wheel building!

My pleasure!

Thanks a lot for watching and commenting!

Hi Peter, yes I do have a video about tensiometers here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXuvqGemfN6Jr6s Let me know if you still have questions after watching it. Happy to try to help more.

Thanks a lot for watching and sharing details about your cool homemade stand, what a great history!

Thanks for asking and the question jensenhealey. I show and explain what pulling spokes are here kzbin.info/www/bejne/apy5naCFn8yXd9U

Thanks a lot for watching and commenting SkyhawkSteve, appreciate it. You're right that it's easy to forget if you don't build regularly. That's part of the reason I make these videos - to provide a reminder for anyone who can't remember some of these details and who still enjoys building wheels. Thanks again!

I built my first wheels following instructions from a Bicycling magazine article . Later taught again I had already used this pattern and learned speedier methods. Besides that advantage of the cross pulling spokes away from the derailleur cage (hadn't remembered that) the pulling spokes laced inside meant possibly more damage from a chain falling into the spokes. The non-pulling spokes forward angled direction facilitating the problem. Also outward facing pulling spokes form a wider triangle - slightly. But it's a small way to make a wheel laterally stronger. Oddly there's disagreement, though I can't remember the reasoning. Wheelsmith built wheels the opposite way.

@@m.talley1660 thanks for watching and the great comment. I actually wrote that article you read in Bicycling Magazine. I was Bicycling Magazine's west coast technical editor for 11 years running our office in Soquel, CA, and wrote a ton of technical articles, buyers' guides, bike tests and features - fun times! Yes, you're absolutely right, there are different theories of how to lace rim brake bike wheels. Robert Wright in his book, which came out around 1975 - so before Jobst's book - showed all pulling spokes heads in and said he believed it was like putting a rope over your shoulder when trying to move something heavy, so you could lean into the rope. Robert lived and worked on wheels and bikes here in Santa Cruz. He was a chemistry professor at UCSC (University of CA Santa Cruz). That's impressive but Jobst Brandt who was an engineer, a super cyclist and even worked a spell at Porsche, he didn't write his book based on common knowledge, he actually did engineering tests to determine what tested out as best. So there's science behind what he says in his book. I should ask Ric Hjertberg about the production wheels they built and how they determined the lacing pattern they used. I remember selling the wheels but I can't recall if the lacing pattern changed over time or it stayed the same. Ric and Jobst were fast friends who worked together on wheel projects, like the Wheel Fantyk spoke tensiometer that Jobst designed based on input from Ric. So, knowing that, I wonder if perhaps they started lacing their production wheels one way and then may have changed when Jobst's book came out? It would be fun to know more. Really appreciate your great thoughts on the matter, thank you!

Tensioning the spokes comes at the end of wheel builds prakashspex. There are chapters in my video. Look at the red bar below the video and you'll see all the different chapters and you can click on the tensioning chapter to open that up and learn about it. Okay? Hope this helps.

@@JimLangley1 tightening is counter clockwise and loosening is clockwise, was the question ? Sorry for the fragment of a question, haha. Great video, thx for responding!!

@@prakashspex thanks for watching and I'm happy you found the video helpful. To answer the question, basically spokes are like bolts and nipples are like nuts. To tighten you turn the nipple (the nut) clockwise. To loosen, you turn it counterclockwise. But here's where it can get confusing. If you hold the nipple you're turning at the top of the wheel in the truing stand, or on the bike if you're truing the wheel while it's on a bike, then looking down from above at the nipple, it is pretty clear how to turn the nipple clockwise to tighten it because you're looking down at it. The confusing part comes into play should you rotate the spoke nipple to the bottom of the wheel. When it's there you are actually looking at the nipple upside down. From this vantage point, and looking at the spoke wrench on the nipple you need to turn the nipple/spoke wrench counterclockwise to tighten it. This is something that confuses many beginners and it can cause the mistake of loosening when you meant to tighten. I recommend to my students to rotate the spokes they're working on while truing to the top of the wheel because when they're there, it's easy to see the clockwise turns and counterclockwise ones too. Hope this is helpful.

Thanks for watching and commenting Liam. That's a good point about the "basket case" parts people bring in believing you can work miracles. Sometimes you have to kindly explain better options for them like you did. You probably made a customer for life.

@JimLangley1 I stopped working g on bikes other than ours a few few years back I made a good friend helping that guy out we rid bmx together he later sold it to buy a dirtbike I told him not to get later on that weekend I got a call he had passed away in an accident. It took me two years to find what was left of the bmx he sold I now have it hung up in my room along with the only rim it had left as the guys he sold it to stripped it for parts. I had to drive a quarter way across my country for the thing to find out it was just laying in overdrown grass rottin.

@@LiamCox-y8q wow, that's quite a tale Liam. What a wonderful tribute to your friend to got to the trouble to find and rescue what's left of his bike, you're a good man.

Thanks a lot for watching and the kind comments about my videos Omar, I appreciate it! The numbers in the green box in my video come from Park Tool's video about the tool and I think it's best to link you to that so that you can hear how they describe it. What you wrote about how the chain gets longer is accurate, however, the chain doesn't actually stretch - instead the parts making up the chain wear and that creates slack in the chain. Recently, the chain companies/tool companies seem to prefer talking about the wear of the chain rather than the stretch. So that's how Park talks about it. Here's the link to their video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h3y5Y6Bte9Onja8 I hope this answers your question and thank you again for the great comment and question. 🙏

@JimLangley1 Thanks for taking the time, much appreciated, looking forward to your new videos 😊

You got that right Michael, we're very fortunate. Thanks a lot for watching and the great comments.

Thanks for watching and posing the questions Sylvain. Actually, part of the reason I made my How to Build Bike Wheels the Easy Way video - the video that essentially launched my channel, kzbin.info/www/bejne/jobUpp9maM2VkJo was because I heard from so many people wanting to learn how to do it - and some were apprentice level bike shop mechanics who didn't have anyone at the shop to show them how to build wheels. What happened is that factory built wheels became so inexpensive that it was decided it's easier, faster and more profitable to just replace damaged wheels with factory wheels, than to rebuild them. That video of mine just hit 700,000 views, which I take to mean that an awful lot of people out there still want to learn - and I'm sure from the comments, that many of them are new mechanics. I keep putting up more wheel building videos for beginners and I hope that they're helpful for anyone starting out in the industry and home mechanics too.

@JimLangley1 Totally agree. And this is one of the reasons I love and support this channel.

@@sylvainmichaud2262 thanks a lot Sylvain, I appreciate your support and your excellent comments and tips add a lot of value to this channel, thank you 🙏

It's because it's difficult to learn and today's generation is getting dumber. I I had to learn myself as a kid because of growing up unable to afford anything new its a good thing to know.

I've said for nearly 20 years how I really miss wheel building. After teaching myself decades ago as a teen I worked in a college town shop. The 80s into the 90s where the prime years for custom wheels or just maintaining and rebuilding. Pre-built products slowly killed this. It re-educated the buyer and seller. I'm not sure it's a dumbing down thing - there's so much more tech to cram in one's head. What I do lament is the loss of self sufficiency among many consumers. I worked a station at a bike-fest agreeing to demo fixing flats with the assumption no one would visit. I guessed right. The variety of rim dimensions contributes to more complicated spoke stocking. And that's an oversimplification of wheel product variation. I just lived through a chain of shops I worked for get a new owner. An accountant, he looked at stocking spokes with disdain. I left just as they bought a spoke threader - meaning the idea was to cut and thread individual spokes as needed. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Jim's channel is certainly a place to gain this knowledge that is getting so rare.

My pleasure Michael, appreciate you watching and commenting 🙏

Hi Michael! Yes, you can use gasoline if you want to clean used, dirty chains. Or a little safer is mineral spirits (paint thinner) that you can get at any Ace hardware for about $10 for a gallon. Comes in a tin can, that's what I use. The Silca system with the StripChips is designed for hot waxing new chains and that's the easiest way to use it since the StripChips turn the factory lube on new chains into a substance compatible with the hot wax. So you don't have to do any chain cleaning. But that's just for use with new chains. Look forward to hearing how you like the Silca setup. Thanks for watching and commenting!

Thanks for watching and the interesting comment K-Effect. That bike you mention is among the ones out there that bicycle historians debate as to its origins, so it's hard to know if it's actually a real bike from 1869. In any case, it sure is interesting to look at and read up on. Meyer does get credit for inventing wire spoke wheels. So he did know a thing or two about bicycles. velocipedegallery.com/blog/eugene-meyer-transitional-velocipede-1873 Thanks again for your comment!