CUSTOM bicycle wheels - rims - how to Make wheels start to finish

I have been making custom bicycle wheels,rims for over 5 years and made many innovations along the way. this little video give you an idea of the work it takes to make a truly CUSTOM wheel. whatever you can image i can turn into a usable design for a bicycle, wheel chair, or harness racing wheel. any questions please put them in the comments and I'll answer as soon as i can. don't forget to subscribe.
if you would like to take a look at our standard offerings you can take a look at www.customsulkywheels.com/
if you want to take a look at some of the more interesting projects and designs and discuss your wheels, take a look at our facebook page / customsulkywheels
if you want to see more designs check out the design collection here • CUSTOM Bicycle wheels ...

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

You have a cool job Ray, thanks for sharing this.

[@RayMAKES]

thanks Robb. it is definitely interesting....most of the time!

[@sergiocamposjr.4498]

Great video! I love to watch great machining. Keep up the awesome work!!

[@RayMAKES]

+Sergio Campos Jr. Thanks, I actually have a couple of videos on making wheels

[@bill-chichi9701]

Wow, that was awesome to watch.

[@RayMAKES]

+Bill D thanks. If you like bike wheels, I have two other videos on the subject. I also have a few other videos on the machine shop as well.

[@RayMAKES]

you might enjoy this video too. a different innovation for my wheels kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4Kmd4J7h69lbdk

[@DiegoBg82]

Excelente trabajo hermosos rines, saludos

[@RayMAKES]

Glad you liked it

[@BryceLovesTech]

Amazing and one day I will be able to afford these.

[@RayMAKES]

+Bryce thanks, and yes they are expensive...but it takes ALOT of equipment to build them right!

[@eBikeaholic]

these are sweet, wish I had access to those machines!

[@RayMAKES]

You don't want the payments

[@TheOltenia]

Hi there , Greetings from Romania !! I saw all you rims models , there are AWESOME.. I would like to have one of your model on my 26" cross country bike...have a nice day..

[@RayMAKES]

i would be happy to make anything you like. glad you like the wheels, i hole your subscribe...i am building a custom bike for my skull wheels...should be interesting!

[@TheOltenia]

I am sorry but i cannot afford to buy them.. but i will be with the eyes on you.. ^_^ !!

[@RayMAKES]

thanks! i know they are expensive, you can see why...

[@BK42Cycles]

Very good video Ray! Very well done wheel. Can you adapt the production for large rims as well? About 80 / 100 mm? Is there any process to align the wheels after assembled ? Thanks

[@RayMAKES]

thanks! the skull wheels are 50mm but i don't see an issue with wider rims. once the rim is assembled there is no way to accurately re-align them....except for removing the rim and re-rimming the wheel.

[@BK42Cycles]

Very good to know.. I will keep your services in mind for my next builds! Cheers

[@RayMAKES]

+BK42 Custom Bikes great!

[@butchthurman383]

Nice job good video. You might be able to skip a couple drilling steps. Try using a screw machine drill that is the size for your tap drill. I work with alot 316l ss have good luck with the hole being straight and ready to countersink then tap.

[@RayMAKES]

Good idea, unfortunately I'm not making wheels anymore

[@aracknoid3]

Awesome! Do you make them for wheelchairs as well?

[@RayMAKES]

+Ronald Seaman I haven't yet, but I certainly can

[@SLfamily1]

That 's nice

[@RayMAKES]

Glad you liked it

[@TRUMPLocalWallBuildersUnion]

pretty cool wheels ray !

[@RayMAKES]

+Daniel B. thanks! i run a large machine shop so i get some nice projects come through. the wheels I've been making for over 5 years! doesn't seem like that long.

[@TRUMPLocalWallBuildersUnion]

Ray Pena ya I was just checking out your website ! now I'm watching your faceplate and chuck video. where are u based out of ray?

[@RayMAKES]

+Daniel B. im in DE. do you have some projects you are working on?

[@TRUMPLocalWallBuildersUnion]

Ray Pena quite a few, I just finished doing a restoration on a craftsman scroll saw from 1941 cast iron belt driven by a genral electric motor from around the same time . motor still works like the day it was made ! next I'm going to build a small lathe. I really liked your live center using one of your hubs great idea ! ive got most of the parts very similar to your build .

[@RayMAKES]

+Daniel B. that's great!! glad it helped you out. would definitely like to see how it comes out. i think any (sturdy) bike hub would work, but since i already had that one assembled, why not! did you take a look at the REALLY BIG lathe I'm planning? i might have gone nuts because it definitely wont fit in my small home shop. i might need to make it and outdoor lathe.

[@Roq7]

You say you are going to be making a lot of bicycle wheels soon? where are located? do you have a website or something? I'd love to start playing with ally wheels again!

[@carlosmarquez9215]

Soy de Mexico que precio tienen los rines están bonitos y bien hechos a la perfección gracias

[@RayMAKES]

Very expensive

[@timothymoore4873]

I want to learn this for our custom spray chrome business

[@RayMAKES]

i send it out for powder coating

[@RayMAKES]

+Boss Bunny i accidentally deleted your comment, sorry. if you are interested in wheels please send me a message through the youtube about page

[@FatalBlow113]

Ok!

[@RayMAKES]

if you are curious about some of our designs you can see them on our facebook page facebook.com/customsulkywheels/

[@FatalBlow113]

I was more specifically looking for rims like on cars, Asanti, Dub, Lexani, like those.

[@RayMAKES]

+Boss Bunny I made some that were based on asanti wheels....we call them 5 to 10, 6 to 12, 7 to 14, and 8 to 16 split spokes. if you have a design you like I can make a bicycle equivalent.

[@atpjoker6492]

do you have a website?

[@LATization1]

Do yall make the outer part of the rim as well?

[@RayMAKES]

No, we buy those

[@snowbill6525]

tanku basecley for doing noting and westing ur time working on well with macking no deferens to the prigenal shap dud larn how to cast alminum and mack ur own

[@RayMAKES]

i have no idea what you are trying to say n this comment except that people should learn how to cast their own wheels....there is more than one way to make something. casting it from scratch may actually cost more and produce a lower quality finished product. either way machining is needed, and machining a rough cast blank may actually cost more to do than using flat plate.

[@voodoosaint4670]

I would like to have a set for my beach cruiser 26 in x 2.125

[@RayMAKES]

Sorry we don't make them anymore

[@alexchavesbarboza1816]

hey friend you work is fantastic, any web site or page to order a pair, i'm interested in the model you show for my mtb 29" in color red, how much is the cost for sending it to costa rica, thanks alot

[@RayMAKES]

hi, thanks, glad you liked it... im not making the wheels anymore though

[@damicprincessianna3537]

How much do you charge? I been looking for someone to make me some custom adult tricycle rim

[@ronmatthews]

what were the tools you used in the vid...thanks

[@RayMAKES]

+Ron Matthews all kinds of tools, but here is a short list: water jet, CNC milling machine, standard Bridgeport mill with riser and indexing unit, 3 axis Bridgeport mill with Mill Write engraving package.

[@ronmatthews]

Ray Pena thanks and what was the tool you used to calibrate the aluminum wheel to make sure it was straight and you guys are so awesome by the way

[@RayMAKES]

+Ron Matthews thanks, that is a dial indicator and it measures distances to .001" there are more accurate one but for a wheel it's not that critical. Our acceptable deviation is .012" which is less than 1/64"

[@marquescoleman5855]

Do u guys have a website for order

[@RayMAKES]

yes we do. customsulkywheels.com

[@rickrandazzo]

I was hoping to see how you made the rims.

[@RayMAKES]

+Rick Randazzo i miss spoke in the video. I meant to say that rims are specially made for us by a rim manufacturer (that is all they make) basically rims are carefully engineered extrusions which are then coiled, cut, and pinned. the extrusion process is quite interesting and requires an ENORMOUS amount of equipment.

[@rickrandazzo]

+Ray Pena Thanks for the reply. I did watch a video about rim making and they had a special machine to roll the extruded aluminum into a coil then I think they even had a machine to cut and weld it up. So yea, a lot involved in that. I enjoyed your video.

[@RayMAKES]

+Rick Randazzo I'm glad you enjoyed it. we've been making wheels for a long time now!i will be posting a video in the next few weeks (or months) that features the skull wheels in a custom bicycle build., should be interesting and non conventional.

[@RayMAKES]

+Rick Randazzo glad you liked it. I will be putting up a video of the custom bike I'm building to fit the skull wheels. So if bicycles are your thing you'll enjoy that.

[@timothymoore4873]

I build bicycles and and spray chrome and want to know some steps how can I do this making my own design

[@RayMAKES]

no idea how they do it

[@nandagirirajesh3638]

Hi team.am.looking for aerospoke wherls for my bike.5 spoke white wheel.how.much does it cost

[@RayMAKES]

Too much

[@nandagirirajesh3638]

hi all.i want to make these ones at my place also.pls advise if there is any machinery I have to buy for this.thnx slot

[@RayMAKES]

yes, lots of machinery, very expensive machines at that

[@mandiearly667]

I’ve been looking to commission a set of custom bike rims,none of your links worked .Do you still make rims ? Any way to contact you ?

[@RayMAKES]

Sorry, don't make them anymore

[@DAVIDISEPIC1111]

how much for a propeller 5 spoke

[@tiggerm2919]

How much would it cost for a set custom bicycle rims with the rear being 24 x 4 1/4 inches wide and the front being 3 inches wide

[@RayMAKES]

we have decided to stop manufacturing wheels. the market simply cannot support our product

[@WilliamEllison]

Send me some too

[@RayMAKES]

+William Ellison lol, everyone wants these wheels!!

[@seanisom8917]

How much does a set of custom wheels cost? I have a lot of projects that could use a set of them!

[@RayMAKES]

they cost a pretty good amount. i have actually been thinking of ending the production of these, they are too expensive to make and alot of people are looking for walmart pricing. the current sales are too low so we are on the verge of terminating the wheel company.

[@angelfilibertotamaytziu4896]

Me interesa un par de esos rines delantero y trasero hacen envios

[@RayMAKES]

Sorry, don't make wheels anymore

[@RaiderFace7-16]

Omg I had this idea and wanted to do 💀 rims

[@RayMAKES]

Glad you liked it

[@vladosilvester]

Greetings from Serbia price Thus wheels

[@RayMAKES]

hi! you can check on the website www.customsulkywheels.com

[@JavierGonzalez-pz7lx]

Ray Pena can you give me one

[@raghuvansisachinkumar7025]

Give me 2 rims i like this rims And awesome

[@RayMAKES]

Glad you liked them

[@raomudassar1361]

But if i want to use bicycle computer how can i fix speedometer magnet in this rim?

[@RayMAKES]

good question... i have no idea

[@dabiznaz9649]

How do I contact you for wheels for a 22 Harley Davidson trip glide

[@RayMAKES]

sorry, dont make wheels anymore

[@rafsohail]

Can u make motorcycle mac wheel to please show me that i want to buy

[@RayMAKES]

+Rafeeq Ahmed I'm not sure what a "mac" wheel is

[@rafsohail]

I think its moc wheel, What ever for bikes

[@RayMAKES]

Yes, we can. We would get blank motorcycle wheels and machine to your design.

[@danielbock7562]

Do U GUYS make 24" or 26" rims ??????? That's what I have can't afford another bike. Thank You Daniel Bock...

[@RayMAKES]

We can, but orders must be for 100 wheels

[@aldahircalderongomez4408]

Cuánto cuesta uno así para una rodando 700cc?

[@RayMAKES]

at this point we are no longer manufacturing the custom wheels

[@MrTerrance101]

Where do I get this

[@RayMAKES]

Sorry, no longer in production

[@erhanhazar176]

how much is a wheel like this

[@RayMAKES]

the skull wheels area bout 2k as shown

[@Flicks2x]

Can you make me a 19 inch moto rim and tire but wire it to a bicycle hub so I can have motocross tires on my electric enduro bike? I’m hunting for someone that’s capable of wiring the spokes from a moto to a mountain bike hub it’s been done I am just not capable and willing to pay also I would need it shipped to Toronto Canada

[@RayMAKES]

I could, but at this point if it's not 100 wheels, it's not worth messing with

[@vstone7568]

How much for a nice set of skull head rims

[@RayMAKES]

+V Stone glad you liked them but I'm not making wheels anymore... at least not individual sets. I would make a batch of 20, but I'm sure you won't want 20 of them

[@vstone7568]

Don't think I want 20 of them what is the ticket or ticket Per rim

[@RayMAKES]

+V Stone when I was making them, they were $1500 a pair

[@vstone7568]

Thank you for the reply are you on Facebook or do you have a website

[@Thomass7586]

Horse an Buggy wheels.

[@nateskinner2626]

if you're going to be drilling and tapping the holes what's the point in getting a rim with no holes??

[@RayMAKES]

+CrazyTurtle RC I can't tell if this is a serious question, or if it is sarcasm

[@nateskinner2626]

Ray Pena​ it is a real question there is no point In making a rim with no holes if your just going to drill them into the rim.

[@RayMAKES]

+CrazyTurtle RC if you don't know about rims, then you would think that...but here are the reasons: 1. Rims with holes have the holes offset from the center line, so they are in the wrong place 2. The reason the holes are offset is because they are for lacing with spokes 3. Rims I use are made of aluminum, which cannot resist the pull through of the spokes, so they are reinforced with a steel rivet 4. The steel rivet protrudes too far from the inner surface so that the bullet cent can't fit right 5. Because the holes are made for spokes there are so many holes, there isn't enough room to put the holes on center where I need them 6. Since I need to put the holes on the centerline, a rim with holes would be useless, which is why I get rims without holes Guess how I figured all if those things out...

[@Sappingtonsaquatics]

there nice but to expensive

[@RayMAKES]

+Ryan Sappington thanks, yes they are...but it takes a million dollars in equipment to make them....so there is that little detail

[@voodoosaint4670]

How much are those

[@RayMAKES]

They were alot, that's why we stopped making them

[@osmeldelosangelesoliva8760]

I want to buy this one but the link say error 404

[@RayMAKES]

We don't make these anymore

[@osmeldelosangelesoliva8760]

Quiero comprar pero el link da error 404

[@bobamericana3099]

i bought plans for a trike from zombie and my total frame build with all the goodies is 200 bucks.....i looked at your pricing for your standard designs..1400 dollars...i simply cannot afford that....i would have been willing to pay 150 dollars for 2 wheel assemblies minus the hub and tire but 1400 isnt realistic for me.... if I had that kind of money for a trike assembly i simply would have bought a fully assembled recumbent ready to ride. I hope some day you can get your price down and therefor have your wheels mass produced. as it stands, you only service the high-end hobby market. i really do wish i could afford your product

[@RayMAKES]

Yeah I completely understand. The way I look at it is this: I drive a Ford explorer but I really, really want a Bentley continental GT, Except I can't afford the Bentley. I can't expect Bentley to sell me the car I want at the price of the Ford. Both of these examples are vehicles that will take you from one place to another, and while they are both similar they are clearly not the same. The Ford explorer - $30k, the Bentley continental - $300k, HUGE DIFFERENCE in price, not in ability to transport you from point A to point B

[@PHNTMHIVE]

Ray MAKES just accept the fact that your wheels are way to over fucking priced. "But these machines are worth millions to have these produced" yea ok.

[@johndawd4616]

Good price, 20 American dollars for it.

[@RayMAKES]

On fantasy island

[@bobkeller8383]

$1500?!?! holy shit

[@RayMAKES]

yeah, too cheap i know.

[@RaiderFace7-16]

How much can I get a pair of rims made for?

[@RayMAKES]

Sorry, I no longer make wheels

[@usertogo]

Interesting, but probably heavy, expensive and inefficient... Incredible that there is a market for them...

[@RayMAKES]

+usertogo yes there is, when it comes to CUSTOM people want what they want. I've sold almost 1000 pairs in the last 5 years, I guess I'm doing something right, lol. As far as efficiency, staring from a dead stop is the most difficult part, once moving, the Fly Wheel Effect, becomes advantageous. Keep in mind these aren't racing wheels for racing bikes. Everything has its place.

[@BlockCylinder]

People love to say flywheel effect counters excessive weight. It doesn't. Heavy things are harder to stop, but that doesn't mean they are helping you move along. The energy wasted when stopping was already spent when accelerating. I'm much more curious about what you do when these wheels go out of true? And why would someone ride a wheel with inferior shock absorbing properties? I can't see any area where these wheels beat spoked wheels.

[@RayMAKES]

+BlockCylinder and yet....I've sold thousands of wheels...And I'm not the only one. Market demand can create a product, in the same fashion as the converse.

[@BlockCylinder]

I don't doubt you're selling them. I think it's a real shame that so many people are being misinformed and misled, but I don't doubt it. If anyone is interested in actual wheels for real-world use on actual bicycles they will find their way to Sheldon Brown and Jobst Brandt's writings.

[@RayMAKES]

+BlockCylinder I think you completely missed the point of these wheels, they are not high performance, or racing or anything of the sort. They are Custom wheels for the Custom bike market, people want something no one else has, the weight of the wheel is irrelevant to the design... These are heavy, no doubt about it...But no one is racing in them. It's for show, vanity, customization.... A demographic you obviously have disdain for.

[@Roq7]

You say you are going to be making a lot of bicycle wheels soon? where are located? do you have a website or something? I'd love to start playing with ally wheels again!

[@RayMAKES]

+philippa gledhill we have been making wheels for 5 years now. We are very close to finalizing the requirements to produce bicycle wheels, for which the skull ones pictured are the prototypes. As if this moment we are only making 29ers but if there is enough demand we can make other sizes. You can view our current website here www.customsulkywheels.com/ we have about 70 designed wheels