How To Build A Bicycle Wheel Ep#1: Ultimate Wheel Building Tools Guide

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Are you ready to learn how to build bicycle wheels?
I'm Ryan, master wheel builder at RyanBuildsWheels. My new series is here to teach YOU how to build better bike wheels - starting with the basics and taking you all the way through to lacing your own wheels at home.
In episode 1 we're starting with the basics - what tools you need to build your own bike wheels. Including options for all budgets, from (nearly) nothing right through to ultimate home workshop setups.
Strap in, press play, like and subscribe and please hit me up with any questions in the comments below!
RESOURCES:
I've created tool bundles to help you purchase the tools you see in this video at awesome prices (UK-only).
You can check out my Wheel Building Tool Bundles here:
Wheel Building Tools Bundle - The Basics (best wheel building tools for beginners):
www.spokesfromryan.com/produc...
Wheel Building Tools Bundle - Hobbyist (best wheel building tools for home workshops):
www.spokesfromryan.com/produc...
Wheel Building Tools Bundle - Ultimate Home Workshop (best wheel building tools for small business and pro-level home workshops):
www.spokesfromryan.com/produc...
AND You can learn more about wheel building, join me for a wheel building course or purchase a pair of handbuilt wheels at RyanBuildsWheels:
www.ryanbuildswheels.co.uk/
Or buy custom-cut spokes, nipples, rims and wheel building tools at SpokesFromRyan:
www.spokesfromryan.com/
Or simply follow me on Instagram:
/ ryanbuildswheels
Interested in supporting me? MY PATREON ACCOUNT IS HERE 👇🏻
/ ryanbuildswheels
CHAPTERS:
0:00 Introduction to How To Build Wheels with RyanBuildsWheels
1:32 How much should you spend on wheel-building tools?
1:50 Wheel Building Tools For Less Than $50
3:20 Tool #1 ERD Sticks
3:36 Tool #2 Vernier Calipers
4:40 Tool #3 Spoke Ruler
5:45 Tool #4 Wheel-Building Lubricant
6:48 Tool #5 Nipple Assembly Tools
7:58 A little bit about BSC Tools and a DISCOUNT CODE 😍
8:36 Tool #6 Nipple Drivers
9:28 Tool #7 Spoke Keys
11:00 Tool #8 Bladed Spoke Holders
13:00 Tool #9 Trueing Stands
17:12 Tool #10 Dishing Tool
17:42: Tool #11 Tensionometer
19:05 Outro and Patreon

[@ploughmyfield]

I can't wait, this is already my most anticipated series on KZbin. Looking forward to the journey

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

Fantastic! Honoured to have you along for the ride!

[@poosanth]

+1

[@poosanth]

Thanks for putting in this work, can't wait to watch the rest of the series!

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

Appreciated! I think it's gonna come along real well :-)!

[@ramoncalvobaron3316]

Good videos for only 1,28k subs. I hope you'lll get more. Cheers

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

I hope so too! Really trying to push the quality here; learning more and more each time :-).

[@munrowheels]

DT best spokey as recently decided over a beer with Joey from Strongheart and Franz from Schneckenberg!!

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

Damn right! Have you seen my interview with Joey? It's one of the first video I made and only 5 mins long: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aKO2i4KtjpaSi8k

[@welshnathan]

Absolute stallion sharing the gold, cheers Ryan. Looking forward to more insight from a master!!

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

More to come!

[@welshnathan]

Can't wait @@RyanBuildsWheels thanks for sharing your experience with us.

[@plainsrider]

Great Intro, helping me to build up what tools I need, looking forward to the rest of videos

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

Awesome, thank you! Stay tuned; I'll be trying to get as many more of this series up by Xmas this year; wish me luck!

[@paulsymons562]

Super guide, and very pragmatic. One thing, and very picky I know, but they are just calipers if they have a digital readout, not a vernier scale.

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

Oooh! I genuinely didn't know that Paul! THanks for teaching *me* something today!

[@lawrenceokane1678]

Perfect.

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

Thanks! I think the lighting ligthing is a bit dark after I did some color work to try getting shots to match better throughout the video (so something to learn for future releases) but as an initial 'these are the tools you'll need' video it's pretty good ;-)!

[@michaelives9164]

Great Introduction; really enjoyable. I'm very much looking forward to the next instalment. Thanks.

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

More to come so keep your eyes peeled! I'm going to do my best to release every couple of weeks at least; let's see!

[@outtatrex]

Thanks buddy!

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

No problem! Enjoy the rest of the series!

[@davidnelson907]

Brilliant Thanks for taking the time in your day and educating us all. Keep up the good work.

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

My pleasure! More to come :-).

[@DrunkDrynasty]

This is freakin great!!

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

Welcome to the series!

[@allangrant1326]

I’m about to build up my first set of wheels Xtralite hubs Berd spokes Duke carbon rims Wish me luck Thanks for the tricks ✌️

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

in at the deep end! You've got this though; take your time, take care, drink lots of tea and enjoy the process; you'll end up with an excellent pair of wheels at the end :-D!

[@thedownunderverse]

The problem with the Park TM1 is that there’s no way to keep it calibrated (aka: aligned with the chart). The Unior equivalent tool (623302) comes with a calibration rod and instructions on how to adjust it to keep it aligned to the chart. It also uses an online app the same as park tools’ app to present radar charts to the user to keep builds evenly tensioned.

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

You can calibrate a TM-1 just like any other tensio easy peasy. @2wagondragon has got your back with the following video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nWPToKdvipaEaZY More expensive calibration devices are available of course, I find that the good quality luggage weighing scale that I've got hooked up to a few scraps of machined aluminium as a means of holding and tensioning the spoke works just fine. Every couple of months all tensio's in the workshop get checked against their reference materials and calibrated if necessary. Simples.

[@harryrowland4734]

Be careful with boiled linseed oil, it can be a fire hazard, oily rags can spontaneously ignite in your bin. No need to oil the threads when using brass nipples, brass is a self lubricating metal. Standard steel rule is perfect for measuring spoke lengths. I've never used the Internet to calculate spoke lengths, neither have I used ERD sticks, I’m a pre Internet Wheelbuilder.

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

Hey @harryrowland4734! Great to have you on board :-). After they've required rims replacing due to wear I've been honoured to have rebuilt several of your wheelsets over the years for Bristol based customers; it's been a pleasure to see your sticker on wheels coming through my door. All good points for sure; in reply: I hope that people would read the warning of any substances to be used and a steel rule is - of course - just fine but I reccomend a 'spoke specific' ruler thanks to it's additional features in this case. I feel that lubricating threads throughout can't do any harm tbh: whilst neither (the brass nipples coating of) nickel or stainless (spokes) are unlikely to cause any oxidisation problems there's still plenty of grit and gunk that can get into spoke threads over time and I'm happy with an additional lubrication to further combat spoke windup as tension arrives into the wheel. BLO's ability to cure dry only brings additional benefits as a mild threadlocker and weatherproofer once the build is complete too so I kinda see it's use as a win win tbh. I assume you're measuring the rim's inner and adding rim thickness + nipple head 'depth' in this case? And for spoke lenghts either the DT Swiss spoke chart (when was that even released?!) or, if you're hardcore, doing real math...unlike us mere mortals :-D!

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

For those interested the spoke length formula required for pre-internet wheels is: pi2 = 6.28318530717959 a = (DL / 2 * sin(pi2 * Cross Pattern / (Spoke Count / 2))) ^ 2 b = (ERD / 2 - ((DL / 2) * cos(pi2 * Cross Pattern / (Spoke Count / 2)))) ^ 2 c = ((OLD / 2) - LFO + OSB) ^ 2 Spoke Length = sqrt(a + b + c) - Spoke Hole Diameter / 2 I'm happy to save myself the hassle ;-).

[@harryrowland4734]

@@RyanBuildsWheels I photo copied the relevant pages form the Southerlands handbook, sometime in the 70s. It uses correction factors for various hubs and rims of the period, I just measure and adjust as required. I have played with online calculation, but I have been doing it the old way for so long, that I find it quicker and easier. I never lubricate spoke threads, but I do grease or oil the nipple rim interface when necessary. Thread locking compounds don't work well with oily or dirty parts, I generally only use thread lock on the rear non drive side.

[@SaulHernandez-ks9yg]

Hi man I would like to ask you if you have ever build any Cadex wheels brand. I would like to know how to build it them. Thanks!

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

I've certainly re-built them with fresh spokes but, seeing as I'm a custom wheelbuilder, that's not something that I''d build from scratch seeing as they're a branded factory wheelset. Is it a calculating straighpull spokes that is given you issues with them? I will do a video on this in the future :-)

[@nitrojoeZ18]

Hi Ryan. I would love to build my own wheel. Can't seem to find a 700c series rims 19m wide with 24 holes. aluminum Alexrims. Let me know if u know where I can purchase it. Tks joe

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

Drop me an email Joe; tell me rider weight, and intended use etc as part of it and I'll be more than happy ot help!

[@gren509]

In other place you have said that you don't like Mavic Open Pro rims, could you please elaborate sometime.

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

Sure, as per the comment that I left on that video (kzbin.info/www/bejne/aKO2i4KtjpaSi8k) "Over time *better rims have become available*! The Open Pro C (not the '21 model...which I rarely use either...ugly kit!) is often held up as THE go to rim for handbuilt road wheels...but this simply isn't true anymore. The C is: -Narrow and not tubeless (something modern, quality, rims are not) -Shallow (resulting in poor / steep bracing angles, meaning less strong) -Light (fine...but an aero advantage is better for most riders) -Due to the above limitations: cheesy as hell! It's just not all that stiff and so requires a bunch of spokes... -...which brings me to: not available in lower spoke counts -Too high an RRP given the points above. Compared to the rims that I use on - say - my Club Road Wheelset (only 5g heavier, and with a £20 lower RRP) it's...well, a bit shit I think! More details of those rims can be found by Googling 'DCR Alloy Rims': he and I both use the same range and they're excellent bits of kit. On the plus side many Open Pro's are now available at reduced prices on well known price gouging websites...but why have an Open Pro when you could - for example - choose the Kinlin XR22t at the same price? For an extra 25g but with none of the above problems AND with an offset spoke bed option available out back it's a no brainer my end. Final point in case; due to how cheesy I find the Open Pro C, I just DON'T like building with them! I can build a better wheel, faster, with a range of different options, good riddance I say!"

[@mrjamieholloway]

Hello :). I recently purchased a set of Arc MT006 hubs, 100/135 QR. I'm currently preparing for a wheel and need to figure out the correct spoke lengths. I'm using the WTB KOM light i25 rims with an ERD of 604mm. (Rim weight: 455g) I've been told that you should add about 3mm to the rim ERD to account for the spoke nipples, which =707. Is that a correct practice? How much should I add to the rim to account for the nipple? The technical diagram available for the Arc MT006 is a bit confusing, and I can't seem to figure out what the correct flange circle diameter is. The measurements I input where. Front hub: 32H, lacing 3x, weight:160g Width 100mm. PCD: 58/45, Nut to Flange: 28.1/ 13.7, Nut to center: 21/36.3. Rear hub: 32H, lacing 3x, weight 240g, width 135mm, PCD: 58/44, nut to Flange: 31.57/48.15, Flange to centre: 36/20. The hub uses 14G spokes. Recommended nipple length is 12mm? When using the DT Swiss calculator the total recommended spoke lengths come out at, Front (L/R): 293mm/294mm. Rear (L/R): 294mm/295mm. Could you possibly tell me if I have gone about the calculation correctly?

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

You need part two of the series Jamie: kzbin.info AND this video about what ERD is and isn't! kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y4TXZXulf81_e6M A shoutout to @NeutralSupportNews who have also just released a video on the subject matter and know what they're on about!

[@poosanth]

Hey where's the Patreon link?

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

Good point! It's here thanks! www.patreon.com/RyanBuildsWheels