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

[@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

[@jefffixesit60]

I’ve been building my own wheels as a hobby for 20 years now, and I’m delighted to see all the tools that I’ve been doing without for too long. I especially liked the DT Swiss Pro Line wrenches and bladed spoke holders, and your homemade ERD measuring kit. Thanks for making these videos, I’m a big fan of wheel nerding and your KZbin channel! 😄

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

Thanks so much Jeff!

[@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!

[@tyronehale4017]

Awesome watch 😁💯helped a lot. Just got my HopePro5 Boost Hub, and purchasing a new wheel and spokes to make a fresh build for my hardtail. This is the best video I've come across!! Nice one! Had to subscribe of course 😁very helpful!! 🤘🏼

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

Glad I could help! Tyrone and thanks so much for your comment and subscription! The final episode (part 5) has JUST been finished with editing and will be released Fri 29th!

[@tyronehale4017]

@RyanBuildsWheels sweet dude, finish up today on the build 😁🤘🏼💥

[@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 :-)!

[@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.

[@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 :-).

[@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 :-).

[@1988howie]

What about the ts-4.2 its better than the ts-2.3? Thank you

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

Off the top of my head the 4.2 goes super wide compared to the TS2 series...I'd take a look at Park Tools own website and product specs for a full answer ;-).

[@1988howie]

@@RyanBuildsWheels thank you so much!

[@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!

[@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!

[@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 :-)

[@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 ;-)!

[@fixed-cc]

Great video again, thanks for your effort and expertise! And, do you have any experience with other spoke machines? Im really interested in getting one, and there are three big choices for me right now: Phil Wood, Cyclus Tools and yours from Mr Morizumi. Since Im located in Germany, I guess the Cyclus Tools one seems to be the logical choice. But I wonder if you have any thoughts on that??

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

Hey @Fixed-cc ! I've used both the Morizumi and the Kowa STC extensively; a small amount of experience on the Phil. I'd like to do a video on this subject in the future but if I were advising any shop then I'd most certainly favour the Morizumi :-).

[@fixed-cc]

@@RyanBuildsWheels Yes I would love to see a video about that topic! :-)

[@outtatrex]

Thanks buddy!

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

No problem! Enjoy the rest of the series!

[@haraldthi]

If you don't have enough hair for a mohawk right at the top of your head, is it okay to have one at either side? One mohawk at the right side, right above the ear, and one mohawk on the left?

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

LOL! I think so ;-), you do you!

[@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!

[@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

[@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!

[@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!

[@DrunkDrynasty]

This is freakin great!!

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

Welcome to the series!

[@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.

[@poosanth]

Hey where's the Patreon link?

[@RyanBuildsWheels]

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

[@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.