Forum

[Revband]

As Papasmurf says, DON'T DO IT,if people start building their own wheels how am I supposed to earn my pocket money?. But seriously it ain't as easy as some will have you believe, trueing the rim does take a lot of skill, you really need a spoke key with a torque setting, spokes too tight or too slack is asking for them to break. "Re true after a short ride things ping and settle". Not on a correctly built wheel they don't. Are you really going to send every wheel back to be re done after a few miles?, I don't think the wheel builder would be impressed.

[papasmurf]

Torque spoke keys are VERY expensive for good reasons, you really do need one to do a safe job.

[Tomshayes]

I manages to replace a broken stainless spoke in situ to the rear wheel on my 500 Bullet it was fairly straight forward as it was broken at the hub end and i managed to wheedle it.. Let enough air out of the tyre to depress the spoke nut enough to get the spoke in.. Wouldn't fancy doing a whole wheenl though!

tom

[neddy]

I say "go for it" these bikes are ment to be owner maintained, if all goes wrong then goto "Revband"

[Revband]

Replacing one spoke is an easy DIY job if done with care and not over tightened, building a complete wheel is not DIY for most people, I would only take on a messed up DIY on the understanding that I can only use the owners measurements unless I had the makers data, and I would only fit new spokes not the possibly weekend ones, I would not want the responsibility of the wheel collapsing. Yes it is possible one over tight spoke snaps this puts extra strain on the ones next to it, they are already over stressed and a chain reaction sets off.

[Earlybird]

Thanks again,so many replies!!! Will have to think it through......got a few non cosmetic jobs to do first but it's definitely a job that will be done,back wheel with stainless spokes looks fab! Got wheel bearings,fitting a new hitchcocks seat,some electrical niggles then hopefully an m.o.t. I'm in that catch 22 situation where bike needs a run to make sure it's all good but can't be done because it needs an m.o.t etc.

[Alan R]

The use of a private estate would be nice !!

[Earlybird]

Yes private estate would be just the ticket.......can anyone help? I'm in the Kent area and would need picking up in a van and bringing home again..........maybe I'm asking a bit too much!!!

[stinkwheel]

"Not on a correctly built wheel they don't. Are you really going to send every wheel back to be re done after a few miles?, I don't think the wheel builder would be impressed."



I'm presuming you fully tension relieve your wheels and bend the spokes round one another at the cross before sending them out though? A home builder may not get this done fully (mainly because they are afraid to be too rough with them). Hence checking and re-trueing.



If we're being fully anal about it a torque wrench isn't measuring the tension in the spoke, it's measuring the resistance to turning of the nipple which opens a whole can of variables. A deflection tensiometer would be the correct tool for measuring spoke tension. However, I've always been under the impression that accoustic tensioning is pretty accurate.

[Revband]

I have been building wheels since Noah was a lad, no I don't use a spoke torque wrench, they were not invented when I started, almost invariably when someone brings me a recently built wheel with a snapped spoke it's because some ham fisted amateur who thinks they can build a wheel has overtightened the nipple.

There is no substitute for being shown how to do it correctly by an experienced wheel builder followed by many years experience, the internet and Google cannot show you has to do it correctly.