London Fixed-gear and Single-speed

Can anyone help me out- I need to build up two wheels from hubs I've got- the wheels need to be cheap and bulletproof (ie alot of battering is likely).
I'd like to learn how to build them myself- but would prefer to know that they're solid.
Essentially i just need to know the best rims and spokes.
Cheers.

Go to Cyclebasket and get yourself a couple of Mavic Open Pros and enough ACI SSDB spokes to lace them both with a few spare :)

This will tell you everything you need to know:
http://www.wheelpro.co.uk/wheelbuilding/book.php
I went for Mavic A319 rims (36 spoke, and you are limited to >28mm wide rubber) and DT Swiss competition spokes. They are the second pair of wheels I have build and 20st of me hitting potholes and dropping off kerbs has not knocked them out of true yet.

my first set of wheels were mavic open pros on system ex hubs and they've been true since. open pros are very good and easy to build.

the wheelbuilding book link above is quite good. i bought it and it's been well worth it.

and, as per usual, if you have any other questions, this forum will try and answer.

Yeah, I bought the second edition of that book. Its awesome, well worth having. Printed it off and took it to the uni to get it bound :D

I almost bought open-pros but A319s were cheaper and my frame will take fatter rubber if I decide to change later.

check out arup on this forum he builds sweet wheels strong and true and could possibly advise you on bits and bobs building etc

yeah arup will teach you if you want.

I'm riding velocities. They are not light and a bit harsh, but most people say they are bomproof (and I am treating them as if they were)

on the whole- how hard is it to build a wheel?
In other words. will i need special equipment, or if i buy that book- will it pretty much solve the problem.
these wheels have to deal with oxfordshires finest streets, cobbles and all.

IMHO wheel building is easy IF you are patient and methodical. I have built 2 pairs from that book and both are at least as good as the machine built wheels from my specialized rockhopper (one pair replaced them). I'm happy riding on my first pair of wheels I built.

Fixed wheels are easy, as you don't have to worry about dish :D

Tools needed are a good spoke wrench (i like spokeys), a dishing gauge (book shows you how to make one from cardboard), and a 'nipple driver'. The book says to bend a cheap screwdriver and file bits out of the end, but I prefer filing down an electric screwdriver flat-head bit and using an electric screwdriver to do the first bit.

You can true it in a bike frame (thats what I used), cable ties and electrical tape are handy to give yourself some markers on the frame to work to.

Best advice I was given was go slow, go steady, and do it in the sun with a six pack of tinnies. Much easier when you dont get frustrated with it.

I'm intrigued and tempted but can't convince myself that I'd ever feel confident enough to ride a wheel I'd put together myself.
After a few moments of shallowish thought I've concluded that my wheel wouldn't pose a threat to my safety due to its inability to actually turn. Good Luck htay.....do let us know how you progress with this.....

Sweet

this thread has just given me the balls to take on the task of building up a set.
Now I've just got to save up for some rims and hubs for my new build. I think building wheels will replace my winter knitting.

you'll be surprised at how easy it is, albeit tedious and time consuming on your first couple tries.. ;)

who went to that workshop (the one that was meant to be in a squat, but ended up somewhere else) a few weeks ago?
anyone know if they'll be doing it again?

my friend kate says: "it's not rocket science", and (echoing the sentiments above) that all you really need is patience, and maybe a tensiometer.
i was toying with the idea of building some this summer, but ran out of patience. ;)

the first pair of wheels I built (48h on 20inch rims..) took me a weekend of getting angry and throwing the wheels away and picking them up later..

Just built a front wheel last friday (32h, 700c rims..) and it took me about 2 hours to dismantle the "old" wheel and rebuild it with a new rim/spokes.. In between I've probably built about 3 pairs of wheels, if that..

When I built my first wheel, my LBS (who were very helpful) suggested squeezing adjacent spokes on the machine built wheels on my Rockhopper and making the wheel I build a bit tighter, then when I'm happy take it in to them and they would check it over. They did and said there was plenty of tension but not too much and it should be fine to ride on. I then based my next wheels on that one and they are holding up fine. I probably spent 40 mins including a tea break to lace a pair of wheels then probably an hour a wheel tensioning them up and checking the dish, then 30 mins in the frame each truing them. I used a small bit of paperclip soldered to an M5 (I think) bolt which I screw into the cantimount as a reference point for truing.

You've made me feel all inadequate with my cable-ties and insulating tape now :D

Another one I used was a piece of plastic cut into an 'L' shape with a magnet glued to it, then true the wheel with the edge of the rim against (almost touching) the inner corner of the 'L', providing you have a steel frame the magnet will keep it in position, I have used cable ties around the chain stay and the long end as a ref point on an aluminium frame before.

Seconded.

I find that the thing to focus on is the vertical roundness at the beginning, and then focus on the side-to-side.

Also: take your time, and don't be afraid to put all the kit down and go and do something else for a while. I spent almost a week on my first wheel, doing a half-hour a night. But then I have a fantastically short attention span. The next one took 2 evenings.

How are deep Vs to build up?

This thread has been awesome, cheers guys- I'm going to download the book this week and study hard.
We'll see though. Maybe one wheel built and one made for me- you know one step at a time and all.
and then at college i'll build up some more. Cos i get bored.

I'm getting sorely tempted to build up a set of deep Vs on suzue promax now... just for funsies.

Actually, I think you should pay attention to both radial and lateral trueness throughout the process. Find the worst spot, make a correction and then move on. You never want to spend too much time working on one spot or type of trueness.

I think the hardest thing to get right as a newbie is balanced tension. Having access to a tensionmeter or an experience pair of hands to check tension can be a godsend.

this thread has tempted me also to give it a go. the book is being printed as i type :)

Sheldon Brown has some info on this... http://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html

Anyone know where you can buy a tensionmeter??

The only real cheap and decent one is a Park TM-1. However they're 60 USD if bought in the states or 50-60 GBP if bought here!! They're a bit of a rip-off if bought here.

Park TM-1 from Nashbar (60 USD)
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=600099&subcategory=60001231&b rand=&sku=8563&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=Shop% 20by%20Subcat%3A%20Wheels

Park TM-1 from Chain Reaction Cycles (50 GBP) - Free shipping though
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=7131

However, its a decent, easy to use tool and I've been reet happy with mine. Good to buy if you know you're going to build multiple wheels.

radial and lateral roundness doh this has just taken on a new level of complexity i thought you just had to get them side to side wobble free