My Wheel Building Guide

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My Wheel Building Guide
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flag seraph
Posted: Jul 5, 2015 at 21:15 Quote
Non name brand spokes can be very poor quality. With a brand name like DT Swiss or Sapim, you know you have a product you can depend on. Marin builds their wheels with off-brand spokes and they fail 99% of the time.
flag elkinfa19
Posted: Jul 6, 2015 at 20:09 Quote
Tier1 wrote:
elkinfa19 wrote:
A second question comes to me: ¿Is there a significant difference between branded spokes -DT swiss for example- and generic ones?

I believe there to be but you kind of have to specify what spokes you mean. Like DT Competition's, Champion's, Alpine 3's or Sapim Force or Super Spokes or Lasers or whatever.

I think I bought a bunch of the Sapim Lasers (custom cut by a guy at my LBS using the phil wood tool) and they seem quite good. Laced up one wheel but ran out of time before I had to go for the summer.

Which spokes would you recommend me? I don't know the references or brands that I can get in my city, but I think that DT Swiss will be the easiest to get. Between Champ and Competition, which is cheapier? what's the difference between them.

Finally I'm closer to buy the rims -ZTR FLOW EX. WTB i25 KOM or Frequency-.
flag seraph
Posted: Jul 6, 2015 at 22:20 Quote
elkinfa19 wrote:
Tier1 wrote:
elkinfa19 wrote:
A second question comes to me: ¿Is there a significant difference between branded spokes -DT swiss for example- and generic ones?

I believe there to be but you kind of have to specify what spokes you mean. Like DT Competition's, Champion's, Alpine 3's or Sapim Force or Super Spokes or Lasers or whatever.

I think I bought a bunch of the Sapim Lasers (custom cut by a guy at my LBS using the phil wood tool) and they seem quite good. Laced up one wheel but ran out of time before I had to go for the summer.

Which spokes would you recommend me? I don't know the references or brands that I can get in my city, but I think that DT Swiss will be the easiest to get. Between Champ and Competition, which is cheapier? what's the difference between them.

Finally I'm closer to buy the rims -ZTR FLOW EX. WTB i25 KOM or Frequency-.

Champion is straight gauge 2.0mm, Competition is double butted 2.0/1.8mm. Competition is technically stronger, but a bit more expensive,
flag elkinfa19
Posted: Jul 8, 2015 at 12:17 Quote
seraph wrote:
elkinfa19 wrote:
Tier1 wrote:


I believe there to be but you kind of have to specify what spokes you mean. Like DT Competition's, Champion's, Alpine 3's or Sapim Force or Super Spokes or Lasers or whatever.

I think I bought a bunch of the Sapim Lasers (custom cut by a guy at my LBS using the phil wood tool) and they seem quite good. Laced up one wheel but ran out of time before I had to go for the summer.

Which spokes would you recommend me? I don't know the references or brands that I can get in my city, but I think that DT Swiss will be the easiest to get. Between Champ and Competition, which is cheapier? what's the difference between them.

Finally I'm closer to buy the rims -ZTR FLOW EX. WTB i25 KOM or Frequency-.

Champion is straight gauge 2.0mm, Competition is double butted 2.0/1.8mm. Competition is technically stronger, but a bit more expensive,

What about atomlab spokes?
flag seraph
Posted: Jul 8, 2015 at 12:22 Quote
elkinfa19 wrote:
seraph wrote:
elkinfa19 wrote:


Which spokes would you recommend me? I don't know the references or brands that I can get in my city, but I think that DT Swiss will be the easiest to get. Between Champ and Competition, which is cheapier? what's the difference between them.

Finally I'm closer to buy the rims -ZTR FLOW EX. WTB i25 KOM or Frequency-.

Champion is straight gauge 2.0mm, Competition is double butted 2.0/1.8mm. Competition is technically stronger, but a bit more expensive,

What about atomlab spokes?

I don't know anything about their spokes. I always use DT Swiss wheels on my builds.
flag elkinfa19
Posted: Jul 8, 2015 at 18:55 Quote
seraph wrote:
elkinfa19 wrote:
seraph wrote:


Champion is straight gauge 2.0mm, Competition is double butted 2.0/1.8mm. Competition is technically stronger, but a bit more expensive,

What about atomlab spokes?

I don't know anything about their spokes. I always use DT Swiss wheels on my builds.



Well, there's a third candidate in the rim department: Industry Nine Enduro rim http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m130/kwaterbury22/Delirium/CIMG1504.jpg this same, it must be a few years old, but is new. And the WTB is loosing chances because of its availability, apparently it takes long time for being shipped... So, the choice should be between ZTR FLOW EX and Industry Nine Enduro rim (both with the same price)... So, I'm ready to read your opinions.
flag seraph
Posted: Jul 8, 2015 at 23:42 Quote
I love building with WTB rims personally. I find their 4D drilling is far superior to other companies' drilling. It really allows you to achieve proper spoke tension without binding the nipple because it's at an odd angle.

I dislike Industry Nine for many reasons, and I have personally ridden the Flows, so I'm going to have to vote for the Flows out of the two, if you can't get WTB.
flag elkinfa19
Posted: Jul 9, 2015 at 5:55 Quote
seraph wrote:
I love building with WTB rims personally. I find their 4D drilling is far superior to other companies' drilling. It really allows you to achieve proper spoke tension without binding the nipple because it's at an odd angle.

I dislike Industry Nine for many reasons, and I have personally ridden the Flows, so I'm going to have to vote for the Flows out of the two, if you can't get WTB.

Seraph, thank you so much, your help has been very useful, when I get the wheels I'll upload a photo Smile
flag Aladin
Posted: Jul 15, 2015 at 3:26 Quote
After reading some of the recent posts on this thread... you find the internet does not chg much from site to site. Same ol same ol... mostly shoot from the hip parroting.

Yes the name brand spoke is superior.. the company is branding it hence the corners are not cut. But not all of the generics are bad.. some are just the brand name sans the branding. But mostly spoke breakage goes to poor tension balance.. spokes shaking loose.. assembly quality is not there.

DT spokes.. NO, not in my world. Why mess with a spoke that winds up? Yes we can over crank them and then turn back to hopefully eliminate the wind up.. yet the only precise method is holding them in place.. which is a PITA. USE Sapim Lasers instead... NO wind up. I read one 'builder' stating the Lasers DO wind up 1/5 turn, but that is only goes to the application of some prep product. Which is NOT needed if you've got your build planned correctly.

Sapim Strong... is. 13/14 butted spoke of unreal strength and durability.
flag seraph
Posted: Jul 15, 2015 at 10:57 Quote
Aladin wrote:
After reading some of the recent posts on this thread... you find the internet does not chg much from site to site. Same ol same ol... mostly shoot from the hip parroting.

Yes the name brand spoke is superior.. the company is branding it hence the corners are not cut. But not all of the generics are bad.. some are just the brand name sans the branding. But mostly spoke breakage goes to poor tension balance.. spokes shaking loose.. assembly quality is not there.

DT spokes.. NO, not in my world. Why mess with a spoke that winds up? Yes we can over crank them and then turn back to hopefully eliminate the wind up.. yet the only precise method is holding them in place.. which is a PITA. USE Sapim Lasers instead... NO wind up. I read one 'builder' stating the Lasers DO wind up 1/5 turn, but that is only goes to the application of some prep product. Which is NOT needed if you've got your build planned correctly.

Sapim Strong... is. 13/14 butted spoke of unreal strength and durability.

I always build with DT for my personal wheels and for every customer's wheel I build. None of my spokes wind up when I use linseed oil as spoke prep.
flag Aladin
Posted: Jul 16, 2015 at 4:06 Quote
.[/Quote] I always build with DT for my personal wheels and for every customer's wheel I build. None of my spokes wind up when I use linseed oil as spoke prep.[/Quote]

I seldom if ever use a spoke prep of any kind. I ride triplet's rear which means left side tension is above the 'shake loose' range.

I've run a few trials on the bench here... I haven't seen linseed 'set'. Maybe another flavor of it... messy too.

But when it/if it sets... making adjustments later means holding the spoke to prevent windup... (?).

Hats off to your industry and skill.
flag seraph
Posted: Jul 16, 2015 at 10:00 Quote
Aladin wrote:
.
I always build with DT for my personal wheels and for every customer's wheel I build. None of my spokes wind up when I use linseed oil as spoke prep.[/Quote]

I seldom if ever use a spoke prep of any kind. I ride triplet's rear which means left side tension is above the 'shake loose' range.

I've run a few trials on the bench here... I haven't seen linseed 'set'. Maybe another flavor of it... messy too.

But when it/if it sets... making adjustments later means holding the spoke to prevent windup... (?).

Hats off to your industry and skill.[/Quote]

Linseed turns into a gel when it "sets", meaning you can still turn the nipple when it's dry but it won't spin loose under normal riding conditions.

Maybe if you had any real industry experience you'd know that.

Building wheels without spoke prep is just dumb. There's a reason why we use grease on threaded metal components.
flag RyanWensley
Posted: Jul 16, 2015 at 11:34 Quote
Just don't leave refined linseed oil in direct sunlight after you're done or you may burn your workshop down.... gotta love spontaneous combustion
flag Aladin
Posted: Jul 16, 2015 at 12:36 Quote
seraph wrote:
[ Building wheels without spoke prep is just dumb. There's a reason why we use grease on threaded metal components.

I am quite sure your knowledge could be wrote on the head of a pin.. with a #2 lead pencil.

Nuff said... LOL.
flag RyanWensley
Posted: Jul 16, 2015 at 12:46 Quote
Lol remind me never to buy a wheel you have built then. I've watched many wheel builders, at their work and every one has used some form of spoke prep.

 


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