Sometimes I am not very smart

[wvoldguy]

Some of you may recall I was smitten by the camelback design of a Budnitz frame on eBay, and after several days of see-sawing back and forth, decided to buy the frame. My plan was to strip the heavy steel frame I've called Big Red and move all the parts over to the new frame. The best laid plans, yada yada . . .

Turns out my front hub won't work with the new fork. The wheel has a cup and cone 9mm QR axle, and the fork has a 12x100 through axle. I considered just yanking the new CF fork and substituting a cromoly Surly fork I have on hand, but I doubt I'd have much luck selling the Budnitz fork . . . there were a bunch of similar ones on eBay. And it seemed a shame to buy a new frame and immediately start parting it out. So I'm stepping into the uknown, taking on a task I've never attempted: lacing a wheel. I ordered a suitable front hub to replace my current hub. To those who have replaced a wheel hub, any suggestions/warnings? I'm going to study some more YT videos and see how I fare.

 

[Wildcat]

I just recently learned how to lace a wheel, and used You tube to do it. It turns out it isn't hard at all like I thought for years. I found a video that didn't talk for 3 hours and that made it easy.


Then I searched and found a site that works for measuring for spoke length. If your hubs are the same size, then the spokes can be reused or the size.
https://www.prowheelbuilder.com/spokelengthcalculator
I've laced a couple dozen times now and ordered spokes that worked well.
The hub and rim number of holes should match,
By changing the cross number pattern, I've been able to use all my spokes of different sizes.

 

[wvoldguy]

Much appreciated, wildcat.

 

[Oak Tree]

To quote an old advertising slogan- just do it.
You will mess up, you will get it wrong, you will have to start over and you will get better. Just do it. There’s nothing finer than rolling on a set of wheels that you laced.

 

[Dizzle Problems]

Lacing isn’t the hard part. It’s tension and true that take the time. Here’s a video I found useful when I learned-



and this is the spoke calculator I prefer-

https://leonard.io/edd/

with this calculator, I’ve learned it’s best to round down about plus 1mm. (Example- if it says 259.8, 258 is what I’d order)


Best advice I can give is as you lace, equal spoke tension. I put each spoke on where I can see 1 or 2 threads on the spokes still, then once the wheel is laced twist each nipple the same amount throughout the whole wheel until you’re upto tension. You will feel adjustments needed as you go. Once mostly tensioned, true.

 

[Wildcat]

That's a video I used also, but I thought the title might not be acceptable here.

 

[Captain Awesome]

That's a video I used also, but I thought the title might not be acceptable here.

 

[Karate Chicken Industries]

The calculator I use: https://www.wheelpro.co.uk/spokecalc/

 

[AndyA]

Brother wvoldguy:
Cap'n Pete Culler, extraordinary boat designer and builder, said "Experience begins when you start." After all, learning to lace a wheel isn't like learning to juggle chainsaws. You can always try again. Have fun and let us know about your progress!

 

[toro1978]

I think there are adapter from QR to through axle. I read some about it because I wanted to install a drum brake hub in a downhill fork. So I found out there isn't a solution for me, but I remember vaguely that there were conversion kits for QR hubs...

Yep, there are.
QR adaptor ser

 

[Vanner]

You’ve got this. It’s not hard at all. Of course you’ll need a wheel truer or borrow a friends but it ain’t that hard. Time consuming and mind numbing, but not difficult.

 

[ParkRNDL]

Lacing isn’t the hard part. It’s tension and true that take the time. Here’s a video I found useful when I learned-



and this is the spoke calculator I prefer-

https://leonard.io/edd/

with this calculator, I’ve learned it’s best to round down about plus 1mm. (Example- if it says 259.8, 258 is what I’d order)


Best advice I can give is as you lace, equal spoke tension. I put each spoke on where I can see 1 or 2 threads on the spokes still, then once the wheel is laced twist each nipple the same amount throughout the whole wheel until you’re upto tension. You will feel adjustments needed as you go. Once mostly tensioned, true.

I used this video also. I thought it made the process pretty understandable.

 

[Dizzle Problems]

I think there are adapter from QR to through axle. I read some about it because I wanted to install a drum brake hub in a downhill fork. So I found out there isn't a solution for me, but I remember vaguely that there were conversion kits for QR hubs...

Yep, there are.
QR adaptor ser

I came back to this thread to say this as well. Adapters are available

 

[Karate Chicken Industries]

https://ratrodbikes.com/forum/threads/erd-resource-for-wheelbuilders.111655/

 

[Wildcat]

I looked through my rims and spokes and in a few hours had a set of wheels laced up ready for truing at the bike shop. I always use the shop to support the local economy and they always do a great job for just a few bucks. They get a 100% tip and it's still only about 5 bucks a wheel. These will go on a red mixte frame.

 

[BDC]

$5 a wheel! I'd be all over that too.

My local guy charges $47 to tune a wheel.

 

[toro1978]

Wow, I paid around 50 for lacing and truing wheels, pro wheel. 50 for truing only is ridiculously overpriced.

 

[Wildcat]

In the 80's it was under ten bucks in the states for truing per wheel. The last time I checked, in 2017, it was 45 bucks a wheel just for truing. A new wheel at that shop was 50 bucks, so I bought the new wheel.
These guys here in the Philippines are experts, they lace and true a wheel in 15 minutes or less on antique truing stands. Here they are lacing rims together to one hub, an idea I had that they reworked to make them straight.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

Here they are lacing rims together to one hub

To clarify, they're lacing TWO rims to one hub! Wildcat is a madman!!

 

[wvoldguy]

If I had any hair on top I'd be pulling it out. Lacing took me about an hour, not bad for my first attempt. Truing, on the other hand, took me 5 or 6 hours spread over a couple of days. I chased the lateral and rotary trueness back and forth over and over. The only thing that kept me from throwing up my hands and taking it to the LBS is that with every tweak between lateral and rotary, I seemed to be getting an itsy bit closer. I finally got the wobbles out and was happy with how the rim spun on the frame. Mounted my tire, and . . . the centerline of the tire is offset from the centerline of the fork. I don't have a dishing tool, and was just eyeballing the rim as I worked. The wheel runs true on the axle, but is about 3/16" right of center. Sigh.