I didn't realize how much goes into building a wheel

I didn't realize how much goes into building a wheel | Syd Fixes Bikes

Рет қаралды 29,669

Күн бұрын

Join us today in a new location -- the NOBL Wheels headquarters on Vancouver Island, British Columbia -- while I learn everything that goes in to building a wheel from scratch.
A huge thank you to NOBL and Liam for taking the time to teach me and for making sure I didn't screw up too badly.
If you've decided (like we have) that building your own wheels is way too hard and you'd rather leave it to the pros, check out NOBL's website where you can design your own custom wheelset (and they'll build it for you): bit.ly/nobl-syd-macky (use code "NOBLSYDANDMACKY24" for 10% off)
What you'll need:
Rim - bit.ly/nobl-syd-macky (use code "NOBLSYDANDMACKY24" for 10% off)
Hub - bit.ly/3Ioshf6
Spokes - bit.ly/4bOUsBw
Nipples - bit.ly/48Ayz6f
Nipple loader - amzn.to/42XkIWu
Spoke powder - bit.ly/3V38j19
Spoke wrench - amzn.to/4bTw1D5 or bit.ly/3IjGKJj
Truing stand - bit.ly/3Th2JXL
Spoke tension gauge - bit.ly/4bXfIF9 (or a cheaper alternative: amzn.to/3P56ehw)
The really nice wheel dishing guage that Syd used - bit.ly/3wxI5JT (or a cheaper alternative: bit.ly/3V01htX)
Other things in the shed:
Our toolkit: bit.ly/337LfDf
Allen keys: bit.ly/2HpDW15
Work stand: bit.ly/3mTXStc
Tool pegboard: amzn.to/3mTYlLY
Syd's apron: amzn.to/345MbHz
Paint pens: amzn.to/2TpCL4u
00:00 Intro
00:30 What you'll need
01:12 Part 2 - Pull your nipples
02:19 Part 3 - Prep rim and hub
03:31 Part 4 - Pick spokes
04:31 Part 5 - Install spokes
10:35 Part 6 - Initial tension
11:45 Part 7 - Check the dish
15:29 Part 8 - Tension check
20:44 Part 9 - Initial true
25:04 Part 10 - More tension
28:11 Part 11 - How to build a wheel in 1 minute
These links are affiliate links which means we get a small percentage of the sale! The price stays the same for you, but you can support our channel by purchasing through one of these links :)
If this video was helpful and saved you time and/or money, consider supporting the channel:
Patreon: / sydandmacky
Venmo: venmo.com/u/sydandmacky
Paypal: paypal.me/sydandmacky
Or hit the "Thanks" button above to leave a tip
Our vlogging channel: / sydandmacky
Our Instagram: / sydandmacky

Пікірлер: 107

@Palfreeezy 4 ай бұрын

It was great giving you guys the wheel building run down! Fully confident you could build an acceptable wheel after that 😂

@sydfixesbikes 4 ай бұрын

Thanks so much for the excellent tutelage!

@dougwalker9647 4 ай бұрын

That guy teaching wheel building is Awesome 🎉

@jeremycole2036 3 ай бұрын

Liam was an incredibly good and patient teacher, without any frustration or disrespect for the student, and it's great. Love it.

@MTB_CRZY 4 ай бұрын

Wheel building is an art! Worked in a bike shop for a number of years with way less equipment than these guys and wheel building took me forever. Never really got the hang of it because wheel builds are few and far between in my area but its always a cool experience when the new wheels roll out the shops door and the customer doesnt come back needing a true after 2 days 😂

@dewindoethdwl2798 3 ай бұрын

I built my first wheels in 1985. I’ve been building wheels ever since. I find it peaceful so stopped charging for my time, just the parts. Restoring older wheels is a pure labour of love, try sourcing spokes for an original penny farthing 😂. I love the new materials that make some old ideas finally possible. Some forms are aesthetic, others are good engineering but all are fun to lace-up and true in. There’s not much more satisfying than a downhills addict coming back from a euro competition saying my wheels were the ones that survive……then produces something like a taco and asks if I can rescue his mates favourite wheel 😂

@SirGeorgeRoss 4 ай бұрын

Great video, loved it. My marketing side was annoyed that the company brand was nowhere to be seen not even on Liam’s tee-shirt! But, damn, that’s nit-picking - a great topic!

@ianfurqueron5850 4 ай бұрын

Having built a few sets of wheels, I've learned wheel building is a skill that should be practiced. And because I might build a set of wheels every few years I don't get enough practice to ever match those who build them all the time. So while I will do pretty much every other operation of bike work, I leave wheel building to the pros.

@peterharrington8709 4 ай бұрын

I'd guess this might be THE most complex 'fix' you've ever done Syd? Proper concentration on your face! We really do get a proper idea of the wizardry needed to be good at this. Brilliant video! 👍

@Orenchis 4 ай бұрын

I'm going back into the office soon, so I thought I would try out an ebike to commute. I haven't been on a peddle/push bike in years ... close to 20 years. I've somehow stumbled upon your videos and been binge watching them for the past couple of days. Loving all the tips and tricks for maintenance Syd, cheers mate. My bike should be arriving later this week.

@davidc6032 4 ай бұрын

For years I've read and heard about hand built wheels vs. machine built. Now I have a better idea why people put a premium on hand built if you have someone like Liam putting them together.

@davidburgess741 3 ай бұрын

I've done about two dozen wheels over 40 years! First starting by copying existing wheels, really struggling with trueing and tension. Ali Clarkson's video came out a couple years ago. Lace the wheel in quarters. It all got easier. Jim Langley's site also has some worthwhile insights. I stay a bit rusty with as few wheels I build, and take 4x as long as a pro, but I get comparable results. All those pro fixtures also have to speed assembly. Not a discipline you master in a day.

@robertmisiuk7137 3 ай бұрын

I had a shop redo the rear wheel on my road bike. They went above and beyond and fixed it similar to what was done in this build. It survived a bad flat that took out the tire and tube. Rode over 5 miles on the flat on rough roads and the wheel did great. Building a wheel is almost an art. Thanks for sharing such an awesome video.

@marvinator79 4 ай бұрын

That's why I leave wheel building for pros. That way I get a quality wheel set and something that will last. Also less chance of me hurting myself if something fails.

@UraniumMilk 4 ай бұрын

The problem with that is no one is more incentivized to have perfect wheels on your bike than you if the pro is eating a sandwich and watching TV as he does your wheel then ...

@jeremynorth 3 ай бұрын

Wow, Liam is a really good teacher. I've built one wheel and am now asking myself if I put enough tension on the spokes. It is round and true and feels fine. I'd like to see how to build a rear wheel where the dish is asymmetrical

@tom93r1 4 ай бұрын

Every time I need a new wheel I consider building one myself, then I imagine in my mind what that entails and just go back to my guy who I know does a great job of building something that won't kill me. I appreciate seeing that my imagination was pretty accurate.

@Local.hero.cycling. 4 ай бұрын

I'll always have a soft spot for this channel (the original shed during cov19)

@allangrant1326 4 ай бұрын

Great video! I just built my first ever set of wheels last week for my xc bike Extralite hubs Berd spokes Duke carbon rims I was super happy with how their turned out and they’re 992grams 🤘

@123moof 4 ай бұрын

My first pair of wheels I built took a full weekend and multiple breaks, beers, etc. By the fourth set it was down to a couple hours a wheel, and they came out much nicer. Mine are nowhere near the OCD level of perfection, but it is a fun thing to do and will give you mad respect for the masters that can build or true a wheel in a small fraction of the time it takes you. It is great skill to have, and as he stated you don't need perfection to make a safe set of wheels that will ride great. I'd love to have that lacing jig, might have to rig something up...

@richardbryanesq 3 ай бұрын

How much is the initial investment in tools and starter components? Under $1,000? Or more like $3,000?

@allanwighton6236 3 ай бұрын

Thank you, ace video! I find my 'zen' when truing/building wheels. 👍

@SchmitzJeanNoel 4 ай бұрын

Super interesting and those guys know how to make a good wheel. I've learned that 30 years ago with an already old mecanic. He was such a good guy and by far the very best wheel builder of my region. Thanks to him, I'm a pretty decent bike mecanic !

@jrludwig1 4 ай бұрын

Thanks. That was very informative. I learned a few things to help me with truing and learned that some of the little things I've figured out are also used by pro wheel builders.

@realStefanLowe 3 ай бұрын

I love these kind of videos. Specially when the head tech is wearing an OMEGA SeaMaster.

@Palfreeezy 3 ай бұрын

That Seamaster has joined me on 1000s of wheel builds 👌

@realStefanLowe 3 ай бұрын

@@Palfreeezy That is awesome!

@Thecrazyvaclav 3 ай бұрын

I was more impressed he was wearing a England football shirt ( that’s soccer for the colonials)

@gungadinn 4 ай бұрын

What, no spoke washers? I built between 15 and 20 sets of wheels a year. Anything from a down hill wheel to a track wheel. What is not called gravel bikes were cyclocross type bikes. Sadly, one of the pioneers in wheels fabrication, Wheelsmith is no longer producing the Texas Instruments TI-35 based spoke length calculator. The calculator along with the ring binder of various rims, hubs, and spokes, was a time saver. I had their spoke length calculator, spoke length gauges and the tension gauge. The first wheel set always take the most time. Build 5 or so sets and the build time drops. Run your new wheel 20 miles and check the tension, and make sure to squeeze the spokes to get any wind up out. You did good for the first build Syd.

@SternLX 3 ай бұрын

Man i feel old. Laced more wheels than I can remember over the last few decades and have never used a lacing jig. I'm just old school like that.

@ajsds66 4 ай бұрын

Syd, you did not laugh when the mechanic mentioned the word "nipples". 😂😂

@sydfixesbikes 4 ай бұрын

It took great effort not to 😂

@ajsds66 4 ай бұрын

🤣🤣😂😂 I could see it in your struggling face.

@glenni249 4 ай бұрын

Especially when he opened with the potential that you might have "nice colourful nipples." 😂

@cjg1482 4 ай бұрын

I’ve built a few wheels. Lots of fun. Very relaxing. Knowing how to build a wheel will help you true your wheels.

@ucanskixc568 3 ай бұрын

SHocked you have not built a wheel before the of age of 20, especially as a racer! Nice modern touches of mechanics which makes things a lot easier and quicker! My wheels are still good after 50 years and counting. The only wheels I have not built that I ride, are my fatbike wheels since I have never had to touch them. :) I always allowed myself an hour or so to do a wheel. This was at home, as I did not work at a bike shop. I have however worked on friends bent wheels many times. "Anybody's Bike Book" was one of my first bike books.176 pages, 1971, the book is very dirty, lol!

@brittweir8844 3 ай бұрын

Great job ❤

@bodhi47 4 ай бұрын

I think I’m going to forgo the pleasure of lacing my own wheels. This makes my head hurt.

@Horstelin 4 ай бұрын

You're missing out! Also lacing is the easy part, trueing for runout and tension is much harder

@noneofyourbusiness4294 3 ай бұрын

@@HorstelinI guess they meant the whole process. And I absolutely get it. It's my least favorite thing to do in the shop. Honestly, if someone laces the wheel for me, I'll happily true it afterwards. But lacing itself just doesn't sit right with me. I can do it, but whenever I can, I'll pass. Mostly because of customers. We mostly sell and repair commuting bikes, and that's just a different kind of customer. Like, when people who ride anything along the lines of mtb, gravel, or roadbikes come in, I just know they are aware that it's not gonna be cheap. They shrug and go "well, it has to be done anyway". But the commuting crowd is built different

@chadkoller5327 4 ай бұрын

What an awesome video!

@makantahi3731 3 ай бұрын

tension caliper is not required because wheel must be straight, this can only be used as a guide whether the wheel is sufficiently tightened on the side that is more heavily loaded, and not to use a gauge to straighten the wheel

@Limestream73 4 ай бұрын

Wheel builders are magicians.

@fpeter01 3 ай бұрын

I wouldn't say that. Everyone knows that magicians are cheaters. :d

@winklertribe5268 4 ай бұрын

I have a set of i9 wheels and though I didn’t know how much work goes into making them, Ive always known they’re magical!

@alexharvey2000 4 ай бұрын

KZfaq didn’t recommend this to me but I’ve been subbed for over a year.. frustrating. Awesome content !

@pw7752 4 ай бұрын

Cool retro England shirt! (I used to work for Nationwide at that time).

@fgoehner 4 ай бұрын

Fantastic video

@cliffordrichardc 2 ай бұрын

very happy see it

@hobbybike51 3 ай бұрын

It's even easier to build wheels on the couch lol! 😁

@jeremymcbride8729 4 ай бұрын

Thanks guys. Great video. Never have I built a wheel and after watching this, I doubt I ever will, due to lack of mental fortitude lol. Cheers n

@FrankAllen-fx2hw 3 ай бұрын

this is so cool.. building a wheel!

@makantahi3731 3 ай бұрын

6:48 that wheel stand looks practical but it's not because it's hard to lean over it

@GeekonaBike 4 ай бұрын

I've always built rear wheels with the pulling J-bend spokes heads on the outside, so that if a chain ships over the large cog the less critical J-bends are the one damaged. Should I reverse this on disc break hub. As the breaking spokes are likely to have more stress?

@fpeter01 3 ай бұрын

21:24 She is watching it like a kid from an elementary school. ^.^

@ianbrown2336 3 ай бұрын

When are you going to do a check and review of your wheels I am have a nobl wheelset and a big fan

@englishwithtroy 3 ай бұрын

Wow!

@makantahi3731 3 ай бұрын

14:58 you should have rim tape, if something breaks to prevent to shoot you in eye

@makantahi3731 3 ай бұрын

26:38 a handy tool to save your fingers

@fe9523 4 ай бұрын

Just the video I needed to repair mine 😬

@maximiliangutmann Ай бұрын

Great video and company but I got two questions! Firstly, why do they use only one of the two caliper arms on the truing stand? Is it more precise to flip the wheel around and use only one caliper arm? Secondly, why do they put a piece of paper under the wheel while it is mounted in the truing stand?

@hakanhaydarpasa415 3 ай бұрын

Hey. Great job! can I ask something ? Where can I find a 3-legged stand? at 10:37sec

@makantahi3731 3 ай бұрын

10:51 you have to heavy drill machine, i use small electric screwdriver to make initial tension

@ahenrytheninth 3 ай бұрын

I run 42 spokes on my 700c touring wheels, 3 cross, yes its overbuild, but with my load. No worries

@bruceterris1754 4 ай бұрын

Did you film this while you were at BCBR? I was in that shop during that week, what a cool place.

@sydfixesbikes 4 ай бұрын

Yup!

@SonnyDarvishzadeh 4 ай бұрын

I wonder why the wheel truing stand doesn't incorporate the dish checker at the same time? Like it can have two handles (?) at the bottom instead of one.

@Palfreeezy 4 ай бұрын

We do have a few truing stands with both arms installed so you can check dish at the same time. I just prefer using the Abbey dish tool and having the extra room for my left hand to hold the spokes. Gives your hand a nice break when building lots of wheels in a row!

@makantahi3731 3 ай бұрын

25:59 alpine s spokes claim 150-170kg of load they break, so it should not go over 100kg per spoke on the tighter side of the wheel due to additional forces induced by rider weight, bumps in the road, driving style

@AdrianoCasemiro 24 күн бұрын

I've seen tools that I didn't know they even existed. Building bike wheels is really hard and I'll leave to a professional. Great video, though.

@greggr1591 4 ай бұрын

Here's how you build a wheel in one minute: call Liam. (If you're into the zen method, call Blue Lug :) Nice job, Syd!

@CGalvis65 3 ай бұрын

That’s a whole lot of nipple talk!! LOL!!! How did you keep a straight face through that?? Just ordered a set of Nobles with the berd spokes. Great video!!

@dogg15 4 ай бұрын

He did well to keep a straight face at the start 😜

@makantahi3731 3 ай бұрын

5:39 you should first lace disc side

@benlisle7623 3 ай бұрын

Glad i'm not the only wheel builder who tries to get the right number of spokes and nipples first time😂

@makantahi3731 3 ай бұрын

7:02 you made 560 wheels just last year, did you true them all, when i had orders i was doing 10 wheels a day half an hour per wheel (lace+true)and after that i was completely exhausted for the day

@HD46409 4 ай бұрын

Wayyy toooo much work.... BTW, do you all not ski during the winter?

@sydfixesbikes 4 ай бұрын

Yup we do some skiing in the winter (kzfaq.info/get/bejne/h9JlotGBnKeRnWg.html) but biking is definitely the main sport.

@makantahi3731 3 ай бұрын

28:00 you forgot to put a drop of rubber glue on each nipple to keep them from unscrewing

@joerobinson8124 4 ай бұрын

There is a drinking game in this video. Every time the word nipple is heard, take a shot. Alcohol poisoning,

@makantahi3731 3 ай бұрын

3:10 i would say disc side not brake side

@faruktrako4201 3 ай бұрын

Why would you need to check the dish with dish tool and just check it with the stand. You see left and right on the stand

@Team81MTB 4 ай бұрын

So I guess that my dream of being a master wheel builder has been crushed. I don't have the patience for that. As long as my wheel was within a 1/2" of being true I'd consider it a successful build. 😂 Don't think that would classify me as a good wheel builder in the real world. 😂

@sydfixesbikes 4 ай бұрын

😂

@DanTuber 4 ай бұрын

This job would trigger a lot of OCD people. Trying to get it perfect would take forever.

@FromTheRightAngle 4 ай бұрын

Take a shot every time this dude says nipple.

@makantahi3731 3 ай бұрын

4:52 2crosses for 29 inch wheel????

@skellener 4 ай бұрын

Holy crap! So much information! My brain hurts. Great video!

@freedville 4 ай бұрын

How did you do on the nipple estimate? Was it time to buy a lottery ticket? 😉

@seanmccuen6970 3 ай бұрын

wheels are the only thing on my bikes I don't fk with and leave to someone else to do it.

@evangatehouse5650 4 ай бұрын

Yup. Not going to try that. Lovely instructions however

@ChindoCaine 2 ай бұрын

Did you really not tell us how many nipples Syd put in the box?? 😲 Or did I miss it? 😂

@asifitmatters1 2 ай бұрын

Bigger gap on the front is brake side, bigger gap on the back is drive side… this isn’t an encyclopedia!

@RolfReiner 4 ай бұрын

It´s not rocket science... oh wait, it is.

@charlesmansplaining 4 ай бұрын

Lining up the logo with the valve hole makes absolutely no difference. All parts being balanced and the same dimension this seems like just some dumb thing some wheel builder started and everyone thought, Oh! That's cool. Does anyone every peep through the valve hole?

@tom93r1 4 ай бұрын

For a manufacturer they want everything that goes out the door to look consistent. If they aren't consistent I guarantee they will have some customers that complain the front wheel doesn't look like the rear. Personally I wouldn't care, but having owned a business in the past I know that people will complain about the most un-important things.

@doncrescas 4 ай бұрын

It's actually helpful to quickly check that you have rotated the hub correctly and not reversed it which can easily happen during the first phase when you haven't put in the crossing spokes yet.

@charlesmansplaining 4 ай бұрын

I've been building my own wheelsets the last 20 years, a dozen at least, and I never have issues when using them, nor the people I have sold them to complained. It's time consuming yes but not rocket science.

@davidburgess741 3 ай бұрын

I built one wheel where the hub manufacturer actually placed a dot over the key 2 spoke holes. The label showed through the valve hole.

@makantahi3731 3 ай бұрын

2:08 no need for that, to install nipples you first have to lubricate nipples with wd40

@Yoda-em5mt 3 ай бұрын

Did he really say 3 and 4 cross was stiffer than 2 cross totally wrong shorter spokes makes a lighter and stiffer wheel i am so glad i build my own wheels the right way ie mirrow image 2 cross asym wtb rims finnish with 222 loctite and forget sapim there shit dt pg spokes or dont ride bikes brass nipples on rear alloyon front .

@Leviathandk 3 ай бұрын

I caught that aswell... 3 cross stiffer than 2 cross.. It has to be a brain fart from him.

@makantahi3731 3 ай бұрын

6:36 you do not do very well with repetitive tasks?????, repairing bicycles is not for you because you need to have a scientific and logical approach, then you do some art, there you can express all the nightmares in your head, maybe someone likes it and you get rich