Wheel Building 101

bwolfie said:

I havent trued and tightened them yet. I gave it a shot, but not so good. I don't have the time or patience for it. I think i'm going to have them done, I had a set of wheels built up years ago, i'll have that guy do it, he's fast and good.

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Too bad, I was hopeing to get your feedback on the job. I am slow with my bike wheels, maybe 1 1/2hr per. I am sure the MC wheels are going to take me twice that. Fast is good, if your know what your doing. Regardless post a shot of the finished product.

rvich said:

I called Buchanans back, armed with new quesitons. The woman (well she sounded pretty young, but don't they all to us old farts?) I spoke with was pretty easy to get along with today. She claims, despite my skepicism, that there is no difference in the strength of the different rims and that it is NOT easier to pull a nipple through an alloy rim than it is a steel one. She says the different styles are only to offer riders a look and that unfortunatly there is not any way to make the process easier by using science or math!

Russ

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Russ, I would be a little skeptical too, she may be science or fact averse. When it comes to lacing it's not that you actually pull the nipple through the rim. You get a split or crack around the hole. That's what happened to a guy that gave his wheel to be laced and trued over to a shop that I heard about on BritIron. The shop got a new rim at their own expense and did it over. Strictly speaking, she's probably right that -they- don't have any more problem lacing aluminum rims than steel ones. They're pro's, they do it all day long. I would bet that in practical terms that she's probably right, steel or aluminum, flanged or un-flanged are all sufficient to the task as far as strength goes. When it comes to styles of aluminum rims though, they don't call the flanged rims "Mud Catchers" for nothing.