my first wheel!!

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Thats cool. I could never figure it out with Sheldons method. I tried about 10 times. I finally watched a guy do one on YouTube and got the hang of it. All that master spoke stuff got me. I sat and built rims for 2 weeks and after about 20 sets you really get the hang of it. :lol: :lol: :lol: I can almost do them blindfolded.
 
Same here, Stretch. I was gun shy about doing it until the youtube vids took the mystery out of it. The Sheldon Brown thing just confused me. It opened up a whole new world of possibilities for builds.
 
I actually learned when I was younger tinkering with rims till I got it right, I'd find two rims that were similar and copy the lace pattern looking at the complete wheel and build the other. after a while it just got to be second nature. I still remember one time I tried to lace a 28 spoke hub to a 32 spoke rim, then after 5 hours of trying to figure out what I was doing wrong I about screamed. :oops:
 
I built two wheelsets when I was racing BMX at the age of 16. I just dove in and used the "look at another wheel for guidance" method. No interwebs or youtubes back then. Stuck them in my dad's truing stand, and "shablazzy!" Awesome wheels! I've recently purchased a truing stand of my own and disassembled some S-2s for powdercoating and chroming. I hope I'm as good at it now as I was 28 years ago. :D
 
congratulations! you know what they say, you never forget your first! :lol:
i think i watched/read everything there is on th subject, but like osc and resto said, it was easier for me to just copy off the front wheel as i did the rear. the feeling of accomplishment after successfully doin your first wheel is amazing, you feel like you can solve all the worlds problems now. i understand your exitment. :wink:
first wheel i trued off the bike, i put in a fork, stuck the steer tube down the hole for a rung in an aluminum extention ladder laying on its side. vise-gripped a piece of chalk to the fork. now thats rat! :mrgreen:
 
I have been noticing a difference between the way wheels are being laced now and how they were laced in the old school, still 4-cross on a standard 26" 36 hole cruiser rim, except...

Modern way:
1.Drop first 9 spokes into hub side nearest you and lace to rim.
2. Flip hub and rim over
3. Drop next 9 spokes into hub side nearest you and place spokes next to the first 9 normally.

Old School Way:
1. Drop first 9 spokes into hub side nearest you and lace to rim.
2. Drop next 9 spokes in hub holes furthest from you and place spokes in rim next to first 9.

Does this make any sense?
 
maybe, still trying to grasp your observation/ if i see it in my head correctly, there shouldnt be a disadvantage to either way, am i right? is one stronger?
i do one spoke at a time, and usually put a piece of tape on the spoke on the wheel im coppying so i can quickly tripple-check its right before moving to the next one. towards the end, it can be confusing.
 
Structurally or physically, I don't think there would be any advantage of one vs. the other.
I started noticing the difference when I was having trouble getting the spokes to fall into the right order so that the spokes on the right side of the hub would fall into the nipple holes toward the right side of the rim and vice-versa, especially with the old rims that have nipple holes offset, or staggered left, right, left, right, etc.
 
I got to lace one set that made me say NEVER AGAIN, 144 spokes on a 26" wheel. Even though straight lace is easy to do it's just tedious.
 
hahahahahaha, well i just looked at the youtube vids, and your right.

I had to read the Sheldon Brown instructions about 30 times before I got it right, it sure would have been faster to watch the videos. They explain much more clear..

oh well, I'm not scared of them anymore, I been building bicycles for years in one form or another, but always backed away when it came to the wheels
 
Good on you!
Done a few thousand or so, maybe? who was counting?
On a dare I laced and trued a wheel blindfolded, no problem.
I used to build them as piece work while watching TV.
 
Now try lacing two hoops to a single hub. I did one for a buddy's project. He had a Huffy Diesel BMX bike with a custom widened frame for the "Dually" rear tire. Wish I would have gotten pics before he moved. It was sweet.
 
I think the only secret to truing a wheel is to have all the spokes in all the nipples the same to start. Either cover all the threads the same or look inside the end and make sure they are all the same. Then its just a matter of tightening each spoke the same number of turns till they are all tight. It simplifies the process and avoids flat spots. Hope that makes sense.
 
Uncle Stretch, can you link us to the video you used for your wheels or a decent lacing video. There are so many out there and it just confuses me even more. :?

Thanks
 

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