New hand built wheels query

[Cuchilo]

To be fair the guy who built them didn't refer to them necessarily needing re-tensioning, but just said to bring the bike back in after a few weeks, or if I felt they had gone out of tension for effectively a check up and tweak if necessary. I called it re-tensioning above just through my own ignorance in the whole hand building of wheels and what to expect after.

I should add though, that although I know he has done thousands of wheels over the last 20+ years, and that a lot of the local club riders use him, I don't actually know how good or bad a wheel builder he is. I will certainly check the wheels weekly to see if they have stayed true, but will have to trust at the moment that I haven't made a mistake in getting hand builts.

I find it odd that you are questioning the quality of hand built wheels . Would you question a set of wheels bought from a shop ?

 

[50000tears]

I find it odd that you are questioning the quality of hand built wheels . Would you question a set of wheels bought from a shop ?

I know, but like I said I have little understanding of the process myself. What I have read though, on this forum when looking into hand built wheels, was that you can get bad builders as well as good. So the question is not about hand build quality per se, but rather whether my LBS builder has done a good job or not. No reason at the moment to think that he has not. But until I have a few hundred miles on them I won't be 100% relaxed about them as this was a reasonable investment £ wise for me, so want to be sure that I got it right.

 

[Spoked Wheels]

I know, but like I said I have little understanding of the process myself. What I have read though, on this forum when looking into hand built wheels, was that you can get bad builders as well as good. So the question is not about hand build quality per se, but rather whether my LBS builder has done a good job or not. No reason at the moment to think that he has not. But until I have a few hundred miles on them I won't be 100% relaxed about them as this was a reasonable investment £ wise for me, so want to be sure that I got it right.

Your wheel builder probably did a good job and you have to give your wheels a chance. Enjoy them.

 

[Cubist]

I have several pairs of hand built wheels, one of which I built myself under the watchful eye of a trusted wheel builder. Several times during the tensioning process he showed me how to de-stress the spokes, which he explained as relieving the twist in the spokes themselves so that the tension was from the nipple and threads, rather than twisted spokes. I'm Clydesdale class, and the wheels have done some rocky hard work, and none of his or my builds have ever needed re tensioning. ( just watch them go all wobbly tomorrow now I've said that!)

 

[Old Plodder]

I have built many wheels & have had no problems with them, but just occassionally a spoke or two may need a tweak, that is why a good builder will offer to check them over after a bedding in period, after all, his reputation is at stake.
Wheels can be built to suit different purposes, that is why there are different crossing patterns, & differing numbers of the spokes.