Wheel build advice please

[shouldbeinbed]

I know nothing about wheel building so please feel free to type slowly and in great detail.

I have an old 20 inch wheel folder with a nightmare rear end. I've picked up a Sturmey X-RD5(w) hub & brake from Amazon for a bargain price. I checked before buying that the OLD fits but beyond that I'm out of my depth matching the two. The hub is 36 hole, the existing wheel isn't.

I need to source the rim and spokes to then have the wheel built & am after advice on suppliers etc.

I've heard DT Swiss mentioned for spokes but ???

Who do people recommended for spokes and rims (occasional use folder on roads and packed/wet mud at worst, I don't need fast or light, I'd rather solid and maintenance free AFAP.

What do I measure to get the right spoke length?

Are all spokes & nipples the same diameter & universal fit to one another and their holes in rims or do I need to ensure all 3 components are compatible?

If so, what info will tell me this on the specs for each?

Is it safe for me to assume the screw thread of spokes and nipples is universal?

I've been recommended a guy local to me in North Manchester to build it up for me but any locals who have a recommendation for someone then please chip in.

Please let me know of anything I've not considered too.

Thanks in advance

 

[Tim Hall]

The simplest way will be to give it all to your guy and ask him to source the rim and spokes. The DIY route will start with choosing a rim, then use an online spoke calculator, which will hopefully know the details of your hub and rim, and will allow you to determine the spoke lengths. If the rim and hub data isn't in the calculator you'll need to measure things.

 

[Venod]

This book is worth investing in even if you don't build the wheel yourself, it contains a lot of useful info for £9.00.

http://www.wheelpro.co.uk/wheelbuilding/book.php

 

[Yellow Saddle]

You are in a minefield, the equivalent of having inherited a plot of land and now you are asking online how to build a house, apply for zoning rights, structural strength and architecture. Take it to a professional wheelbuilder and drink a beer whilst he ponders the issues.

 

[Gravity Aided]

The Bicycle Wheel, by Jobst Brandt. lots of good information and considerations contained therein. Read this book, and then have a wheel builder make the wheel for you. Would this folding cycle be a Raleigh 20?

 

[shouldbeinbed]

The Bicycle Wheel, by Jobst Brandt. lots of good information and considerations contained therein. Read this book, and then have a wheel builder make the wheel for you. Would this folding cycle be a Raleigh 20?

It is an old Dahon Bike-in-a-bag. I suspect a Da-Bike model tho the serial number doesn't show automatically on Dahon's site and they're f***ing ignorant over website contact, emails & Facebook mesages I've sent with details & asking for info, so I'm not 100% sure exactly what model it is.

Thanks all for the advice. I'd happily hand over the hub to a wheel builder and pay them accordingly to supply the rest, but the guy I've been pointed towards isn't interested in that, he wants all the bits supplying to him, this is part of the reason I'm asking for other names who might be keener to help me out with their greater experience - still hopeful on that one. I shall have a look for the books suggested & carry on learning.

 

[jack smith]

If he cba to help you source the bits he isnt the right person to go too

 

[Gravity Aided]

Looks like a nice machine. Hope you can get this sorted.

 

[Mobytek]

Whats the BSD? Whats the dishing angle? Whats the Spoke Diamter? Nipple size, length, square, hex or start nipples? Got a truing stand, or spoke threader?

If any of the above is unanswered, either get a pro to do it, ask them them each you or get yourself on a one-day course.

First stop http://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html read digest and understand.

 

[Spoked Wheels]

I know nothing about wheel building so please feel free to type slowly and in great detail.

I have an old 20 inch wheel folder with a nightmare rear end. I've picked up a Sturmey X-RD5(w) hub & brake from Amazon for a bargain price. I checked before buying that the OLD fits but beyond that I'm out of my depth matching the two. The hub is 36 hole, the existing wheel isn't.

I need to source the rim and spokes to then have the wheel built & am after advice on suppliers etc.

I've heard DT Swiss mentioned for spokes but ???

Who do people recommended for spokes and rims (occasional use folder on roads and packed/wet mud at worst, I don't need fast or light, I'd rather solid and maintenance free AFAP.

What do I measure to get the right spoke length?

Are all spokes & nipples the same diameter & universal fit to one another and their holes in rims or do I need to ensure all 3 components are compatible?

If so, what info will tell me this on the specs for each?

Is it safe for me to assume the screw thread of spokes and nipples is universal?

I've been recommended a guy local to me in North Manchester to build it up for me but any locals who have a recommendation for someone then please chip in.

Please let me know of anything I've not considered too.

Thanks in advance

If you want to learn to build wheels then why not? It's a good opportunity to do that.

If you want to save money or you think it's a job you spend 2 minutes on YouTube and then get on with it then I'd advise you to let somebody who knows what they are doing build your wheel. You will save money, time and a headache lol

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Whats the BSD? Whats the dishing angle? Whats the Spoke Diamter? Nipple size, length, square, hex or start nipples? Got a truing stand, or spoke threader?

If any of the above is unanswered, either get a pro to do it, ask them them each you or get yourself on a one-day course.

First stop http://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html read digest and understand.

BSD if for tyre size. ERD is for rim size.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Thanks for the last replies, I've no burning desire to do it myself or learn how, I'm aware of the technical nature of it.

BSD.... ERD...... Whoosh

Most of the questions asked of me are ones I've posed myself in terms of bits etc, I assume from @Mobytek's line of questioning that there are the different diameter spokes and nipple considerations that I wondered about originally.

I guess I just have to keep asking around locally for a wheelbuilder a bit more user friendly than the original guy I was pointed towards.

 

[Gravity Aided]

DT Swiss may be the best choice for spokes, as I don't see Robergel (3Star) around any more. You might look at specs and see what Da Hon
used originally, and go from there in terms of improvements you see as necessary.

 

[Tim Hall]

IMHO Mobytek is overstating the case. What you're trying to do is relatively straightforward, especially with the wealth of information available on the web.

However, if you want to get someone to build it, I can't see why it has to be local. Post the hub off to your wheel builder of choice and get a complete wheel in return by post. David Hunt at DCR Wheels gets a good press on here, so it may be worth contacting him for advice.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

However, if you want to get someone to build it, I can't see why it has to be local. Post the hub off to your wheel builder of choice and get a complete wheel in return by post. David Hunt at DCR Wheels gets a good press on here, so it may be worth contacting him for advice.

Ah ha, obvious when you say it like that, thank you it never occurred to me to send it away.