Well, Algorithm, I didn’t think I’d be watching this as I can’t imagine I would ever build a wheel (why would I, when I could just ask Ali to do it for me?), but I watched it all the way through because I found it interesting.
I followed Ali's guide when I was building my own wheels. It helped loads Ali really knows his stuff. The fact you get this level of advice for free is insane!
Wow - I never even thought about correcting "the egg" until I saw this video! I usually true the wheel on the bike but I'll now take the tyre off to check for roundness! Great video tutorial!
What a GODSEND! Found this video on the 11th hour when I was about to take my wheel to the LBS to have them do it. Followed your instructions to a tee. I didn't rush it (which I normally do) per your advice My wheel came out PERFECT! I trued my first wheel for the first time in my life at 60. This is HUGE! You took the mystery out of it. It's not the "dark arts" I thought it was. Now I'm hooked! THANK YOU!!! Like/Subscribe/Bell
Man that was really exciting!!! In all seriousness I learned a hell of a lot about tensioning a wheel! I’ve been curious about doing this for quite some time thank you very much!!.
Just put a replacement rim on an e-bike hub motor - for a first proper go without a truing stand I have to say - this has helped a tonne and my bike's gonna ride way nicer for it... I found out that if you back the nipples off until they're jumping threads, then thread back on with a set number of turns (I used 2 to start the thread then 2 turns for a couple of rotations until the tension started to build), you will have a much easier job getting the rim to sit central to the hub, resulting in less work when you adjust for the egg of the rim. I only really had to do a couple minor tweaks (about 1/4 to 1/8th of a turn per nipple) to get the rim almost dead-nuts on
I've watched a lot of these videos and I like yours the best. I've built a couple dozen wheelsets and always struggled with stressing or destressing the spokes and a couple of builds the spokes would loosen after a month of riding. I am going to try it the way you did it and hope this makes my builds better. Thanks for the video.
Just watched this and your wheel build tutorial from 4 years ago. Used the knowledge to rebuild my wheels to a new hub. Looks to be a success at this point. Thank you for your videos mate, made a daunting task quite simple, still tedious tho. One thing i found a huge help was putting some coloured tape over the valve hole to help locate it easily.
Excellent video Ali. I really liked seeing how you stressed the rim. I have never used that much force. I have a better understanding of how to build a better wheel now!
Wow, this video has been sitting in my 'Watch later' for a while - I just got to watching this now, during a lunch. It's a pleasure to see how you handle equipment, and all the hints you give are invaluable, all in a very concise but easy to follow presenting style. I learn a lot from you!
Thank you, Im starting a bike hobby and have a few almost NOS vintage bikes, but the wheels need truing. You explaine very well. Im saving this video..
I watched a lot of truing videos after re-lacing my rear wheel on my road bike. I couldn't get it off centered. I started over 3 times in a row, snapped a spoke, rounded out a dozen nipples, etc, etc. Then I came across your video. I went out to the garage one more time, loosened everything back up to where threads were showing, then followed this video step by step. It was so much easier. I didn't even need the tension gauge. After getting it near perfect both laterally and radially, it was still not off-center (was rubbing on the frame). The dishing the wheel section, where you talked about loosening up one side, as the other side would pull it over from it's tension did the trick. After doing this for a few rounds, I got it off-centered enough and perfectly trued. I spent over 4 days worth of evenings messing with this wheel, and this video did the trick! Thanks so much!!!!!
This Tutorial is worldclass!! I have a suggestion for a future Video! Could you Lance a Road wheel with 2:1 ratio and maybe show the calculation for the spokelenght? Best regards and keep this content coming. Sub 4 sure
Nice one Ali. I've built 5 wheels now from your fist video on it and they're all still strong and true. I only had to tweek one once and even that was such a small adjustment to not really need doing.
Instead of a adjustable wrench I use old drum sticks. I build quite some 20" wheels and they fit pretty good between those tighter angles. Still standing on all of my wheels for pre-stressing as your vid was one of the ones I watched when I just started building
Thanks so much Ali, I just finished the first video doing the 3 cross method as advised by Ben at Tarty Bikes and followed it up with this final trueing and stressing video. I had not built a wheel before and now I have, I am pretty happy with the tensions and I spent quite a while being certain that I got the straightness and egg as good as possible. If you have a preferred inbox, I would love to send you an image of the wheel jig I ended up with. Between the initial stages of building the wheel to its now complete stage I basically built a jig from a set of carbon Echo forks I no longer use and using fasteners in the rim brake mounts with spokes, I have an adjustable egg tester and the nipple end with nipple installed makes a great straightening adjuster because threads are quite fine.
This video is out of this stratosphere!! I can't believe how well explained and passionate you are. Truly, I feel so privileged knowing this lifetime lesson! Thank you!!
I learned to build bicycle wheels, then got a job at a motorcycle shop and built about five hundred motorcycle wheels there. That tuning fork method is a crucial and easy way to find balance without a fancy tool.
Sound tips Ali. Only thing I can add is my lazy boy technique for removing the twist… a bit like your stamping, I prop the wheel up against a wall at apx 45* and push the hub with my foot repeatedly for two laps on each side *ping*. Saves the auld wrists and elbows a bit. Keep up the hard work lad. ✌️👍
Hi Ali! No problems with 4-cross lacing and spoke head clearing on the hub? I read somewhere that a tiny bit (0,5mm) is ok, but my case it wil be 3mm....(60mm hub diameter, 32 spokes, 29 inch, erd 599)
I know this is late and I'm not Ali, or even really on Ali's level, but before building the wheel, just try a nipple on a spoke and see how far you can turn it on past the even point. Where it gets tight is the end of the threads on the spoke. In the case of normal brass nipples on steel spokes you can usually get a turn or so further, but now the nipple threads will be destroyed and lose effectiveness. Often this is at about 2mm past the point where the spoke is even. Cheers!
I built a set dry and half the spokes came very loose after a few miles. I'm sure there was something else contributing but it was a fun ride home to fix it and a fun learning experience. Now I use WheelSmith spoke prep sometimes or lube like Ali and I've tried a specific type of LocTite recommended in some other tutorial. I'm afraid they will be fused later though. Like most things, there are many different ways and it's fun to experiment. I'm about to tension a fresh set of Light Bicycle rims with CX Rays and White Industries hubs. Bling.
Great video Ali, it was really well explained. I have built many over the years and was taught by a couple different chaps at the same workplace. Everyone has some slightly different ways of doing things. Your stressing is, as you say, extreme: I wouldn't want to do it on anything old or weenie and pushing the hub end on the floor whilst pushing opposite rim sizes has always done me well. The soft tool twist on the spokes is a great tip and something I hadn't ever seen before. Keep up the great work.
Great video. Came here from the rim swap video. Question for you about stressing the wheel. Since my hubs and spokes are used (going with new, colored nipples), is it necessary to do the first stressing to dent the hub flange?
Thank you :) no, stressing isn’t as important (like you mention, the work is already done by denting the hub) but you to need to still flex the wheel to unwind any spokes that may have twisted 👍🏻
I'm riding sometimes hard, bikeparks or some jumps with hard landings, every month i see a slightly loose spokes in the rear wheel I'm trying to tighten them, just to keep straight tension (if the wheel is +/-1mm (1 milimiter) it's fine for me, right? equal tension is more important than .1 truiness ) I was thinking, if Parktool tensiometer would be useful for me or should I just look if the wheels is fairly straight/round in my frame and spokes not too loose (By sound or by touching them)
Nice vid, thanx! I am in the process of getting the wreck I bought for 20,- to a decent bike for my son. How about balancing the wheel when the tires are on? Is that a thing or is it negligible?
I’ve heard some riders/mechanics do that and maybe for road riding it’s a good idea but for anything off-road your wheel gets unbalanced the moment you ride through any mud 😂
I've been advised during stressing, as with your step on method, that it's not advisable to put lateral stress on cartridge bearing hubs as it may damage the bearings? However it's fine with cup and cone bearings. Thoughts?
So what about the back wheel and offsetting for the gear side??? Everyone on RUclips only shows doing the front wheel... I think I need to offset my rim to the hub!!! The rim and tire is not centered to the back frame... Don't know how much shorter the spokes need to be the gear side.... I made a new wheel with a wider rim, and now my tire is obviously wider... And now it's rubbing on the brake side...
If you get the right length spokes then the wheel should be dished pretty centrally…sometimes you get asymmetrical frames which allow you to dish the wheel to the centre of the flanges but again this should be known when ordering the spokes and if correct you’ll have to do minimal dishing afterwards.
@@Ali_Clarkson ok being this is my first build.... Actually I backed off the brake side two full turns and added two full turns on the gear side...all fixed...I didn't think it would move so far....
thankyou, this is by far the best build explanation i have come across. One arm on the truing stand is really helpful, a reminder to periodically adjust dish during the process. I used the spoke crossing stamping technique on a wheel set i made [using only lateral stressing & spoke squeeze] that went out of true badly , and since have only needed a very minor touch-up. However i take issue with the spoke stretch thing , there is by definition actual elongation under tension & no doubt mechanical engineering has equations to quantify this . Also, when rotating & in use, the upper spokes are under increased tension , lower ones under less tension so elasticity is a huge factor in cushioning loading & maintaining adequate tension on the periodically de-tensioned spokes and modifying metal fatigue.
Built my son a new rear for his DJ yesterday using your videos. Not my first build ever but maybe my most accomplished one?!. Plus I learned a lot of “why” that had been absent in many videos I’d watched previously. Thanks a ton.
I watched your first video on wheel building. Yout taught me how to build wheels, and to this day as I work in a bike shop every wheel that I build is built using your method. However, theres been a couple of carbon rims that scare me to death, they gave me insane levels of stress while tensioning the spokes. Ali, tell me the thruth, what would break first? the spoke or the rim wall?
So stressing isn't a thing for straight spokes hubs ? If I remember correctly even 2/1.5/2 spokes have a tensil strength of 1500n so twice your weigth individually, they should be fine especially since I suspect you ride thicker spokes.
I’ve actually never built a straight spokes hub so I can’t fully comment but I will say that spokes (or more accurately) nipples may leave small dents in the rim (depending on the model) so some stressing would still be necessary.
The lacing video and this is the best one on yt. This safed my butt, as I received spokes that were too long and had to go to 4 cross. Using my frame as a guide I got a BMX wheel super straight and tight. Thanks!
so I have just upsized a 700c bike from 35mm to 2.1" and it's gonna fit but I have a dish and egg issue. Stock dead straight 2005 model year TREK 7300fx Disc.. takes a Happy Medium 2.1" in the rear so far... swapping the front fork anyhow haven't even tried the OEM one.. looks identical triangle to the last 29er XC Xcaliber8 I had from 2020
thanks for sharing. great video. just a question: i understand to check by ear if they are all the same but how do i now if they all are too tight or too loose ? is there a specific note, like A, or G ? :P
Brilliant video - really liked the clear explanations. The only thing I am a bit cautious about is the stamping the spoke technique - but this may be because I weigh about 115kg!!!
You will love the Hydra hub. I have been using one for a year and hate riding a bike without one. Last month I bought a new Specialized Kenevo SL and rode it for three weeks without the Hydra hub and it drove me crazy. When you are used to 690 points of engagement it feels awkward to ride with a standard hub.
I liked how my King hubs performed but the only thing I wished was that it has more engagement points (72 is fine but more is better) and notes the Hydra has been out for a while and the reliability has proved to be good I’m happy to swap and I can’t wait to get them fitted 👍🏻
@@JohnathanIplik Try one, if you have the opportunity, and then come back and comment. I felt the same way until I tried one then I ordered one from Industry Nine the next day. My trackstands and slow speed technical riding improved rapidly with this hub.
The second stressing procedure @ 29:35 you can also do by mounting on the tyre+tube, then pump it up to maximum allowed pressure. Does all the stressing, without any muscling!
nice work ali...i already know how to built a wheel but ur make it so much entertaining that i have to watch it till the end...love your foot-style-stressing...im doing it the same way..love to hear the pings^^ ive tryed to find something you may have forgot but cant find anything...godlike work...well done...now im waiting for the rinding video with over 600 engagementpoints :)
I've never used any oil. I understand that it might make buildig the wheel easier but using Sapim Polyax spokes, this won't really be necessarry as they have a nice coating, that makes turning them quite easy. I also don't use normal nipples but the Polyax Double Square ones. This way you won't have to use a spokey and truing the wheel is much quicker and easier on the hands. It also leaves the outer side of the nipple untouched, making them look as new.
Awesome video, just sitting in front of my first ever self build wheel and am buzzing with happines. One question is nagging me tho: what spoke tension should i have?! I have about 15 on the park tool meter, but... How do i know if thats enough?
Nice, congratulations :) As for tension, the reason I didn’t state it is because I don’t have a tool to specifically and accurately tell me what newton’s (or whatever tightness is measured) they’re at and spoke tension gauges aren’t always accurate or may need calibrating etc. That said, I usually aim between 15 and 22 on my park tool gauge but 12 would be the minimum I’d go
Hey! Great video. Is there any way you can help me determine what spoke size I need to upgrade my road wheels to a deeper rim? I have the hub spec sheet and rim depth.
What's your take on 1) Turning a nipple a bit extra and then winding back a smidge to avoid wind up. 2) Working with pairs of crossed spokes, instead of individuals, to avoid introducing uneven tension.
RE #1, That's i was taught, but only for the final round of overall tightening/trueing: if the nipple needs a quarter turn, tighten it 1/2 turn, then come back 1/4 turn.
what if in the end some spokes weren t same tension? then u need to add tension to single spokes. doesnt this result in having it untrue again, and therefore u need to change other tensions which were basically good? so then u have again diffenrences on those and so on ... ?
Thanks Ali for your great wheel building videos. I've followed your older tutorial for a number of wheels that I built and I have yet to have an issue with any of them after riding them for many thousand kilometers (I am also using the Lightbicycle hoops)!!!
I am tempted to true my road carbon wheels. Recently, one of the spokes came loose and ever since the tire wobbles. How do you determine if the tension of the spoke is not coming from the other one across the hub making the wheel to oval?
I literally just found out rampage was happening today, I thought it was on Sunday…my premiere will be done before any riding happens but it’s still not great timing 😫
My stressing method is the Musson method of parallel spoke squeezing. Another thing I always do is during lacing I hand bend the spoke at the j-bend so it has the proper angle thus precluding the need to rubber mallet them down. Also I use plucking to set tension. 700hz is my sweet spot.. Everyone has their own way which I think is awesome.
Hi Ali, thanks for video and ... very good! My questions: Do you believe, i can stay with my 80 Kg weight on my racing bike wheel? (Spokes) Honest to say, I can not imagine it! If you answer yes, what about Campagnolo shamal Ultra wheels? I think you know their spokes system!? Really these wheels and Hubs and Spokes are very expensive and very difficult to find! So, i don‘t want to risk, i like but to know your opinion or your experience!
Hi Ali, thanks for the great video! I managed to build a new wheel today but I'm still unsure if I'm doing stress relief properly. I place the wheel on the floor mat, and stepped on each spoke with good force but without lifting up my entire body as it's a radially laced 20H wheel. Do you think that's good enough? Or should I go HAM on the spokes when stepping on them? :/
Often the reason for a loose spoke could be that you somehow added more tension to another one or slightly more tension to a few. If you’ve one spoke looser than the rest I’d normally increase the tension and check how out of tru the wheel is and then try to correct this by finding any tight spokes I can loosen. Sometimes you might get a loose spoke due to defects in the rim (more common than you might think on cheaper ones) so even with good tensions and a tru wheel you might have a rogue spoke. In this case I’ll try to get the tensions as equal as possible but it might not always be possible and still have a straight wheel so sometimes you just have to make the call and decide if you want equal tension or a straight wheel, this is fairly rare though
I like gleaming silver spokes. Car polish the spokes before assembly and some wax will stay on the threads. Your 2nd building video was the best I've ever seen. 0x,1x,2x,3x,4x. It is my reference. Wheels lasting longer recently.
Fantastic videos you´ve done and how you review and explain highly detailed every single stuff. I have a question about a spoke tension meter tool you work with. How do you know the calibration is still working out well ? I mean the measurements its been showed could be not acurate at all. Every single rim manufacture talks about the maximun spoke tension you should fix to the rim and i´m a real beginer in buiilding a wheel, in fact ,a build a no one wheel indeed yet. Thank you so much in advance for reading me and for answering if you consider it.
Thank you :) As for the tool, yes I’ve no idea of the calibration is right so I don’t use it for guiding the tightness, only that they are all even. I can’t say I’ve ever looked at what max tension a rim manufacturer recommends, in the 15 years building I’ve only ever had one catastrophic failure and that was a hub flange that was built extremely light with as much material removed as possible, other than that I’ve never had any issues from over tensioning
Thanks for the great wheel videos! I've been building my wheels ever since I saw your videos. Used to suffer through brokens spokes from full wheelsets. Haven't broken a single spoke since I started building my own! Great instruction, I'll take a handmade wheel over a machine built one any day.
While watching I wondered, when truing (Initially and again after stressing) , whether it would be important to keep even tension, by only ever tightening spokes. I imagine that when you tighten one but loosen the opposide spoke, you could actually loosen below the ideal tension . I would have suppposed only tightening would be the preferred method. But, you perfectly answered by question!! You said to always loosen opposed spokes to true an area, or else if you tighten only, you could run out of tightness! 28:02 Thanks !!
Hi sir very good video ,been building wheels for years but your tips and techniques are amazing.Just a question ,is it prudent while stress relieving to just put moderate pressure with foot on spokes at first to see and get the feel of the wheel.Then when I get brave start to jump up and down. I think I under estimate just how strong the wheel really is ,afraid of making a taco out it.Again superbe video can’t wait to use your techniques on my next build.
Thought I had all my tools laid out for this, but nope. Gotta go grab a wrench, a mallet, and a... shoe? Thanks as always, Ali, for the amazing tutorial. I learned how to trackstand from you, and now I'm building a replacement wheel for my CX bike. :-D
Hi Ali! I have found your tutorials wonderful, although i had to re-lace my rear rims since i was doing 2X on a 24h straight pull hub, but now I understand the rules to lace a wheel. On the other hand I have a question and maybe a potential next idea for your video - the balance of the wheel. Having my DT swiss r500db and 350hubs laced altogether and trued to 0.1mm deviation (egg and side side) I found It wayyyy of balance. Then I realised that there is no valve stem, so I have added roughly 8grams to the valve hole (few niples taped around the rim) and the problem is gone! This would mean some manufacters of the rims already add extra weight to the opposite side of the rim to reduce the inbalance of valve weight. In the web I have found that some (shimanos RS top wheels even) are not balanced in any way, and the users have to do it on their own. Have you ever came across unbalanced rims? What are your thought about it? Cheers, Chris
Well, Algorithm, I didn’t think I’d be watching this as I can’t imagine I would ever build a wheel (why would I, when I could just ask Ali to do it for me?), but I watched it all the way through because I found it interesting.
Thanks Mum!
@@Ali_Clarkson classic :)
I followed Ali's guide when I was building my own wheels. It helped loads Ali really knows his stuff. The fact you get this level of advice for free is insane!
The first few are free to get you hooked and then BAM! Paywall 😉
@@Ali_Clarkson My 26inch ebike wheel tension is at 22 with tyre on, is that about right? Thanks
@@Ali_Clarkson And that´s the way it has to be. Congrats for your vids. Very useful and calm voice.
This is wheely going to be good, so spoked to check it out, the channel is the hub of trials 😀
This video stressed me out, the tension whilst filming was high but I didn’t buckle and stayed tru to my vision.
Shakespeare
@@policies8534 I did not even know it
Punbelievable🤦🏼♂️
Easily the most easy to understand wheel building video on the web,absolutely superb
Thank you, I’m glad you found it useful 😊
Wow - I never even thought about correcting "the egg" until I saw this video! I usually true the wheel on the bike but I'll now take the tyre off to check for roundness! Great video tutorial!
What a GODSEND! Found this video on the 11th hour when I was about to take my wheel to the LBS to have them do it. Followed your instructions to a tee. I didn't rush it (which I normally do) per your advice My wheel came out PERFECT! I trued my first wheel for the first time in my life at 60. This is HUGE! You took the mystery out of it. It's not the "dark arts" I thought it was. Now I'm hooked! THANK YOU!!! Like/Subscribe/Bell
Al,s wheel building videos are by far he best, Watched dozens of other guys and always thought were was to much editing.
Man that was really exciting!!! In all seriousness I learned a hell of a lot about tensioning a wheel! I’ve been curious about doing this for quite some time thank you very much!!.
Great stuff Mike, let me know how your build goes when you do it :)
watch your first vid on wheek building still use your techniques to this day .. this is a good update
Just put a replacement rim on an e-bike hub motor - for a first proper go without a truing stand I have to say - this has helped a tonne and my bike's gonna ride way nicer for it...
I found out that if you back the nipples off until they're jumping threads, then thread back on with a set number of turns (I used 2 to start the thread then 2 turns for a couple of rotations until the tension started to build), you will have a much easier job getting the rim to sit central to the hub, resulting in less work when you adjust for the egg of the rim. I only really had to do a couple minor tweaks (about 1/4 to 1/8th of a turn per nipple) to get the rim almost dead-nuts on
By far one of the best bike wheel tutorials that I've found. Helped me build my wheel. Now going onto the thension part.
Hit a stump - ruined a rim. Your videos helped me to build a new one. Thanks
Fantastic advice and technique, watched the entire video. 👍
I've watched a lot of these videos and I like yours the best. I've built a couple dozen wheelsets and always struggled with stressing or destressing the spokes and a couple of builds the spokes would loosen after a month of riding. I am going to try it the way you did it and hope this makes my builds better. Thanks for the video.
Just watched this and your wheel build tutorial from 4 years ago. Used the knowledge to rebuild my wheels to a new hub. Looks to be a success at this point. Thank you for your videos mate, made a daunting task quite simple, still tedious tho. One thing i found a huge help was putting some coloured tape over the valve hole to help locate it easily.
Excellent video Ali. I really liked seeing how you stressed the rim. I have never used that much force. I have a better understanding of how to build a better wheel now!
This video is just sooo helpful!!! Thank Ali!
Wow, this video has been sitting in my 'Watch later' for a while - I just got to watching this now, during a lunch. It's a pleasure to see how you handle equipment, and all the hints you give are invaluable, all in a very concise but easy to follow presenting style. I learn a lot from you!
Thank you, Im starting a bike hobby and have a few almost NOS vintage bikes, but the wheels need truing. You explaine very well. Im saving this video..
I had missed this and your last video because RUclips decided I don’t need notifications anymore 🤨
Least I have 2 in a row to watch now 👍
I watched a lot of truing videos after re-lacing my rear wheel on my road bike. I couldn't get it off centered. I started over 3 times in a row, snapped a spoke, rounded out a dozen nipples, etc, etc. Then I came across your video. I went out to the garage one more time, loosened everything back up to where threads were showing, then followed this video step by step. It was so much easier. I didn't even need the tension gauge. After getting it near perfect both laterally and radially, it was still not off-center (was rubbing on the frame). The dishing the wheel section, where you talked about loosening up one side, as the other side would pull it over from it's tension did the trick. After doing this for a few rounds, I got it off-centered enough and perfectly trued. I spent over 4 days worth of evenings messing with this wheel, and this video did the trick! Thanks so much!!!!!
I love this! It may not be a viral video but knowing it’s helping people is way more satisfying :)
This Tutorial is worldclass!! I have a suggestion for a future Video! Could you Lance a Road wheel with 2:1 ratio and maybe show the calculation for the spokelenght? Best regards and keep this content coming. Sub 4 sure
Nice one Ali.
I've built 5 wheels now from your fist video on it and they're all still strong and true. I only had to tweek one once and even that was such a small adjustment to not really need doing.
Instead of a adjustable wrench I use old drum sticks. I build quite some 20" wheels and they fit pretty good between those tighter angles. Still standing on all of my wheels for pre-stressing as your vid was one of the ones I watched when I just started building
You have motivated me to build my wheels this week! Thanks for the straight forwards tutorial. Cheers
very insightful, thank you
Thanks so much Ali, I just finished the first video doing the 3 cross method as advised by Ben at Tarty Bikes and followed it up with this final trueing and stressing video. I had not built a wheel before and now I have, I am pretty happy with the tensions and I spent quite a while being certain that I got the straightness and egg as good as possible. If you have a preferred inbox, I would love to send you an image of the wheel jig I ended up with. Between the initial stages of building the wheel to its now complete stage I basically built a jig from a set of carbon Echo forks I no longer use and using fasteners in the rim brake mounts with spokes, I have an adjustable egg tester and the nipple end with nipple installed makes a great straightening adjuster because threads are quite fine.
This video is out of this stratosphere!! I can't believe how well explained and passionate you are. Truly, I feel so privileged knowing this lifetime lesson! Thank you!!
I learned to build bicycle wheels, then got a job at a motorcycle shop and built about five hundred motorcycle wheels there. That tuning fork method is a crucial and easy way to find balance without a fancy tool.
Motorbike wheels must take some amount of pre-stressing haha!
can't you just tighten up to stress it?
Awsome video. Your wheel build videos are the gold standard. I have used your videos to build all my wheels. Thanks!
Awesome video Ali and that Hub sounds naughty.
Huge knowledge on your channel. Thanks for sharing !
Such great videos. I've built a few wheels using your old tutorial and they all built up to be very strong. Thanks for these 💪🏻
Sound tips Ali.
Only thing I can add is my lazy boy technique for removing the twist… a bit like your stamping, I prop the wheel up against a wall at apx 45* and push the hub with my foot repeatedly for two laps on each side *ping*.
Saves the auld wrists and elbows a bit.
Keep up the hard work lad. ✌️👍
Thank you, Ali!
Hi Ali! No problems with 4-cross lacing and spoke head clearing on the hub? I read somewhere that a tiny bit (0,5mm) is ok, but my case it wil be 3mm....(60mm hub diameter, 32 spokes, 29 inch, erd 599)
I know this is late and I'm not Ali, or even really on Ali's level, but before building the wheel, just try a nipple on a spoke and see how far you can turn it on past the even point. Where it gets tight is the end of the threads on the spoke. In the case of normal brass nipples on steel spokes you can usually get a turn or so further, but now the nipple threads will be destroyed and lose effectiveness. Often this is at about 2mm past the point where the spoke is even. Cheers!
Awesome video! Super thorough! I’ve been toying with the idea of building my own wheels so this was super helpful!
Thank you, let me know how your build goes when you eventually do it 👍🏻
I built a set dry and half the spokes came very loose after a few miles. I'm sure there was something else contributing but it was a fun ride home to fix it and a fun learning experience. Now I use WheelSmith spoke prep sometimes or lube like Ali and I've tried a specific type of LocTite recommended in some other tutorial. I'm afraid they will be fused later though. Like most things, there are many different ways and it's fun to experiment. I'm about to tension a fresh set of Light Bicycle rims with CX Rays and White Industries hubs. Bling.
Great video Ali, it was really well explained.
I have built many over the years and was taught by a couple different chaps at the same workplace. Everyone has some slightly different ways of doing things. Your stressing is, as you say, extreme: I wouldn't want to do it on anything old or weenie and pushing the hub end on the floor whilst pushing opposite rim sizes has always done me well.
The soft tool twist on the spokes is a great tip and something I hadn't ever seen before.
Keep up the great work.
Great video. Came here from the rim swap video. Question for you about stressing the wheel. Since my hubs and spokes are used (going with new, colored nipples), is it necessary to do the first stressing to dent the hub flange?
Thank you :) no, stressing isn’t as important (like you mention, the work is already done by denting the hub) but you to need to still flex the wheel to unwind any spokes that may have twisted 👍🏻
I'm riding sometimes hard, bikeparks or some jumps with hard landings, every month i see a slightly loose spokes in the rear wheel
I'm trying to tighten them, just to keep straight tension (if the wheel is +/-1mm (1 milimiter) it's fine for me, right? equal tension is more important than .1 truiness )
I was thinking, if Parktool tensiometer would be useful for me
or should I just look if the wheels is fairly straight/round in my frame and spokes not too loose (By sound or by touching them)
Hey Mr Ali, try zip tying a piece of chalk to your truing arm.
Instant visual marks on the rim where it touches
5:45 that's what she said
Haha I wanted to say that many times while making this video 😂
Nice vid, thanx! I am in the process of getting the wreck I bought for 20,- to a decent bike for my son. How about balancing the wheel when the tires are on? Is that a thing or is it negligible?
I’ve heard some riders/mechanics do that and maybe for road riding it’s a good idea but for anything off-road your wheel gets unbalanced the moment you ride through any mud 😂
I've been advised during stressing, as with your step on method, that it's not advisable to put lateral stress on cartridge bearing hubs as it may damage the bearings? However it's fine with cup and cone bearings. Thoughts?
Probably some truth in theory but with 1000s of wheels done with the stamping method I’ve never had any issues with damaging cartridge bearings 👍🏻
@@Ali_Clarkson Thank you for the feedback. Great info in your wheel building videos as well.
Hi, I want to start riding trial but dont know what bike to get. I would love some tips if you have any.
P.S. Love your channel
Dude! Incredible! Thanks so much for this!
I would like to know what range of tension is ideal to maintain to. Thanks!
So what about the back wheel and offsetting for the gear side??? Everyone on RUclips only shows doing the front wheel...
I think I need to offset my rim to the hub!!! The rim and tire is not centered to the back frame... Don't know how much shorter the spokes need to be the gear side....
I made a new wheel with a wider rim, and now my tire is obviously wider... And now it's rubbing on the brake side...
If you get the right length spokes then the wheel should be dished pretty centrally…sometimes you get asymmetrical frames which allow you to dish the wheel to the centre of the flanges but again this should be known when ordering the spokes and if correct you’ll have to do minimal dishing afterwards.
@@Ali_Clarkson ok being this is my first build.... Actually I backed off the brake side two full turns and added two full turns on the gear side...all fixed...I didn't think it would move so far....
thankyou, this is by far the best build explanation i have come across. One arm on the truing stand is really helpful, a reminder to periodically adjust dish during the process. I used the spoke crossing stamping technique on a wheel set i made [using only lateral stressing & spoke squeeze] that went out of true badly , and since have only needed a very minor touch-up. However i take issue with the spoke stretch thing , there is by definition actual elongation under tension & no doubt mechanical engineering has equations to quantify this . Also, when rotating & in use, the upper spokes are under increased tension , lower ones under less tension so elasticity is a huge factor in cushioning loading & maintaining adequate tension on the periodically de-tensioned spokes and modifying metal fatigue.
Wonderful, thanks so much. Answer every question I had about tension and adjustment. 😎
Built my son a new rear for his DJ yesterday using your videos. Not my first build ever but maybe my most accomplished one?!. Plus I learned a lot of “why” that had been absent in many videos I’d watched previously. Thanks a ton.
I watched your first video on wheel building. Yout taught me how to build wheels, and to this day as I work in a bike shop every wheel that I build is built using your method. However, theres been a couple of carbon rims that scare me to death, they gave me insane levels of stress while tensioning the spokes. Ali, tell me the thruth, what would break first? the spoke or the rim wall?
So stressing isn't a thing for straight spokes hubs ? If I remember correctly even 2/1.5/2 spokes have a tensil strength of 1500n so twice your weigth individually, they should be fine especially since I suspect you ride thicker spokes.
I’ve actually never built a straight spokes hub so I can’t fully comment but I will say that spokes (or more accurately) nipples may leave small dents in the rim (depending on the model) so some stressing would still be necessary.
29:42 This is the "Lock Picking Lawyer" technique. Got a click on 1, spoke #2 is binding....
The lacing video and this is the best one on yt. This safed my butt, as I received spokes that were too long and had to go to 4 cross. Using my frame as a guide I got a BMX wheel super straight and tight. Thanks!
Best video out there for building wheels
Thank You so much. Very detailled explanation. Newer thought that there are so many steps to consider... So what I´ve learned: It takes time... :)
so I have just upsized a 700c bike from 35mm to 2.1" and it's gonna fit but I have a dish and egg issue. Stock dead straight 2005 model year TREK 7300fx Disc.. takes a Happy Medium 2.1" in the rear so far... swapping the front fork anyhow haven't even tried the OEM one.. looks identical triangle to the last 29er XC Xcaliber8 I had from 2020
Que bien Ali! lo máximo!
Thank you 😊
Holy s#it... Stressing the wheel? You weren't kidding when you warned that we'd be shocked 😲
Go big or go home 😎
thanks for sharing. great video. just a question: i understand to check by ear if they are all the same but how do i now if they all are too tight or too loose ? is there a specific note, like A, or G ? :P
Brilliant video - really liked the clear explanations. The only thing I am a bit cautious about is the stamping the spoke technique - but this may be because I weigh about 115kg!!!
You will love the Hydra hub. I have been using one for a year and hate riding a bike without one. Last month I bought a new Specialized Kenevo SL and rode it for three weeks without the Hydra hub and it drove me crazy. When you are used to 690 points of engagement it feels awkward to ride with a standard hub.
I liked how my King hubs performed but the only thing I wished was that it has more engagement points (72 is fine but more is better) and notes the Hydra has been out for a while and the reliability has proved to be good I’m happy to swap and I can’t wait to get them fitted 👍🏻
0.5 degree of engagement. That's what I call over-engineering
@@JohnathanIplik Try one, if you have the opportunity, and then come back and comment. I felt the same way until I tried one then I ordered one from Industry Nine the next day.
My trackstands and slow speed technical riding improved rapidly with this hub.
The second stressing procedure @ 29:35 you can also do by mounting on the tyre+tube, then pump it up to maximum allowed pressure. Does all the stressing, without any muscling!
Thank you very much from Ukraine, amazing video. A lot of gold information and experience)
nice work ali...i already know how to built a wheel but ur make it so much entertaining that i have to watch it till the end...love your foot-style-stressing...im doing it the same way..love to hear the pings^^
ive tryed to find something you may have forgot but cant find anything...godlike work...well done...now im waiting for the rinding video with over 600 engagementpoints :)
Really pleased it was still entertaining enough to watch through and you couldn’t find any faults, this pleases me!
I've never used any oil. I understand that it might make buildig the wheel easier but using Sapim Polyax spokes, this won't really be necessarry as they have a nice coating, that makes turning them quite easy. I also don't use normal nipples but the Polyax Double Square ones. This way you won't have to use a spokey and truing the wheel is much quicker and easier on the hands. It also leaves the outer side of the nipple untouched, making them look as new.
The best video on wheel truing with simple methods!
Awesome video, just sitting in front of my first ever self build wheel and am buzzing with happines. One question is nagging me tho: what spoke tension should i have?! I have about 15 on the park tool meter, but... How do i know if thats enough?
Nice, congratulations :)
As for tension, the reason I didn’t state it is because I don’t have a tool to specifically and accurately tell me what newton’s (or whatever tightness is measured) they’re at and spoke tension gauges aren’t always accurate or may need calibrating etc.
That said, I usually aim between 15 and 22 on my park tool gauge but 12 would be the minimum I’d go
I normally go over my wheels with my trusty Hummer H2 just to make sure the spokes are all bedded in
Thanks for e guide. But I was wondering what is length should I buy for e spokes and how to measure?
Hey! Great video. Is there any way you can help me determine what spoke size I need to upgrade my road wheels to a deeper rim? I have the hub spec sheet and rim depth.
What's your take on
1) Turning a nipple a bit extra and then winding back a smidge to avoid wind up.
2) Working with pairs of crossed spokes, instead of individuals, to avoid introducing uneven tension.
RE #1, That's i was taught, but only for the final round of overall tightening/trueing: if the nipple needs a quarter turn, tighten it 1/2 turn, then come back 1/4 turn.
plz make a vid on all d tools a wheel repair may require .. esp very badly bent rims ❤️❤️❤️
what if in the end some spokes weren t same tension? then u need to add tension to single spokes. doesnt this result in having it untrue again, and therefore u need to change other tensions which were basically good? so then u have again diffenrences on those and so on ... ?
Cheap tip..use an inverted front fork as the truing stand...calibrate it with a trued rim
Are you building for private riders. I'm a tight Yorkshire man who needs a bargain lol.
I’m not sure you’d consider me a bargain 😋
Thanks Ali for your great wheel building videos. I've followed your older tutorial for a number of wheels that I built and I have yet to have an issue with any of them after riding them for many thousand kilometers (I am also using the Lightbicycle hoops)!!!
That’s great to hear! 😁
Can someone tell the name of the reccomended lube dispenser? Thank you.
I am tempted to true my road carbon wheels. Recently, one of the spokes came loose and ever since the tire wobbles. How do you determine if the tension of the spoke is not coming from the other one across the hub making the wheel to oval?
What about turning it tightens it?
hi men its miyoba from Zambia could you sale me , one of your bikes
Engagement!
All the engagement!
Can you schedule this an hour earlier please? This is like 30 minutes before Rampage
If you want to watch the premiere it's bad timing, but the video will still be here after Rampage.
What is rampage, how is it more important than a wheel build via by AliC ?
@@KHos73 Red Bull Rampage, crazy freeride downhill event. Livestreams on Red bull bike YT channel.
I literally just found out rampage was happening today, I thought it was on Sunday…my premiere will be done before any riding happens but it’s still not great timing 😫
When you carefully look at the background at the end of video and see, that that wheel isn't his last wheel.
Nope, just finished a big batch…did 6 wheels this morning
My stressing method is the Musson method of parallel spoke squeezing. Another thing I always do is during lacing I hand bend the spoke at the j-bend so it has the proper angle thus precluding the need to rubber mallet them down. Also I use plucking to set tension. 700hz is my sweet spot.. Everyone has their own way which I think is awesome.
You are trully amazing. I have much more confidence to build my own whells. Thank you so much! You are a star!!!
Hi Ali, thanks for video and ... very good!
My questions:
Do you believe, i can stay with my 80 Kg weight on my racing bike wheel? (Spokes)
Honest to say, I can not imagine it!
If you answer yes, what about Campagnolo shamal Ultra wheels? I think you know their spokes system!?
Really these wheels and Hubs and Spokes are very expensive and very difficult to find!
So, i don‘t want to risk, i like but to know your opinion or your experience!
Hi Ali, thanks for the great video! I managed to build a new wheel today but I'm still unsure if I'm doing stress relief properly. I place the wheel on the floor mat, and stepped on each spoke with good force but without lifting up my entire body as it's a radially laced 20H wheel. Do you think that's good enough? Or should I go HAM on the spokes when stepping on them? :/
You did good! I’d probably not put my entire weight on a radial wheel…it sounds like you were sensible and it should be enough 👍🏻
@@Ali_Clarkson Cheers! Appreciate the prompt response~
If the tension is not the same all round how do you tension a looser spoke without un truring the wheel ? Ta
Often the reason for a loose spoke could be that you somehow added more tension to another one or slightly more tension to a few. If you’ve one spoke looser than the rest I’d normally increase the tension and check how out of tru the wheel is and then try to correct this by finding any tight spokes I can loosen.
Sometimes you might get a loose spoke due to defects in the rim (more common than you might think on cheaper ones) so even with good tensions and a tru wheel you might have a rogue spoke. In this case I’ll try to get the tensions as equal as possible but it might not always be possible and still have a straight wheel so sometimes you just have to make the call and decide if you want equal tension or a straight wheel, this is fairly rare though
MANY THANKS ALI-THE BEST TRU-ING VIDEO YET!(watched more than a few)AND THE TOOL TIPS,INVALUABLE !CHAPEAU !!
I like gleaming silver spokes. Car polish the spokes before assembly and some wax will stay on the threads. Your 2nd building video was the best I've ever seen. 0x,1x,2x,3x,4x. It is my reference. Wheels lasting longer recently.
Fantastic videos you´ve done and how you review and explain highly detailed every single stuff. I have a question about a spoke tension meter tool you work with. How do you know the calibration is still working out well ? I mean the measurements its been showed could be not acurate at all. Every single rim manufacture talks about the maximun spoke tension you should fix to the rim and i´m a real beginer in buiilding a wheel, in fact ,a build a no one wheel indeed yet. Thank you so much in advance for reading me and for answering if you consider it.
Thank you :)
As for the tool, yes I’ve no idea of the calibration is right so I don’t use it for guiding the tightness, only that they are all even. I can’t say I’ve ever looked at what max tension a rim manufacturer recommends, in the 15 years building I’ve only ever had one catastrophic failure and that was a hub flange that was built extremely light with as much material removed as possible, other than that I’ve never had any issues from over tensioning
@@Ali_Clarkson thank you so much for your quick answer and for the confidence you give. I really appreciate it.
Thanks for the great wheel videos! I've been building my wheels ever since I saw your videos. Used to suffer through brokens spokes from full wheelsets. Haven't broken a single spoke since I started building my own! Great instruction, I'll take a handmade wheel over a machine built one any day.
While watching I wondered, when truing (Initially and again after stressing) , whether it would be important to keep even tension, by only ever tightening spokes. I imagine that when you tighten one but loosen the opposide spoke, you could actually loosen below the ideal tension . I would have suppposed only tightening would be the preferred method.
But, you perfectly answered by question!!
You said to always loosen opposed spokes to true an area, or else if you tighten only, you could run out of tightness!
28:02
Thanks !!
Hi sir very good video ,been building wheels for years but your tips and techniques are amazing.Just a question ,is it prudent while stress relieving to just put moderate pressure with foot on spokes at first to see and get the feel of the wheel.Then when I get brave start to jump up and down. I think I under estimate just how strong the wheel really is ,afraid of making a taco out it.Again superbe video can’t wait to use your techniques on my next build.
Thought I had all my tools laid out for this, but nope. Gotta go grab a wrench, a mallet, and a... shoe?
Thanks as always, Ali, for the amazing tutorial. I learned how to trackstand from you, and now I'm building a replacement wheel for my CX bike. :-D
Hi Ali! I have found your tutorials wonderful, although i had to re-lace my rear rims since i was doing 2X on a 24h straight pull hub, but now I understand the rules to lace a wheel.
On the other hand I have a question and maybe a potential next idea for your video - the balance of the wheel.
Having my DT swiss r500db and 350hubs laced altogether and trued to 0.1mm deviation (egg and side side) I found It wayyyy of balance. Then I realised that there is no valve stem, so I have added roughly 8grams to the valve hole (few niples taped around the rim) and the problem is gone! This would mean some manufacters of the rims already add extra weight to the opposite side of the rim to reduce the inbalance of valve weight. In the web I have found that some (shimanos RS top wheels even) are not balanced in any way, and the users have to do it on their own.
Have you ever came across unbalanced rims? What are your thought about it?
Cheers, Chris