i’ve been out of the wheel building/buying business for a while, so i figured i’d try to get some advice.
i need to purchase a rear track wheel, and i want it to have a blue rim and be fixed/fixed. so far, i’ve seen benscycle and thebikebiz as my two options. also prowheelbuilder.
is there anyone out there who is better or cheaper?
bens gives me formula fix/fix laced to velocity aero rim
prowheelbuilder gives me miche fix/fix laced to velocity fusion rim
thebikebiz gives me dura ace fix/fix laced to a deep v
Is there not a shop in your neck of the woods that can do something for you?
It would probably cost a little more (not much) but you can have them build anything you want for you. or get all the parts lace it your self and take it to a shop to be tensioned and trued?
there isn’t really one i’ve been totally happy with. not a shop that has a wheelbuilder i’d trust, at least. i’ve worked at a shop and built my own wheels, but this time i want a very professionally built wheel b/c i’m tired of not doing it right
I’m not sure how you could trust someone you have never met any less than someone in your town but whatever…
I’ll build your wheels. Before I quit the shop I was at to start my own I built over 300 wheels a year. Too busy for those numbers now but I still build plenty.
What was the build you had in mind and the prices you were looking at with shipping? I’m too lazy to chase links…
hey bradencbc, i always wondered why there arn’t more wheel builders in the US. For how much money they charge, around 50 USD for one wheel correct? You can really make a killing just building wheels in the US.
[quote=“Thirsty”]Is there not a shop in your neck of the woods that can do something for you?
It would probably cost a little more (not much) but you can have them build anything you want for you. or get all the parts lace it your self and take it to a shop to be tensioned and trued?
I feel like there are a ton of good wheelbuilders out there and that’s why there are so few that can make a living off it. I suspect most towns have at least one guy who knows how to connect spokes, rims, and hubs in a way that is not crappy. Let’s be honest when you are talking j-bend spokes and conventional nipples there’s not exactly some weird magic to building a good wheel. All it takes is patience and the willingness to do it right. When you get into stuff like straight pull spokes and hidden nipples things can go a bit sideways but the basics are easy with quality equipment and a little bit of experience.
On the topic of wheebuilding though… when is someone in Taiwan going to come out with some inexpensive (formula quality) straight pull track hubs.
Or how about some Taiwanese track hubs that don’t have shitty looking cut out in the flange…
Let me help. Seriously. I am as snobbish as they come when talking about track hubs. Your rims laced 20 24 to straight pull hubs would be sick… a tubular version would be a mavic/canecreek killer.
most shops do a set for 40 bones, or that seems to be the consensus. There isnt a huge demand for handbuilt wheels in the US, if people care enough they learn themselves, and most people buy high end boutique wheels that are carbon, low spoke count, weird lacing patterns.
[quote=“Omi”][quote=“Thirsty”]Is there not a shop in your neck of the woods that can do something for you?
It would probably cost a little more (not much) but you can have them build anything you want for you. or get all the parts lace it your self and take it to a shop to be tensioned and trued?
Support your LBS we need to eat =)[/quote]
Thirsty, what shop do you work at in abq?[/quote]
Albuquerque Bicycle center on San Mateo. it’s kinda a lame type shop (basically a trek store) with three shops here in town, but our store a a bunch of good people that have a lot of experience. I’m the only real mechanic, so that’s kinda cool.
if your looking for shops here in town the only other real good one is Bike Works, those guys are awesome and the wrench’s there both have a lot a experience.
Or while I am ranting… a coaster brake hub with sealed bearings and an aluminum body?
Is this too much to ask for?[/quote]
I’ve been playing with the idea of building a good quality coaster brake hub. I’ve been asked to build Coaster brake wheels for people a few times and it always sucks having to use such shit parts.
When it comes to track hubs, is a high flange hub necessarily better than a low flange hub? I’ve been working my way through Schraner’s wheel building bench reference, and he says that high flange is used mostly out of tradition. Any other reason to go with a high flange instead of low?
The argument I’ve always heardis that there is less spoke and the angle to the rim is greater so the wheel is stiffer. I’d have to imagine it’s marginal on most builds.
