Been beating my head trying to shape in a new hubs to an old wheel set. Now I can check to make sure I have the right spokes thank you. Ps you could tie the two spoke together when trying to measure the erm then you wouldn’t need a second person. But the second person would be fastest way
Thanks for watching and commenting MrSplat, appreciate it! I'm glad the video is helpful. That's a good idea to tie the spoke ends together and you could probably do it with a piece of strong thread. That would be small enough not to affect the measurement. Good idea! Thanks again!
Thanks Jim I’m about to build my first wheel I have fallen asleep reading books on wheel building Your vdo has helped a lot Clear, Concise and Thorough
I am really happy to hear that, Mike. The whole reason I made the video was to try to show a relatively easy way to build wheels. Have fun and let me know how it goes! Also, thanks a lot for watching the videos!
So I took the plunge and got a used truing stand (park tools 2.2) and tension meter (park tools). I have a wheel that needs about 10 spokes replaced after a chain slipped off into the spokes. I measured my spokes, they are straight gage 2mm, j bend spokes. I took one out of each side and drive side and non drive side measures 281 mm. 14 mm nipple. When I go to find spokes to buy, they are 280 or 282. But I am not sure if 1 mm will make a difference. I have deep rims, no chance a longer spoke will hit the tube. Thanks for your videos, I feel like I can tackle wheel building for sure.
You're very welcome, Kurt, thank you for watching! It's great to hear you're ready to tackle wheel building and fixing that wheel. The 1mm in spoke length difference won't matter. But, you should look down from the top (inside your rim) using a flashlight to see how far your spoke ends are from the tops of the spoke nipples. If it's hard to see, you can also take a piece of wire that fits into the nipple and poke it in until it stops on the end of the spoke and that will let you get an idea how much room there is for a longer spoke. If you have a 1mm or 2mm gap above the end of the spoke, then you can go with the 1mm longer spokes. Or if the spoke ends are flush or protruding from the end of the nipples a little, you'll know going with the 1mm shorter spokes will be okay. Okay? I hope this helps and have fun fixing that wheel. In case you are undecided on how to do it, the easiest way is to replace one bad spoke at a time. That way, the wheel will only go out of true at that one spoke's affected area. Since you have a tension meter you can take a reading of the spoke tension and record it. Then when you replace the damaged spoke with the new one, you will bring the new spoke right up to the same tension that the damaged spoke was. That should result in the wheel becoming almost as nice and true and round as it was before you removed the spoke. Be sure to put a little lube on the nipple and the spoke threads before putting the spoke in so that they turn nice and smoothly as you tighten the spoke and do any minor truing if the wheel needs it. Then you would repeat the process for each of the 10 damaged spokes. That's a fun wheel repair I've done many, many times since shifting into the spokes is so common. Have fun with it!
What excellent videos you have there Jim, thanks a bunch. I’ve been truing wheels for a long time, love hearing you talk and show about it, picked up a couple of tips along the way too :)
In case you're too busy to watch the video, here's a tip for if you end up with the wrong length spokes. You'll find out they're wrong when you lace the wheel and that can be super frustrating. The 2 THINGS TO KNOW ARE: ONE) If the spokes are a little long, that's NOT a problem. Even if 3mm of spoke sticks out of the top of the nipples it's A-OK - if anything it makes for a stronger wheel. Just be sure the protruding spokes can't contact the tube inside the tire. Usually with today's deep rims that's not a problem. And TWO) If the spokes are too short and you see threads showing on the spokes all around the wheel, you must get longer spokes. To get the right length, measure the gap between the top of the spoke and top of the nipple (see th-cam.com/video/LvV4FE2VxZk/w-d-xo.html), and do the math to figure out how much longer your spokes need to be. Or if you can't measure, go get a few spokes that are each a little longer and longer and try them in the wheel to find out the perfect length. Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for watching and subscribing! Jim Langley
You've got some great ideas on measuring. This isn't the issue I'm having. I need 270mm spokes, but can't get any. The Lbs sold me all they had and have cut and threaded a few more. A heavy rider I have broken 4 spokes in 4500 miles on my track rear wheel. I replaced all that I could but really need a full set of 28. The rim will never wear out because there is no brake. Don't know brand of spokes used but there's a mix now. There is motivation to sell wheel sets instead of components. I trust my building experience more than factory built wheels which are the only ones available. 1 more spare left! Have replaced spokes during a ride.
Thanks for watching and the great comment, David. Have you tried eBay for spokes or wheelbuilder.com? I have had good luck getting the spokes I need there. Also, if you are breaking spokes I would suggest getting DT Swiss spokes or Sapim. Hope this helps.
You're very welcome, Brad. I'm glad these tips on spoke length are helpful. I now have about 30 videos on almost all aspects of wheel building, so be sure to browse if you need any more help. Or just send me a comment with the question when you have one and I'll be more than happy to answer and point you to the right video. I reply to comments as soon as I can, usually the same day if not a lot sooner. Thanks a lot for watching and commenting.
I tend to use the DT Swiss spoke calculator. If you create an account it allows you to save all your data. Useful if you build the same wheel more than once or just as a record of previous builds. Perhaps other calculators have a save feature, I haven’t checked. Very comprehensive coverage in the video and good tips. Thanks Jim.
Thanks for watching and the tip Elliot! Could you explain your technique for others reading this please. I’d like to know and I’m sure others would appreciate it too. Thank you!
Great video! Sometimes rim manufacturers quote the ERD but there is some ambiguity. Mavic used to call their measurement the "spoke support diameter" and it was measured from where the nipple touches the inside of the rim instead of from the top of the spoke. About 3mm shorter than the ERD measured your way. You can just use the SSD and it will be fine. Or you can add 3mm which will be ideal. But if you aren't sure if the figure you were quoted was an SSD or an ERD and you end up with SSD+6mm that will be too long. I always prefer to buy the spoke and rim before the spokes and measure them. Especially as there are so many different versions of Shimano hubs all called similar things (there's often "Deore" in the name but this tells you almost nothing) I'm never sure I've picked the right one in one of those databases!
Hi Jim. I have a question related to hub measurement. Why are you measuring the locknut to center? Isn't it much easier to just measure the locknut to locknut distance and just divide by 2? That would be your hub center. Then you just need to measure locknut to flange center, and you're done. The calculators will automatically figure you the offset (flange to center) by just substracting locknut to flange distance from half of the locknut to locknut distance.
Thanks a lot for watching and the question atexnik. Your way is fine too and thank you for sharing. Basically, I do it the way I show (measurements versus calculations) because mistakes are common even using a calculator - I know mistakes shouldn't happen but I just trust taking measurements more.
Terrific, Jim! Some valuable information clearly communicated. One crit: Wish you'd used a standard lock nut axle for the measurements, but no big deal. Since communicating tech info is one of your strengths, I hope you'll continue. Been delaying a wheel building project, uncertain how to get going. May go ahead now. Many thanks.
Thanks a lot for watching and the nice comment, Peter. I just added timecodes to the video so that it's possible to mouseover the red time line and see each "chapter." I do actually show axle measurement for hubs with locknuts. It's at this timecode: th-cam.com/video/LvV4FE2VxZk/w-d-xo.html I hope that helps, Peter. Please let me know if you have other questions on getting your wheel building project going. I'm happy to help. Thanks again!
I found a simpler method to measure ERD, no helper needed. Supplies: 1 inner gear cable + 2 spoke nipples 1. insert spoke nipples into opposite holes on the rim; 2. insert the gear cable through the spoke nipples, until the barrel end stops it; 3. mark cable exiting top of 2nd spoke nipple with a sharpie; 4. measure from top of spoke nipple to top of spoke nipple (or from barrel end base to sharpie mark); 5. done. Supplies to make it into a tool: 1 inner gear cable with barrel end + 2 spoke nipples + small binder clip + file. File both spoke nipples' tops down to driver slot depth, use the binder clip instead of sharpie. Use the tool as above.
I love it, COSINUS - great thinking! I bet you could market your tool and sell some because it's not easy to get that measurement right and it's such an important one, too. Thanks for sharing this. I really appreciate it and applaud your genius!
You forgot that actual erd depends on type of nipple to be used. You ain't going to file down each and every nipple, right? While your method is fine, measuring with spokes is easier and more precise and allows you to decide at which point inside the nipple you want to base off your erd.
@@atexnik I measure with the same type of nipple that I'm using to build the wheel. I assume you measure with the same type of nipple when you use spokes, don't you? That's a given. A proper tool will have different 'nipples' than the ones used to build the wheel as well. With my method you can file the nipple on the barrell side only and can mark the cable at the bottom of the nipple if that's more comfortable for you. There's a lot more room for error measuring 2 spokes that meet in the middle than subtracting nipple driver slot depth (which is a known variable) from overall ERD.
@@cosinus_square recently I've got some non-series alu nipples with unusually high hat, with internal thread length of 10.3mm. The way I determined the erd was by setting the depth of the spoke first. With cable that wouldn't be easy. So, it depends on situation. In most cases your method is also fine, but the cable should be straight enough.
@@atexnik using a gear cable was something I did out of necessity once, it was available, it was free and I could do it in 1 go without assistance. It has worked extremely well for me ever since. I only use a gear cable, the nipples I'm building with, a marker and a good dose of common sense. Quick tip: keep the length of the cable a known round figure to help with maths.
By making a 1mm to 1.5 mm the heads never snap off . It takes slightly longer to build but will be more reliable. The trails have become more technical and the wheels to be lighter for faster acceleration. It is quite logical because the spine is hanging on the full nipples nipple and no on the head
Thanks Jim quite useful -as a mechanical engineer of all sorts coming across the bicycle issue.... I have this rim and this hub how do I figure out how long the spokes should be?- I devised an easy solution. Kitchen table or work bench method Poor mans fix. It is interesting that those who are not familiar with all the ins and outs of a technical process may approach a task differently. I got the hub sticking up on the bench by drilling an axle sized hole in a pice of wood to hold it, then placed the rim on the bench and jacked it up at three points with packing so it was the right height to be in the centre of the hub flanges(symetrical front wheel). ....just layed a straight edge across the rim near the hub. simple measurement. (half rim thickness etc to ensure spoke holes would be central to the flanges) Then just rotated the rim so it was in the right relative position(spoke holes) for a 3x then measured with a tape measure to a nipple poked in the rim ...worked great and took 10 minutes, the tolerance about 2mm = easily good enough ..the hardest bit was ensuring the hub was central with respect to the rim ....a simple circle drawn on the bench (using the rim) did this well..... Easy ...Pete
Great video. Do you have any pull with ProWheelBuilder to get them to keep their data base in the spoke calculator up to date? They list the Boyd Altamont aluminum rims old version but haven't put the current versions in there. Boyd doesn't sell the old versions rims anymore. I built a new wheel a couple of days ago using an ONYX Vesper rear hub and now that it's built I see the spokes on the drive side stick past the head of the nipple by about 3mm. I can get any more tension on that side to get the rim true because the nipple has bottomed out on threads. So now I have to order more spokes that are shorter. ONYX provided the hub dimensions and I plugged that into PWB's calculator but it didn't work out. I have been building my own wheels for a long time but watching your videos I am still learning more about getting it right. Thanks for taking the time to make these videos.
Thanks a lot for watching and the kind words. Sorry to hear about the too long spokes, that's always frustrating. I don't have any connection with ProWheelBuilder but maybe they'll see this and appreciate your tip. Sometimes if you use a different cross pattern like 2 cross instead of 3 cross you can get too long spokes to work. But do the calculation to see if it will work. Maybe you'll get lucky. I'll keep my fingers crossed that it does. After thinking about this some more, there's something else you might consider if you're using brass nipples. If so and you have an extra spoke from the too-long batch of spokes and an extra brass nipple from that batch, you can do a test. You put the brass nipple onto the spoke and screw it down until it's bottomed out just like the ones in your wheel. Now, hold the spoke with something like flat jaw pliers or put it in a vise with soft jaws. Then turn the nipple further onto the spoke. In most cases with brass nipples they will keep turning. What happens is that the non-threaded part of the spoke flattens the threads in the part of the nipple that's forced onto that part of the spoke. This seems like you're damaging the nipples, but as long as most of the threads in the nipple are unaffected, they will still work fine. So if you are using brass nipples and you only need a couple more turns of each one to properly tension those too long spokes, that is an option. The only issue then is to be sure the too long spokes don't protrude into the wheel. If they do then they'll cause punctures and you don't want that. Hope something here helps.
@@JimLangley1 Thanks for that tip about the brass nipples. That's what I'm using, however, I already ordered some new spokes from ProWheelBuilder. They should be here by the end of next week hopefully. I have other wheels I can use in the meantime. Also I'd like to mention that the Boyd rims are asymmetric and there may lay the problem because these calculators don't account for that offset.
Jim, the way you have your Masi mounted to the wall is awesome! I can imagine that the hook bolt and chain on saddle is your own creation, but what about those white holders at the bottom of the wheels? Did you hack up and paint fenders for that?
You have a good eye, Chuck! Yes, that's exactly what the wheel holders are - an old pair of fenders - metal, of course. And yes, I painted them to try to blend them into the wall. There are 2 bikes on the wall actually. The other bike is even more special, a Rene Herse. I will have a video of it when I have the time to do it justice. For now, if you are interested, I have a lot of nice photos and a short story on that bike here on my bicycle website: jimlangley.net/ride/ReneHerseBicycle.html I appreciate you watching my video and the great comment, thank you!
It's very thankful to discover your channel. You get into such great detail I'm really enjoying it. I'm building a set of wheels for the 1st time and I feel confident now through your videos. One question, what determines which way the rotation angle of the spokes. I didn't understand that portion of your video
I’m happy you’re enjoying the videos, Wally World. Thank you for watching and the great comment! To answer your question, please watch this video of mine in which I explain about the different spoke lacing patterns and which to use th-cam.com/video/4kVlmOjgdAs/w-d-xo.html If you are building disc brake wheels, here's a video explaining the Shimano disc lacing pattern I recommend: th-cam.com/video/gfWd7_avr1s/w-d-xo.html Please let me know if you have other questions after watching them. Thanks again and happy wheel building!
Hi, Jim. I have a vintage wheelset, circa 1987, that I am trying to preserve. I would like to replace the corroded 14mm aluminum nipples with 12mm brass ones. They have Maillard hubs laced to Sun Mistral M13 rims. The spokes are Hoshi 2.0mm straight-gauge stainless steel all around and they are very clean. Do you have any suggestions that I should keep in mind while attempting this task? I was planning on using some DT Standard nipples with Pro Lock as I am trying not to have to deconstruct the entire wheel, rather replace each nipple one at a time. My plan was to simply detension the wheel, remove the old nipples, clean the spoke ends with isopropyl alcohol and a bronze bristled brush, and replace with the new nipples. I am going to try and check the current tensions first, but do you have a rough approximation of what sort of tensions I should be looking for? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
Thanks for watching and commenting! Fun project you're working on. I would recommend shooting for a tension of 100-110 on the front wheel and 120 on the right side (drive side) of the rear wheel. You might want to go with regular (not Pro Lock) nipples, reason being, the Pro Locks will start to tighten during the building process so you might need a spoke holder tool to keep each spoke from twisting as you turn its nipple. Park Tool makes one: amzn.to/3YwelXR But if you build with standard nipples you are less likely to run into any spoke twisting. Have fun with the rebuild. For detensioning vintage wheels like this be sure to drip some lube on the nipples and let it penetrate for a day or so (between nipple and rim and nipple and spoke). If you can get it into the nipples it'll make it easier to loosen and remove them.
Hello Jim, I enjoy the videos and all the tips. I have a question about spoke size. I'm building a wheel and have the rims and the hubs, My LBS only sells spokes in 2 mm increments. For the front I need the following sizes 273.4 / 274.6 and the back 274.8 / 272.8. Should I go with 274 / 276 for the front and 276 / 274 for the back or... Thoughts?
Thanks for watching and the questions, Mark. Yes, since the shop sells in 2mm increments, that's be best way to proceed. If the spokes are a tad long that's okay. What you don't want is spokes too short. Thanks again and happy wheel building!
If you know the erd of a rim you are replacing and you know the erd of the new rim, can you calculate the the new spoke lengths buy measuring the old spokes and adding or subtracting what you need by a formula?
Thanks for watching and the question, Nicky. I’ve never tried that so I can’t confirm if there’s a way to do that. What I would do is to just plug the new ERD into the spoke length formula and find the lengths that way. That’ll ensure you end up with the right lengths. Hope this helps and thanks again.
Tip: If one doesn't have a helper to hold both spokes together when measuring the center where the hub and spokes meet, one could just use a rubber band connecting the spokes together for an accurate reading. Correct?
Regarding measurement of ERD, I bought a set of Wheelsmith "Rim Rods" long ago when they were still available and reasonably priced. With these, you measure the overlap instead of the gap, and a clip holds the overlap together so that no helper is needed. ERD = 700mm - overlap_mm. I wonder if there are really long spokes available to easily make something similar by cutting off the J-bends and clamping the overlap. Once calibrated, you could put loctite red on the nipples...
Yes, I have the Wheelsmith spoke length calculator system, too, Chuck. I bought it from Ric Hjertberg at the first USA Cycling mechanics clinic in 1989. The overlapping method is important to understand because if you are building a smaller diameter rim, even regular MTB or road spokes will probably be too long for the other measurement. That's why I included both measure techniques in the video - just in case (it's at 15:41 about). But, I do like your idea for making your own rim rods. I still use my Wheelsmith ones all the time and they're easier to use than spokes. I'm pretty sure DT Swiss makes their own rim rods but I haven't tried them and don't know how they work. Fun stuff, thank you!
Thanks for watching and the great question 5amba. Too short is always bad, a little too long is never a problem- so rounding up is the way to go but the problem is sometimes you can only buy odd lengths - or even - only because it’s all the seller has. In that case you don’t round up because you’d end up going up 2mm and that’s too much difference. But if it’s 1mm then up is the way to go. Hope this is helpful.
Jim. In the example for ERD, when the 2 spokes used are too long, they overlap. You took 700c minus the 30 mm of overlap to equal 670 mm. That's the overall diameter. But, what is the actual ERD for that situation? Thanks
Thanks for watching and the question, Richard. When you're measuring for ERD and the two spokes overlap, you add the length of the 2 spokes and then subtract the amount of overlap to get your ERD. I should have explained that in the video, sorry I didn't.
@@richardcoppedgejr6871 do you mean 587 versus 588? If so the 588 I mentioned is a supplied ERD from the rim maker. The measurement could vary that 1mm simply because I didn't thread the spokes the exact same amount or maybe measured slightly wrong. Hope that answers, thanks again.
@@JimLangley1 I meant the 670 total written on the left side of the card compared to the right side tally of 587. Are those two different numbers not for the same reference example? Thanks
@@richardcoppedgejr6871 the 670 is the rim diameter. I should have showed the measurement of the 2 spokes minus the overlap, but didn't. You can ignore the rim diameter math and instead just add the length of the 2 spokes and then subtract the amount of overlap to get your ERD. Or if the spokes don't overlap, it's the length of the 2 spokes plus the gap. Sorry for the confusion.
hello Jim, It went so smooth the first time I built a wheel with your help that I ordered everything to build some fixed gear bike wheelset (I want it radially laced front and 3-cross back wheel). I used an spoke online calculator in which I input the measures directly from hub specs and I personally took the measures for the rims. The problem: the spokes for the radial wheel are too long. I've double checked all the measurements and used different calculators and they all yield the same numbers: spokes that are too long (I know because they bottom out on the nipple and wheel is still veeery floppy. Has this happened to you? The measure given by the software is between 5-10 mm off, I would say. PS: I checked with the calculator once again and it did show the right length... Do you think I can lace the wheel if spokes are 6-7mm longer? There's no problem with them touching the tube as the rim has some profile
Hi Groove Seeker! Sometimes the calculators get it wrong - and sometimes the measurer or component makers charts get it wrong - but usually not a 5-10mm difference or even a 6-7mm - it's usually only a few mm. If I had that happen I would usually get the right length spokes and rebuild the wheel. You should be able to do the math with the long spokes you have now in the wheel. As long as they're somewhat tight, you can estimate how much to subtract of the extra length from the spokes you have now to get the right length spokes - or at least a lot closer. The bad part is having to buy new spokes, but hopefully you will find a use for the longer spokes with another project. I recommend always keeping a record of what spoke lengths work for your rims and hubs you build up. If you want to try to finish the wheel with the too long spokes, as long as you can screw the nipples down to true and round and tension the wheel, you can do it. But, if most of the threads end up above the nipple, it means only a few threads are connected inside the nipple. Most spokes have about 9-10mm of thread. Still, even a few threads will hold well and the threads outside the nipple will prevent the spoke pulling down into the nipple. So, as long as you can turn the nipples and make the adjustments to true, round and tension the wheel you might get away with it - of course making sure the long spokes can't damage the tube and cause a flat. If it's difficult to turn the nipples or they resist turning, it's because some of the threads inside are not on threads but against the body of the spoke. But the nipple threads are brass or aluminum, which is soft and won't harm the stainless steel spoke. If you want to experiment you can take a separate spoke and nipple and screw the nipple down as far as you can get it and check what happens to get an idea how your too long spokes will behave in your wheel. As to why the calculator wasn't correct, it's hard to know if it's the calculator or the numbers put into it. One thing you can do is once you find a calculator you like, if it gives results a little off every time, you can have a correction value (+ or -) based on what you've learned using it. I hope this is helpful. Thanks for watching and the question!
@@JimLangley1 thank you so much for such a long answer. I think I'll do a 2cross instead of radial, which should account for the extra long spokes. Thank you Sssssoooo much
Nice video Jim. I’m building a rear wheel with a mixed lacing pattern, radial drive side an x2 non-drive. Using a calculator you can’t input the mixed pattern. I took the right from one Calc and left from the other. Do you see a problem with this approach?
Thanks for watching and the question Will. Not sure I understand your question though. You would do two calculations, one for one side of the wheel and one for the other side. I hope this answers your question. Happy wheel building!
@@JimLangley1 yeah that was my question. Will doing a calculation for each side work? I was not sure if the calculator could offset the dishing for whole number calculations of spoke length, in which case two calculation might not match up. On the other hand rounding up or down to the nearest 1 mm on either side should be ok. I generally round up since most rims are double walled so you can go a little long. When building with aluminum nipples you really need to make sure the spoke fits to the top to not compromise the wheel strength.
@@willclarke4631 yes, rounding up usually works with our modern rims, Will, and you're also correct about the spokes filling the nipples - especially since so many wheels now use aluminum nipples, which need full support. Happy holidays!
🙏 the DT swiss calculator failed me again on my asymmetrical rim wheel build. Hoping a lacing pattern without crosses on the non-drive side can get the spokes to seat further into the nipples. Threads are sticking out about 2-3mm.
Sorry to hear that, Aaron. Did you get all the spokes into the wheel before discovering that they were too short? If so, you can make a version of the length gauge I show in my video. With that you can get an accurate measurement of how much longer the spokes need to be. Then you add that number to the spoke length you now have and you should end up with the right length spokes. Let me know if I can help more.
Hi Jim could you please give me some advice. My two wheels spoke lengths are 284.5 / 282.9 and 284.4 / 285.5 what lengths should I get slightly longer or slightly shorter. They are disc brake wheels I already have some 284mm spokes. Thanks.
Hi Paul, since you already have 284s, they’ll be right for the 284.4 since you would round down to 284. The others you would round up so 284.5 is 285, 282.9 is 283 and 285.5 is 286. Okay? Happy wheel building!
@@JimLangley1 Thanks Jim. Sorry I was mistaken both of the left wheels are 284.5, I have enough 284 spokes for them some people say a 285 would be best?
Thanks for watching and commenting MrSplat. When the calculator doesn't have the hubs on their lists, then you need to measure the hubs. I show how to do this here in my complete video on finding spoke lengths: th-cam.com/video/LvV4FE2VxZk/w-d-xo.html Hope this helps and thanks again!
Bring back steel rims! Amazing how effective and accurate a welding filler rod, metric rule/yardstick & suitable pencil/pen is for determining ERD. You actually ignored method 1, which is literally calculate it the old fashioned way, it can literally be calculated by someone with a good understanding of geometry, it's horrible & time consuming to do, but literally the way they did it in the 19th century.. hats off to the engineers who invented bikes & penny farthings in the days before computers existed! True respect for the guys who did this using pencil & paper way back when. Also for the guys who wrote the spoke length calculator software, & look up tables before that, but mostly the pencil & paper brigade, they had it hard before the 1950s.
Hi Jim, thank you very much for your very good videos. I have 2 questions: - What's the brand of the spoke length gauge with the groove you have in the video? - Let say you have 2 black identical nipples, how do you differentiate brass and aluminum? Thanks a bunch!
Thanks for watching, Vincent! The spoke ruler is by wheelfanatyk - this link should take you to it www.wheelfanatyk.com/store/pi-spoke-ruler/ And brass nipples weigh more than aluminum and brass is usually colder to touch than aluminum - if your fingers can’t feel it, try touching your face. Okay? Hope this helps and happy wheel building!
★ WATCH this video next on spoke tension meters and if you need one th-cam.com/video/7JLw4pGyVyI/w-d-xo.html
You're awesome, thank you!
My pleasure Daniel, thanks a lot for watching and commenting, appreciate it! 🙏
Been beating my head trying to shape in a new hubs to an old wheel set. Now I can check to make sure I have the right spokes thank you. Ps you could tie the two spoke together when trying to measure the erm then you wouldn’t need a second person. But the second person would be fastest way
Thanks for watching and commenting MrSplat, appreciate it! I'm glad the video is helpful. That's a good idea to tie the spoke ends together and you could probably do it with a piece of strong thread. That would be small enough not to affect the measurement. Good idea! Thanks again!
This confirmed I got the correct spoke lengths for my wheel I just built. I could have made them 1 mm longer but they are long enough. many thabks
You're very welcome, Bryan. Happy to hear your spoke lengths came out fine. Thanks a lot for watching and commenting!
Thanks Jim
I’m about to build my first wheel
I have fallen asleep reading books on wheel building
Your vdo has helped a lot
Clear, Concise and Thorough
I am really happy to hear that, Mike. The whole reason I made the video was to try to show a relatively easy way to build wheels. Have fun and let me know how it goes! Also, thanks a lot for watching the videos!
So I took the plunge and got a used truing stand (park tools 2.2) and tension meter (park tools). I have a wheel that needs about 10 spokes replaced after a chain slipped off into the spokes. I measured my spokes, they are straight gage 2mm, j bend spokes. I took one out of each side and drive side and non drive side measures 281 mm. 14 mm nipple. When I go to find spokes to buy, they are 280 or 282. But I am not sure if 1 mm will make a difference. I have deep rims, no chance a longer spoke will hit the tube.
Thanks for your videos, I feel like I can tackle wheel building for sure.
You're very welcome, Kurt, thank you for watching! It's great to hear you're ready to tackle wheel building and fixing that wheel. The 1mm in spoke length difference won't matter. But, you should look down from the top (inside your rim) using a flashlight to see how far your spoke ends are from the tops of the spoke nipples. If it's hard to see, you can also take a piece of wire that fits into the nipple and poke it in until it stops on the end of the spoke and that will let you get an idea how much room there is for a longer spoke. If you have a 1mm or 2mm gap above the end of the spoke, then you can go with the 1mm longer spokes. Or if the spoke ends are flush or protruding from the end of the nipples a little, you'll know going with the 1mm shorter spokes will be okay. Okay? I hope this helps and have fun fixing that wheel.
In case you are undecided on how to do it, the easiest way is to replace one bad spoke at a time. That way, the wheel will only go out of true at that one spoke's affected area. Since you have a tension meter you can take a reading of the spoke tension and record it. Then when you replace the damaged spoke with the new one, you will bring the new spoke right up to the same tension that the damaged spoke was. That should result in the wheel becoming almost as nice and true and round as it was before you removed the spoke. Be sure to put a little lube on the nipple and the spoke threads before putting the spoke in so that they turn nice and smoothly as you tighten the spoke and do any minor truing if the wheel needs it. Then you would repeat the process for each of the 10 damaged spokes. That's a fun wheel repair I've done many, many times since shifting into the spokes is so common. Have fun with it!
What excellent videos you have there Jim, thanks a bunch. I’ve been truing wheels for a long time, love hearing you talk and show about it, picked up a couple of tips along the way too :)
Glad you like them! Thanks so much for watching and the great comments 🙏
Excellent video...very well explained. Thanks JIm...😎
My pleasure godfellas, thank you for watching and the comment!
In case you're too busy to watch the video, here's a tip for if you end up with the wrong length spokes. You'll find out they're wrong when you lace the wheel and that can be super frustrating. The 2 THINGS TO KNOW ARE:
ONE) If the spokes are a little long, that's NOT a problem. Even if 3mm of spoke sticks out of the top of the nipples it's A-OK - if anything it makes for a stronger wheel. Just be sure the protruding spokes can't contact the tube inside the tire. Usually with today's deep rims that's not a problem.
And TWO) If the spokes are too short and you see threads showing on the spokes all around the wheel, you must get longer spokes. To get the right length, measure the gap between the top of the spoke and top of the nipple (see th-cam.com/video/LvV4FE2VxZk/w-d-xo.html), and do the math to figure out how much longer your spokes need to be. Or if you can't measure, go get a few spokes that are each a little longer and longer and try them in the wheel to find out the perfect length.
Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for watching and subscribing! Jim Langley
You have explained very well I didn't find more precise video on youtube nice video Jim!
Thanks for watching and the nice comment, dzonibrt!
Best bicycle videos on youtube. Good job Jim! Thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge!
PS- Awesome hat.
Thanks for watching and the kind words, Luis! Appreciate it a lot.
You've got some great ideas on measuring. This isn't the issue I'm having. I need 270mm spokes, but can't get any. The Lbs sold me all they had and have cut and threaded a few more. A heavy rider I have broken 4 spokes in 4500 miles on my track rear wheel. I replaced all that I could but really need a full set of 28. The rim will never wear out because there is no brake. Don't know brand of spokes used but there's a mix now. There is motivation to sell wheel sets instead of components. I trust my building experience more than factory built wheels which are the only ones available. 1 more spare left! Have replaced spokes during a ride.
Thanks for watching and the great comment, David. Have you tried eBay for spokes or wheelbuilder.com? I have had good luck getting the spokes I need there. Also, if you are breaking spokes I would suggest getting DT Swiss spokes or Sapim. Hope this helps.
Thank you for this Jim! My own wheel-building journey has been slow but I’ve already made the mistake of getting spoke length wrong. Now I know!
You're very welcome, Brad. I'm glad these tips on spoke length are helpful. I now have about 30 videos on almost all aspects of wheel building, so be sure to browse if you need any more help. Or just send me a comment with the question when you have one and I'll be more than happy to answer and point you to the right video. I reply to comments as soon as I can, usually the same day if not a lot sooner. Thanks a lot for watching and commenting.
I tend to use the DT Swiss spoke calculator. If you create an account it allows you to save all your data. Useful if you build the same wheel more than once or just as a record of previous builds. Perhaps other calculators have a save feature, I haven’t checked. Very comprehensive coverage in the video and good tips. Thanks Jim.
Thanks for sharing your experience with the DT Swiss calculator, Lawrence. Very helpful! And thanks very much for watching and commenting!
I always measure erd with a kite string across the wheel through the spoke holes. Works fine.
Thanks for watching and the tip Elliot! Could you explain your technique for others reading this please. I’d like to know and I’m sure others would appreciate it too. Thank you!
Great video! Sometimes rim manufacturers quote the ERD but there is some ambiguity. Mavic used to call their measurement the "spoke support diameter" and it was measured from where the nipple touches the inside of the rim instead of from the top of the spoke. About 3mm shorter than the ERD measured your way. You can just use the SSD and it will be fine. Or you can add 3mm which will be ideal. But if you aren't sure if the figure you were quoted was an SSD or an ERD and you end up with SSD+6mm that will be too long. I always prefer to buy the spoke and rim before the spokes and measure them. Especially as there are so many different versions of Shimano hubs all called similar things (there's often "Deore" in the name but this tells you almost nothing) I'm never sure I've picked the right one in one of those databases!
Thanks a lot for watching and I really appreciate you sharing the tips, Ben. Very helpful and interesting. Thank you!
Hi Jim. I have a question related to hub measurement. Why are you measuring the locknut to center? Isn't it much easier to just measure the locknut to locknut distance and just divide by 2? That would be your hub center. Then you just need to measure locknut to flange center, and you're done. The calculators will automatically figure you the offset (flange to center) by just substracting locknut to flange distance from half of the locknut to locknut distance.
Thanks a lot for watching and the question atexnik. Your way is fine too and thank you for sharing. Basically, I do it the way I show (measurements versus calculations) because mistakes are common even using a calculator - I know mistakes shouldn't happen but I just trust taking measurements more.
@@JimLangley1 I see, thanks for clarification, dear Jim!
@@atexnik you're very welcome, thanks again for watching and commenting!
Thanks Sir. you give a simple trick that very usefull
You’re very welcome, yanuar. Thank you for watching and commenting, I appreciate it!
Terrific, Jim! Some valuable information clearly communicated. One crit: Wish you'd used a standard lock nut axle for the measurements, but no big deal. Since communicating tech info is one of your strengths, I hope you'll continue. Been delaying a wheel building project, uncertain how to get going. May go ahead now. Many thanks.
Thanks a lot for watching and the nice comment, Peter. I just added timecodes to the video so that it's possible to mouseover the red time line and see each "chapter." I do actually show axle measurement for hubs with locknuts. It's at this timecode: th-cam.com/video/LvV4FE2VxZk/w-d-xo.html I hope that helps, Peter. Please let me know if you have other questions on getting your wheel building project going. I'm happy to help. Thanks again!
man what an informative video man. thanks
My pleasure John, thanks so much for watching and the great comment, appreciate it 🙏
Hi Jim, Excellent vid with a LOT of very useful information.
I appreciate you watching and am happy you like my video, C. Max. Thanks a lot!
Thank I'm going to build my wheels
Have fun building them, Kelvin. Thanks a lot for watching and commenting!
I found a simpler method to measure ERD, no helper needed. Supplies: 1 inner gear cable + 2 spoke nipples
1. insert spoke nipples into opposite holes on the rim;
2. insert the gear cable through the spoke nipples, until the barrel end stops it;
3. mark cable exiting top of 2nd spoke nipple with a sharpie;
4. measure from top of spoke nipple to top of spoke nipple (or from barrel end base to sharpie mark);
5. done.
Supplies to make it into a tool: 1 inner gear cable with barrel end + 2 spoke nipples + small binder clip + file.
File both spoke nipples' tops down to driver slot depth, use the binder clip instead of sharpie. Use the tool as above.
I love it, COSINUS - great thinking! I bet you could market your tool and sell some because it's not easy to get that measurement right and it's such an important one, too.
Thanks for sharing this. I really appreciate it and applaud your genius!
You forgot that actual erd depends on type of nipple to be used. You ain't going to file down each and every nipple, right? While your method is fine, measuring with spokes is easier and more precise and allows you to decide at which point inside the nipple you want to base off your erd.
@@atexnik I measure with the same type of nipple that I'm using to build the wheel. I assume you measure with the same type of nipple when you use spokes, don't you? That's a given. A proper tool will have different 'nipples' than the ones used to build the wheel as well.
With my method you can file the nipple on the barrell side only and can mark the cable at the bottom of the nipple if that's more comfortable for you. There's a lot more room for error measuring 2 spokes that meet in the middle than subtracting nipple driver slot depth (which is a known variable) from overall ERD.
@@cosinus_square recently I've got some non-series alu nipples with unusually high hat, with internal thread length of 10.3mm. The way I determined the erd was by setting the depth of the spoke first. With cable that wouldn't be easy. So, it depends on situation. In most cases your method is also fine, but the cable should be straight enough.
@@atexnik using a gear cable was something I did out of necessity once, it was available, it was free and I could do it in 1 go without assistance. It has worked extremely well for me ever since. I only use a gear cable, the nipples I'm building with, a marker and a good dose of common sense. Quick tip: keep the length of the cable a known round figure to help with maths.
By making a 1mm to 1.5 mm the heads never snap off . It takes slightly longer to build but will be more reliable. The trails have become more technical and the wheels to be lighter for faster acceleration.
It is quite logical because the spine is hanging on the full nipples nipple and no on the head
Thanks Jim quite useful -as a mechanical engineer of all sorts coming across the bicycle issue.... I have this rim and this hub how do I figure out how long the spokes should be?-
I devised an easy solution. Kitchen table or work bench method
Poor mans fix.
It is interesting that those who are not familiar with all the ins and outs of a technical process may approach a task differently.
I got the hub sticking up on the bench by drilling an axle sized hole in a pice of wood to hold it, then placed the rim on the bench and jacked it up at three points with packing so it was the right height to be in the centre of the hub flanges(symetrical front wheel). ....just layed a straight edge across the rim near the hub. simple measurement. (half rim thickness etc to ensure spoke holes would be central to the flanges)
Then just rotated the rim so it was in the right relative position(spoke holes) for a 3x then measured with a tape measure to a nipple poked in the rim ...worked great and took 10 minutes, the tolerance about 2mm = easily good enough ..the hardest bit was ensuring the hub was central with respect to the rim ....a simple circle drawn on the bench (using the rim) did this well..... Easy ...Pete
Thanks for watching and the great comment Pete! That’s a clever way to do it. Thanks for sharing!!
Great video. Do you have any pull with ProWheelBuilder to get them to keep their data base in the spoke calculator up to date? They list the Boyd Altamont aluminum rims old version but haven't put the current versions in there. Boyd doesn't sell the old versions rims anymore. I built a new wheel a couple of days ago using an ONYX Vesper rear hub and now that it's built I see the spokes on the drive side stick past the head of the nipple by about 3mm. I can get any more tension on that side to get the rim true because the nipple has bottomed out on threads. So now I have to order more spokes that are shorter. ONYX provided the hub dimensions and I plugged that into PWB's calculator but it didn't work out. I have been building my own wheels for a long time but watching your videos I am still learning more about getting it right. Thanks for taking the time to make these videos.
Thanks a lot for watching and the kind words. Sorry to hear about the too long spokes, that's always frustrating. I don't have any connection with ProWheelBuilder but maybe they'll see this and appreciate your tip. Sometimes if you use a different cross pattern like 2 cross instead of 3 cross you can get too long spokes to work. But do the calculation to see if it will work. Maybe you'll get lucky. I'll keep my fingers crossed that it does.
After thinking about this some more, there's something else you might consider if you're using brass nipples. If so and you have an extra spoke from the too-long batch of spokes and an extra brass nipple from that batch, you can do a test. You put the brass nipple onto the spoke and screw it down until it's bottomed out just like the ones in your wheel. Now, hold the spoke with something like flat jaw pliers or put it in a vise with soft jaws. Then turn the nipple further onto the spoke.
In most cases with brass nipples they will keep turning. What happens is that the non-threaded part of the spoke flattens the threads in the part of the nipple that's forced onto that part of the spoke. This seems like you're damaging the nipples, but as long as most of the threads in the nipple are unaffected, they will still work fine. So if you are using brass nipples and you only need a couple more turns of each one to properly tension those too long spokes, that is an option. The only issue then is to be sure the too long spokes don't protrude into the wheel. If they do then they'll cause punctures and you don't want that. Hope something here helps.
@@JimLangley1 Thanks for that tip about the brass nipples. That's what I'm using, however, I already ordered some new spokes from ProWheelBuilder. They should be here by the end of next week hopefully. I have other wheels I can use in the meantime. Also I'd like to mention that the Boyd rims are asymmetric and there may lay the problem because these calculators don't account for that offset.
@@wasupwitdat1mofiki94 yes, the offset has to be factored in. But it’s so easy to miss that. You’ll have it perfect with the new spokes.
Jim, the way you have your Masi mounted to the wall is awesome! I can imagine that the hook bolt and chain on saddle is your own creation, but what about those white holders at the bottom of the wheels? Did you hack up and paint fenders for that?
You have a good eye, Chuck! Yes, that's exactly what the wheel holders are - an old pair of fenders - metal, of course. And yes, I painted them to try to blend them into the wall. There are 2 bikes on the wall actually. The other bike is even more special, a Rene Herse. I will have a video of it when I have the time to do it justice. For now, if you are interested, I have a lot of nice photos and a short story on that bike here on my bicycle website: jimlangley.net/ride/ReneHerseBicycle.html I appreciate you watching my video and the great comment, thank you!
It's very thankful to discover your channel. You get into such great detail I'm really enjoying it. I'm building a set of wheels for the 1st time and I feel confident now through your videos.
One question, what determines which way the rotation angle of
the spokes. I didn't understand that portion of your video
I’m happy you’re enjoying the videos, Wally World. Thank you for watching and the great comment! To answer your question, please watch this video of mine in which I explain about the different spoke lacing patterns and which to use th-cam.com/video/4kVlmOjgdAs/w-d-xo.html If you are building disc brake wheels, here's a video explaining the Shimano disc lacing pattern I recommend: th-cam.com/video/gfWd7_avr1s/w-d-xo.html Please let me know if you have other questions after watching them. Thanks again and happy wheel building!
Thanks for the video Jim, very clear. I look forward to checking out some more of your wheel building videos :-)
Thanks a lot for watching and the kind words, Simon! You’re very welcome!
Hi, Jim. I have a vintage wheelset, circa 1987, that I am trying to preserve. I would like to replace the corroded 14mm aluminum nipples with 12mm brass ones. They have Maillard hubs laced to Sun Mistral M13 rims. The spokes are Hoshi 2.0mm straight-gauge stainless steel all around and they are very clean. Do you have any suggestions that I should keep in mind while attempting this task? I was planning on using some DT Standard nipples with Pro Lock as I am trying not to have to deconstruct the entire wheel, rather replace each nipple one at a time. My plan was to simply detension the wheel, remove the old nipples, clean the spoke ends with isopropyl alcohol and a bronze bristled brush, and replace with the new nipples. I am going to try and check the current tensions first, but do you have a rough approximation of what sort of tensions I should be looking for? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
Thanks for watching and commenting! Fun project you're working on. I would recommend shooting for a tension of 100-110 on the front wheel and 120 on the right side (drive side) of the rear wheel. You might want to go with regular (not Pro Lock) nipples, reason being, the Pro Locks will start to tighten during the building process so you might need a spoke holder tool to keep each spoke from twisting as you turn its nipple. Park Tool makes one: amzn.to/3YwelXR But if you build with standard nipples you are less likely to run into any spoke twisting. Have fun with the rebuild. For detensioning vintage wheels like this be sure to drip some lube on the nipples and let it penetrate for a day or so (between nipple and rim and nipple and spoke). If you can get it into the nipples it'll make it easier to loosen and remove them.
@@JimLangley1 Thank you for the information and helpful tips.
@@Devotee777 my pleasure, happy to help!
Me ajudou.. explicação muito clara.. Obrigado 🇧🇷
Obrigado por assistir e comentar, Matheus. Fico feliz que meu vídeo tenha sido útil.
great content! a question, how do i determine the length if the cube is a straight pull?
Thanks for watching, GT. At 8:35 in the video there’s a link to the calculator for straight-pull hubs. Thanks again!
thank you very much, I hadn't noticed
@@gabsbike3 you’re very welcome!
Hello Jim, I enjoy the videos and all the tips. I have a question about spoke size. I'm building a wheel and have the rims and the hubs, My LBS only sells spokes in 2 mm increments. For the front I need the following sizes 273.4 / 274.6 and the back 274.8 / 272.8. Should I go with 274 / 276 for the front and 276 / 274 for the back or... Thoughts?
Thanks for watching and the questions, Mark. Yes, since the shop sells in 2mm increments, that's be best way to proceed. If the spokes are a tad long that's okay. What you don't want is spokes too short. Thanks again and happy wheel building!
Cool video ! THANKS a lot ! 😉👍
You're welcome Maksim! Thanks a lot for watching and commenting!
If you know the erd of a rim you are replacing and you know the erd of the new rim, can you calculate the the new spoke lengths buy measuring the old spokes and adding or subtracting what you need by a formula?
Thanks for watching and the question, Nicky. I’ve never tried that so I can’t confirm if there’s a way to do that. What I would do is to just plug the new ERD into the spoke length formula and find the lengths that way. That’ll ensure you end up with the right lengths. Hope this helps and thanks again.
thank you
You're welcome, Zidny. Thank you for watching and commenting!
Tip:
If one doesn't have a helper to hold both spokes together when measuring the center where the hub and spokes meet, one could just use a rubber band connecting the spokes together for an accurate reading. Correct?
Yes, that’ll work fine - great tip, thanks very much Solar, appreciate it!
Regarding measurement of ERD, I bought a set of Wheelsmith "Rim Rods" long ago when they were still available and reasonably priced. With these, you measure the overlap instead of the gap, and a clip holds the overlap together so that no helper is needed. ERD = 700mm - overlap_mm.
I wonder if there are really long spokes available to easily make something similar by cutting off the J-bends and clamping the overlap. Once calibrated, you could put loctite red on the nipples...
Yes, I have the Wheelsmith spoke length calculator system, too, Chuck. I bought it from Ric Hjertberg at the first USA Cycling mechanics clinic in 1989. The overlapping method is important to understand because if you are building a smaller diameter rim, even regular MTB or road spokes will probably be too long for the other measurement. That's why I included both measure techniques in the video - just in case (it's at 15:41 about).
But, I do like your idea for making your own rim rods. I still use my Wheelsmith ones all the time and they're easier to use than spokes. I'm pretty sure DT Swiss makes their own rim rods but I haven't tried them and don't know how they work. Fun stuff, thank you!
should I round up or down, when the calculator result is a bit off compared to what is available.
Thanks for watching and the great question 5amba. Too short is always bad, a little too long is never a problem- so rounding up is the way to go but the problem is sometimes you can only buy odd lengths - or even - only because it’s all the seller has. In that case you don’t round up because you’d end up going up 2mm and that’s too much difference. But if it’s 1mm then up is the way to go. Hope this is helpful.
@@JimLangley1 thanks a lot 👍
If you had a wheel that called for 290mm and 289mm spokes, could you use the longer ones for both sides?
Yes you can. Thanks for watching and the question.
Jim. In the example for ERD, when the 2 spokes used are too long, they overlap. You took 700c minus the 30 mm of overlap to equal 670 mm. That's the overall diameter. But, what is the actual ERD for that situation?
Thanks
Thanks for watching and the question, Richard. When you're measuring for ERD and the two spokes overlap, you add the length of the 2 spokes and then subtract the amount of overlap to get your ERD. I should have explained that in the video, sorry I didn't.
@@JimLangley1 I was wondering if you can explain why ERD numbers were not the same?
@@richardcoppedgejr6871 do you mean 587 versus 588? If so the 588 I mentioned is a supplied ERD from the rim maker. The measurement could vary that 1mm simply because I didn't thread the spokes the exact same amount or maybe measured slightly wrong. Hope that answers, thanks again.
@@JimLangley1 I meant the 670 total written on the left side of the card compared to the right side tally of 587.
Are those two different numbers not for the same reference example?
Thanks
@@richardcoppedgejr6871 the 670 is the rim diameter. I should have showed the measurement of the 2 spokes minus the overlap, but didn't. You can ignore the rim diameter math and instead just add the length of the 2 spokes and then subtract the amount of overlap to get your ERD. Or if the spokes don't overlap, it's the length of the 2 spokes plus the gap. Sorry for the confusion.
hello Jim, It went so smooth the first time I built a wheel with your help that I ordered everything to build some fixed gear bike wheelset (I want it radially laced front and 3-cross back wheel). I used an spoke online calculator in which I input the measures directly from hub specs and I personally took the measures for the rims. The problem: the spokes for the radial wheel are too long. I've double checked all the measurements and used different calculators and they all yield the same numbers: spokes that are too long (I know because they bottom out on the nipple and wheel is still veeery floppy. Has this happened to you? The measure given by the software is between 5-10 mm off, I would say.
PS: I checked with the calculator once again and it did show the right length... Do you think I can lace the wheel if spokes are 6-7mm longer? There's no problem with them touching the tube as the rim has some profile
Hi Groove Seeker! Sometimes the calculators get it wrong - and sometimes the measurer or component makers charts get it wrong - but usually not a 5-10mm difference or even a 6-7mm - it's usually only a few mm. If I had that happen I would usually get the right length spokes and rebuild the wheel. You should be able to do the math with the long spokes you have now in the wheel. As long as they're somewhat tight, you can estimate how much to subtract of the extra length from the spokes you have now to get the right length spokes - or at least a lot closer. The bad part is having to buy new spokes, but hopefully you will find a use for the longer spokes with another project. I recommend always keeping a record of what spoke lengths work for your rims and hubs you build up.
If you want to try to finish the wheel with the too long spokes, as long as you can screw the nipples down to true and round and tension the wheel, you can do it. But, if most of the threads end up above the nipple, it means only a few threads are connected inside the nipple. Most spokes have about 9-10mm of thread. Still, even a few threads will hold well and the threads outside the nipple will prevent the spoke pulling down into the nipple. So, as long as you can turn the nipples and make the adjustments to true, round and tension the wheel you might get away with it - of course making sure the long spokes can't damage the tube and cause a flat.
If it's difficult to turn the nipples or they resist turning, it's because some of the threads inside are not on threads but against the body of the spoke. But the nipple threads are brass or aluminum, which is soft and won't harm the stainless steel spoke. If you want to experiment you can take a separate spoke and nipple and screw the nipple down as far as you can get it and check what happens to get an idea how your too long spokes will behave in your wheel. As to why the calculator wasn't correct, it's hard to know if it's the calculator or the numbers put into it. One thing you can do is once you find a calculator you like, if it gives results a little off every time, you can have a correction value (+ or -) based on what you've learned using it. I hope this is helpful. Thanks for watching and the question!
@@JimLangley1 thank you so much for such a long answer. I think I'll do a 2cross instead of radial, which should account for the extra long spokes. Thank you Sssssoooo much
@@grooveseeker6269 you’re welcome. And changing up the pattern is a great solution. Good thinkin’!!
Nice video Jim. I’m building a rear wheel with a mixed lacing pattern, radial drive side an x2 non-drive. Using a calculator you can’t input the mixed pattern. I took the right from one Calc and left from the other. Do you see a problem with this approach?
Thanks for watching and the question Will. Not sure I understand your question though. You would do two calculations, one for one side of the wheel and one for the other side. I hope this answers your question. Happy wheel building!
@@JimLangley1 yeah that was my question. Will doing a calculation for each side work? I was not sure if the calculator could offset the dishing for whole number calculations of spoke length, in which case two calculation might not match up. On the other hand rounding up or down to the nearest 1 mm on either side should be ok. I generally round up since most rims are double walled so you can go a little long. When building with aluminum nipples you really need to make sure the spoke fits to the top to not compromise the wheel strength.
@@willclarke4631 yes, rounding up usually works with our modern rims, Will, and you're also correct about the spokes filling the nipples - especially since so many wheels now use aluminum nipples, which need full support. Happy holidays!
🙏 the DT swiss calculator failed me again on my asymmetrical rim wheel build. Hoping a lacing pattern without crosses on the non-drive side can get the spokes to seat further into the nipples. Threads are sticking out about 2-3mm.
Sorry to hear that, Aaron. Did you get all the spokes into the wheel before discovering that they were too short? If so, you can make a version of the length gauge I show in my video. With that you can get an accurate measurement of how much longer the spokes need to be. Then you add that number to the spoke length you now have and you should end up with the right length spokes. Let me know if I can help more.
Hi Jim could you please give me some advice.
My two wheels spoke lengths are 284.5 / 282.9 and 284.4 / 285.5 what lengths should I get slightly longer or slightly shorter. They are disc brake wheels I already have some 284mm spokes.
Thanks.
Hi Paul, since you already have 284s, they’ll be right for the 284.4 since you would round down to 284. The others you would round up so 284.5 is 285, 282.9 is 283 and 285.5 is 286. Okay? Happy wheel building!
@@JimLangley1 Thanks Jim. Sorry I was mistaken both of the left wheels are 284.5, I have enough 284 spokes for them some people say a 285 would be best?
@@paulb9769 yes, if it’s 284.5 then it’s right to use 285s. A little longer is always better than a little too short.
No diamond back hubs in the spoke calculators
Thanks for watching and commenting MrSplat. When the calculator doesn't have the hubs on their lists, then you need to measure the hubs. I show how to do this here in my complete video on finding spoke lengths: th-cam.com/video/LvV4FE2VxZk/w-d-xo.html Hope this helps and thanks again!
Bring back steel rims! Amazing how effective and accurate a welding filler rod, metric rule/yardstick & suitable pencil/pen is for determining ERD.
You actually ignored method 1, which is literally calculate it the old fashioned way, it can literally be calculated by someone with a good understanding of geometry, it's horrible & time consuming to do, but literally the way they did it in the 19th century.. hats off to the engineers who invented bikes & penny farthings in the days before computers existed! True respect for the guys who did this using pencil & paper way back when.
Also for the guys who wrote the spoke length calculator software, & look up tables before that, but mostly the pencil & paper brigade, they had it hard before the 1950s.
Thanks for watching and the great comment, David. Yes you’re right - and even earlier when they made rims from wood and had to drill the spoke holes.
Hi Jim, thank you very much for your very good videos. I have 2 questions:
- What's the brand of the spoke length gauge with the groove you have in the video?
- Let say you have 2 black identical nipples, how do you differentiate brass and aluminum?
Thanks a bunch!
Thanks for watching, Vincent! The spoke ruler is by wheelfanatyk - this link should take you to it www.wheelfanatyk.com/store/pi-spoke-ruler/ And brass nipples weigh more than aluminum and brass is usually colder to touch than aluminum - if your fingers can’t feel it, try touching your face. Okay? Hope this helps and happy wheel building!
@@JimLangley1 Thank you Jim
@@vincentblanc8432 you're welcome!
We no longer use the shorter spokes and add 1 to 1.5 , to stop the nipple head breaking off
Yes, Rob, that’s the way to go. Too short - especially with aluminum nipples and the nipples will break.