I seem to be stuck for a wheel

[frogatthefarriers]

For my recent trip to the Peaks with RIP and Raggedstone, my bike of choice was the Ramin but I found that it’s got cracks in the rear wheel rim - around the spokes. I had to use the fattie instead.

The wheel is the WTB Scraper i45 650b+ that came with the bike. I can’t find one. Not even just the rim. No 45mm rims anywhere.

Help! Please?

[voodoo_simon]

40mm rim here, 32 hole
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/wtb ... prod175848

[frogatthefarriers]

40mm rim here, 32 hole
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/wtb ... prod175848

Am I missing something here? I'd assumed that the i45 rims were 45mm, but if that’s not the case it opens up the options. Realistically speaking, I don’t s'pose 2.5 mm each side wouldn’t make that much difference to the tyre profile anyway.

[Bearbonesnorm]

No, it won't really make any difference Lu.

[Lazarus]

i45 rims were 45mm

they state the inner diameter

FWIW i use 30 mm rim with + tyres [650 and 29] and its fine[ Phil will disagree massively as more is more ]

5 mm wont matter and i doubt you would even notice

[frogatthefarriers]

No, it won't really make any difference Lu.

Thanks for the replies chaps. All I've got to do now is learn how to lace a wheel. This could end badly. It might be easier and safer to look for a complete wheel.

[Bearbonesnorm]

Thanks for the replies chaps. All I've got to do now is learn how to lace a wheel. This could end badly. It might be easier and safer to look for a complete wheel.

Align the new rim on top of the wheel and tape them together. Remove one spoke at a time from the wheel and place it into the appropriate hole in the new rim. Keep going until the rim becomes a wheel. It will need some truing but that's a skill that's easily picked up.

[frogatthefarriers]

Thanks for the replies chaps. All I've got to do now is learn how to lace a wheel. This could end badly. It might be easier and safer to look for a complete wheel.

Align the new rim on top of the wheel and tape them together. Remove one spoke at a time from the wheel and place it into the appropriate hole in the new rim. Keep going until the rim becomes a wheel. It will need some truing but that's a skill that's easily picked up.

Oh wow! that's such a good idea - I would never have thought of that. I'd got as far as maybe taking a photo and working from that. Or checking out Youtube (my usual go-to for anything new) for instructions. Your way, I could only get one spoke wrong at a time. I'm a bit more hopeful now. Thanks. I suppose I should take some measurements before I start, to get the dishing (or whatever it's called) right.

[PaulE]

Don't forget to line the valve holes up before taping together (is that what you meant anyway Stu?) and I'd go round the rim and take a couple of turns of tension off first before swapping the spokes across. That way, you can do the rest of the loosening and initial tightening with a screwdriver so it's a bit quicker.

[fatbikephil]

https://www.tritoncycles.co.uk/componen ... c0QAvD_BwE

Bit cheaper and looks similar.

In the good old days of rim brakes you became adept at switching rims the way Stu describes, when the brake blocks wore through them. I think 6 months was my record for wearing out a rim.... That said you could get one for 12 quid!

[redefined_cycles]

Don't forget to line the valve holes up before taping together (is that what you meant anyway Stu?) and I'd go round the rim and take a couple of turns of tension off first before swapping the spokes across. That way, you can do the rest of the loosening and initial tightening with a screwdriver so it's a bit quicker.

Just to add to this Frog... As well as lining up the holes properly and ensuring the vamve hole is at the right spot...

Now forgive me if I'm insulting any intelligence here but a few extra points that might at first seem obvious but easily misplaced ( , you know what I mean.. like in the head):

Don't forget to line up the valve hole at the right spot.
Don't forget that there are rim holes to the right and to the left, so line the orientation of the rims correctly.
Try to use something easily to peel away after, like masking tape.
Go, slowly and try not to lose any nipples in the rim channel (it could hurt in lots of ways).
Bending the spokes carefully/lightly /carefully and putting your finger over the threaded end, is your friend...
Make yourself a little guiter tuning stick of some sort (and a guitar tuning app for after when you're getting the spoke tensions even)....

Lastly, and most importantly

(Oh, and that screwdriver that Paul mentioned... You could upgrade it (a flat head) with a dremel so there is a little protrusion in the centre to sit inside the nipple (don't lose it or get it caught remember) and it'll pop out magically.

[fatbikephil]

Just thought, to add to the complications - WTB rims have "4d spoke holes" i.e. on each side the drillings are specific to pulling and pushing spokes. A bit of squinting usually ID's which are which and sometimes they have a sticker on them too.

WTB are sensitive to spoke tensions - I've had two crack round spoke holes due to being a bit keen. Currently on two that have been in service for 7 years each.

[redefined_cycles]

Right then Mr Frog... This was the exciting news I mentioned earlier...



If of any interest and the price is right (all money will go straight to the Syria/Turkey Earthquake relief effort) then I could part with these beauties...

Only reason the front is unlaced is cos the Alpshit (sorry) bike broke (cos it was poor show) and these wouldn't go on the Ramin - erm, actually I just realised, you don't need a thru axle do ya* - so I was preparing em for the Ramin but a carbon rim came my way...

Lovely wheels/rims but only 35mm wide. M1700 and happy to delace the rear if you just want both rims (they're light, and hopefully strong cos they weren't cheap)...

[redefined_cycles]

28H

[Bearbonesnorm]

(is that what you meant anyway Stu?

It was but good to clarify.

[frogatthefarriers]

Right then Mr Frog... This was the exciting news I mentioned earlier...



If of any interest and the price is right (all money will go straight to the Syria/Turkey Earthquake relief effort) then I could part with these beauties...

Only reason the front is unlaced is cos the Alpshit (sorry) bike broke (cos it was poor show) and these wouldn't go on the Ramin - erm, actually I just realised, you don't need a thru axle do ya* - so I was preparing em for the Ramin but a carbon rim came my way...

Lovely wheels/rims but only 35mm wide. M1700 and happy to delace the rear if you just want both rims (they're light, and hopefully strong cos they weren't cheap)...

Sorry Shaf, after seeing the helpful tips above and fired with confidence, I jumped on Fatbikephils suggestion and ordered the Bontrager rims from Tritoncycles. I’m hoping they’re not too different from the Scrapers.

Thanks for the supplementary tips.

[redefined_cycles]

Thanks Lu... Bontrager I imagine are really good rims (and much better than WTB IMO). One last tiny tip (or 2...

1. Once you've put on the initial tension, work quarter or less of a turn at a time... and don't let go of a spoke until you've done/referenced it properly...

2. Try and do it in a quiet area without distractions and have plenty of little pieces of masking tape precut - they come in extremely handy.

All the best

[BigdummySteve]

I’d just like to add something, have TWO rolls of tape it’s surprisingly easy to lose sight of just which spoke does what in the heat of the moment. Definitely build them yourself it’s a very nice thing to do big rides of your own wheels. Oh and don’t make the mistake of concentrating so hard on getting it true that you find yourself with a perfect wheel which is 1/4" out of dish

[BigdummySteve]

And you don’t need fancy gauges, a few whisky glasses and a pile of pennies is just as good for dishing , as are pegs on the frame for truing gauges, get spokes even tension in preference to getting it exactly in true.

[BigdummySteve]

Oh.. and be really Neanderthal with the stress relief, when it’s got some good tension in it put the hub on the ground and flex the rim for all its worth, re-true and repeat

[frogatthefarriers]

Thanks for all the tip/helpful advice chaps. Just waiting for my new rim before I embark on my new rite-of-passage that will make me less of a frog at the farriers.

[BigdummySteve]

Have fun Lou, I’d definitely recommend this book
https://www.wheelpro.co.uk/wheelbuilding/book.php

[frogatthefarriers]

So I now have a new rim and can start swapping over, but, a couple of things have made it a bit harder.

a) The new rim is not quite the same. For one, it’s got more of a curve in the cross-section so the ERD is smaller and 2) the spoke holes are slightly staggered. I’m probably over-thinking this and I could just tape rims together and change spokes over as has been suggested.

b) the drive-side spokes have got a bit chewed-up when the chain has jumped off the granny cog. If I’ve got to change half the spokes, I may as well do 'em all.

New spokes ordered after spending a morning finding a spoke length calculator and a lot of measuring. Fingers crossed I’ve got it right….

[redefined_cycles]

Lou... I think in your 'point 1' you're sounding as though the new rim is staggered spokes but the old rim isn't... I can assure you almost all (decent rims) are staggered. You just need to look carefully down the cwntre and one set of spokes (every second spoke) will be on one side or another...

The one's the go to the right of the hub, will be sitting inside the spoke holes thats are slightly staggered to the R... and so on...
Well done at measuring the external rim diameter (but to do this accurately usually you'd have to remove all the spokes and measure from outside of one hole to the opposite hole on't other side)...

Like Steve said, you really must buy that WheelPro book. It's very very good and can make any amatuer into an expert wheel builder in not too many years You'll enjoy it and it's excellently written too...

[frogatthefarriers]

All is well! Eventually.

It took me three goes to get the lacing-up right. Followed the instructions from the Wheel-Pro book but hit snags and didn’t have the knowledge to see where I’d gone wrong so it was easier just to strip and start again. Truing up in the bike frame was easy by comparison.

I was feeling pretty smug on completion, but brought down to size when I saw that in the Wheelpro video a wheel was laced in just seven minutes.

Dunnit now though - won’t be put off from doing another…