Central Indiana wheel builders

[tcooper27]

I'm slowly gathering parts to have some custom wheels built up and I'm starting to look for a place to actually build them. I stopped by BGI South and talked with a guy there that said they'd do them for 40 bucks, but I haven't been able to find much info on the quality of their builds. Can anyone recommend a place to have them built?

[Raleighguy29]

I've heard great things about Scott at ICS. And Steve at Mathews. Heard good things about there builds.

[harry2110]

I dont know about the quality of the build but the head mechanic builds them up at REI castleton for $33 per wheel.   Also I thought Scott @ ICS was up to $50 now for his builds?

On a side note I really want to learn to build myself but I dont have a tensioniometer yet and I cant convince Doug to teach me as its one skill I don't have yet.

[Fett]

It may be out of your way, but Matt Battin or Loren Bohall at the Bicycle Station in Columbus are both very good wheelbuilders.

[tcooper27]

I actually live in Columbus, so that's not out of the way at all. I'll have to stop by and see how much they charge. I'll keep Scott in mind too, I don't mind taking a little drive and plopping down a little extra cash for a build I can be confident in.


Thanks for the recommendations!

[David Krahulik]

I had Scott Dunwoody (now owner or co-owner of DG Bicycles in Indianapolis) build a set of wheels for me many, many years ago.  The wheels as still going strong and I would not hesitate to use him again if he is still building wheels.  David Krahulik

[gt ss]

I dont know about the quality of the build but the head mechanic builds them up at REI castleton for $33 per wheel.   Also I thought Scott @ ICS was up to $50 now for his builds?

On a side note I really want to learn to build myself but I dont have a tensioniometer yet and I cant convince Doug to teach me as its one skill I don't have yet.

I have tried it twice with no tensionometer and had good luck. Of course I re-used spokes which I have since heard that you can't do but they are still running straight and true

You should try it just for fun sometime.

[Adim_x]

You can get a park tension meter for 60 bucks.  I built two sets of 29er chinese carbon wheels last year as a complete newb and they came out great.  I am not light at 230 and the wheels are doing well on my singlespeed and tallboy.  Roger Musson (the professional guide to wheelbuilding) is a great and easy to follow book, it used to be free online, if you can't find it I would be more than happy to email it. 

http://www.modernbike.com/itemgroup.asp?igpk=2126177245&TID=367&gclid=CJ6ElNjhr7YCFYpDMgodx0QAhA

[heartland]

I'll second (or third, or fourth) the encouragement to try building your own wheels. I just built a set, and they turned out pretty well. I these directions (http://miketechinfo.com/new-tech-wheels-tires.htm) for tensioning and truing and Uncle Sheldon's webpage (http://sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html) for lacing.

I didn't use a tension-o-meter or a dish stick. I just used a truing stand. The build went okay, though I did have some spokes on the rear wheel loosen up after a couple rides. The front wheel is solid.

Despite that, building my own wheelset felt great. After doing pretty much all the mechanical work on my bikes for the last few years, building a wheel felt like the last big task I had to tackle, and it turned out to not be as hard as I thought it would be.

[gt ss]

I didn't use a tension-o-meter or a dish stick. I just used a truing stand. The build went okay, though I did have some spokes on the rear wheel loosen up after a couple rides. The front wheel is solid.

Despite that, building my own wheelset felt great. After doing pretty much all the mechanical work on my bikes for the last few years, building a wheel felt like the last big task I had to tackle, and it turned out to not be as hard as I thought it would be.

right on!

[tcooper27]

I'll second (or third, or fourth) the encouragement to try building your own wheels. I just built a set, and they turned out pretty well. I these directions (http://miketechinfo.com/new-tech-wheels-tires.htm) for tensioning and truing and Uncle Sheldon's webpage (http://sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html) for lacing.

I didn't use a tension-o-meter or a dish stick. I just used a truing stand. The build went okay, though I did have some spokes on the rear wheel loosen up after a couple rides. The front wheel is solid.

Despite that, building my own wheelset felt great. After doing pretty much all the mechanical work on my bikes for the last few years, building a wheel felt like the last big task I had to tackle, and it turned out to not be as hard as I thought it would be.

Those links make it sound a lot easier (and cheaper) than I had imagined. I think you guys have convinced me just to do it myself.

[heartland]

It's certainly not an easy or a fast job, especially for a first timer, but it isn't rocket science, either. If you're at all mechanically inclined, it's totally doable. When I got started, I figured that even if I messed up and had to take them to a shop to be trued and tensioned, that'd be cheaper than paying for a build.

As another newbie wheelbuilder, I'd just say to take your time and double, triple, or quadruple check your lacing. I found it helpful to do a couple of sessions of truing, too, so that I didn't rush or get frustrated. I probably put about 10 hours into building my first set. (While I'm at it, I'll also raise my hand and admit that I got slowed down a bit because I kept turning the nipples the wrong way. Yeah, figuring that out sucked.)

Have fun building 'em!

[gt ss]

as far as lacing is concerned, have another wheel next to the one you're building so you can compare the pattern.

[tcooper27]

Got these wheels finished the other day, and they turned out pretty nice... aside from the flex in the rear wheel that I wasn't expecting to get. Under heavy load I'm getting 2-3mm of distortion in the wheel. Spoke tension on the drive side are all at the mfg's recommended max so I know that's not the issue.


I can't actually "feel" the flex (at least on flat pavement), I only noticed it because I had a bigger tire on the back that rubbed the front derailleur when I really mash it, so I guess I'll have to see how they are on the trail when things dry up.


Thanks again for the input everyone!

[tony]

That flex could also be your frame flexing a little bit.