We’re still around and, as you are reading this, so are you. Pause and give thanks.
With crisis comes change so let’s strive for better outcomes. In the meantime, support each other and don’t stop sharing. In that vein, here’s an update on Wheel Fanatyk.
It’s harsh now, even to be a cyclist.
It’s the beginning of The Big Dark here in the PNW. Every year someone turns off the lights until about March. Some days we practically need flashlights to get around!
Down under, it’s reversed and in Colorado all bets are off. The CX season is in full swing, gravel riding is balling. What adventures do you have planned?
Seasonal motivation
For a dose of wheelbuilding motivation, check these two shorts:
There are no templates for success with a craft like wheel building, each of us creates a personal system unique to our situation. Since we never finish honing the craft, it pays to study other builders who are willing to share.
Rich Lesnik, master builder at Rivendell.
Among excellent makers of allen wrenches (think: Bondus, Allen, PBSwiss, Pedro’s, Park, Wihus, and others) only one has addressed engagement geometry like external socket wrenches have.
Hex screw on left. Allen screw on right.
Historically, allen screws arose for embedded fasteners. The wrench inserts into a fastener rather than surrounding it. But the hexagonal interfaces have similar limits. In order to transmit maximum torque to a fastener without deformation drive shape was devised for external sockets, often known as “flank drive.” That name belongs to Snap-On, a socket drive pioneer but you’ll find such drive geometry everywhere today. Read more →
Two exciting classes are on offer at PT Cycle School. June 24-25 is Wheel Building 2. June 26-30 is Bike Mechanics 1. Hard to imagine a more beautiful place (Port Townsend) or a better class offering.
Mechanics 1 is taught by Tori Bortman, author, experienced teacher and mechanic from Portland. Class is limited to 12 students who enjoy wonderful workstations (including EVT lift stands), full tool kits, and plenty of hands-on. It’s a fast paced program, not for the casual. Elevate and make current your bike mechanical skills. The course is $1,000 and scholarships are available.
In the Cotton Bldg on the PT waterfront.
PT Cycle School is a Washington licensed workforce training and education school. This curriculum is a match for that offered at other fine bike schools across North America.
Wheel Building 2 is my project. We ran a similar, advanced session at UBI in 2018. It was very successful but this time will be much more hands-on. Each attendee (limited to six) will build a wheel that’s not hugely distracting (I supply parts or not) and we’ll discuss all aspects of the process—thread compounds, lacing setups, alternative stands (P&K stands for all), tension output and graphing. stressing the structure, etc.
Me and co-presenter, Jude Gerace, at UBI.
Design and physics, the main focus of our Portland session, is valuable (material science, rim stiffness, nipple interface, tire fit and dynamics, tension and fatigue, MOI, calibration, etc) and we will cover that too. You’ll also get an in-depth, hands-on with spoke cutting and threading. Suggestions welcome as each of you brings unique perspective and career objectives.
Two full days, $300. I am not aware of any commercial offering of this level of wheel building. Such knowledge is usually only shared in one-on-one mentorships within workshops and manufacturers. It’s not generally available.
There are still spots available for both. If this late timing works for you, don’t pass it up!
September is on (2018) and there’s news to share. Up in Port Townsend, WA a new cycle school is getting underway and I taught Wheelbuilding 1 last weekend—twelve diverse students, a beautiful location, and 12 excellent wheels built.
Nice workstations.
Wheel building is booming, though it’s rare to see evidence in the cycling press. I’d call it a work in progress, rather like craft brewing back in the day. Pioneers were scrappy and uncertain. When they first appeared, the big brewers knew it would be sporadic and limited (college towns, resorts). They actually got murdered over several decades and now craft brewing carries a large percentage of that market. This seems to be happening with wheel building.
Today most small builders are in likely cities (Portland, SF, Seattle, Boulder, LA…) but their global rise (UK, AU, NZ, EU…) shows it’s not a local trend. Your area may be barren but many successful builders are elsewhere. Check these, among hundreds more:
Not personal recommendations (but all excellent). The more you look, the more you’ll find.
If you are contemplating getting underway I recommend exploring two questions.
Where Am I?
You may plan a strong web presence but your immediate scene is your most important asset. Local riding is a key element in your opportunity.
© Sugar Wheelworks (Portland)
Put aside personal preferences and experience because, as a wheel builder, you should welcome, understand, and whisper to all forms of wheels. Can’t do too much research and preparation to cultivate your local community.
Who Am I?
There are many types of builders. Wheel construction seems pretty straightforward but those who succeed do not share one approach. One science I hope, but not one style. Who are you? Understanding your style helps direct your effort and avoid confusion.
1. Hobbyest
Handy with tools, good with gear, likes self sufficiency, finds building fairly easy, builds own and wheels for friends and family. Not so keen to make a simple task complicated or dramatic.
2. Social
If you’re gregarious, wheel building can bring quite a range of human variety your way. Creating a business around the needs and exploits of riders is attractive to customers. You’ll want a welcoming workshop with plenty of ambiance and regular outreach.
© gravy wheels (Novato)
3. Nerd
Many an engineer type is drawn to building and customers, in turn, to them. Emphasizing tech with gauges and instruments, sharing spreadsheets and charts, teaching the “how” behind wheels can be a central theme if that is your drift. But it is not necessary to reek of tech. Performance minded customers need to trust but rarely require knowing all about the science.
© Cutlass Wheels (Baltimore)
4. Artistic
Wheels are beautiful and there is room for plenty of self expression for a builder. The bar is very high for visual compatibility with the bike, high finish of components, and unity of design. Aesthetics are an ever changing scene, rules flex, styles evolve, and builders help drive change. We’ve all noticed what fixies combine on machines so basic they simply showcase wheels.
© Roues d’Olive (Fully, Switzerland)
We are combinations of such types but discovering that inner builder is key to separating your offering from vague and mainstream options. Riders seek custom building for more than alleged benefits of value or performance. They want to deal with a real person, not just an “add to cart” button. There is no “better” style but the clearer yours, the greater authenticity you broadcast.
Authenticity attaches to wheels, gives them karmic power riders remember for years. Authenticity of our prized possessions adds meaning to our lives. That’s your ultimate product as a custom wheel builder.
Go for it and please share your experiences with others (and me :-)!
Let’s talk rotating weight. Rotating weight is a big issue for wheel builders. Why? We make choices that determine wheel weight, its total and location. Builders must understand this topic.
Rotating weight directly affects inertia, so the topic is really inertia. Inertia is the resistance of a mass to acceleration. Moment of inertia (MOI) characterizes this resistance and depends on rotating and non-rotating mass. Builders should be measuring wheel MOI.
I’ll show you how to measure moment of inertia (MOI), plus I’ll share a spreadsheet to shortcut the math supporting MOI measurement and its effect on riding. Plug in numbers and get usable wattage estimates.
Read more →
I once called tensioned wire wheels “the most ingenious contrivance in all of human engineering.”
Extraordinary claims must be based on extraordinary evidence (Carl Sagan) and tensioned wheels have it in spades. Think, more than two billion nearly identical wheels see daily use on our planet. There is no widely used structure with such astounding strength to weight, and they conquered gravel on the moon!
courtesy of Petar Milošević, displayed at the Moscow Museum of Cosmonautics
On the eve of this very non-commercial weekend (Easter 2017) let’s reflect on a personal aspect of wheel building. Much time is spent on performance, component options, tension strategy, and rider relations but building wheels is more a lifestyle than economic choice.
For many, the atelier (workshop of an artisan) is home. Wheel building succeeds in no space at all (think, back seat of a support vehicle) but for most their atelier is a spiritual place. So much time spent deep in the maize of tension and trueness, work space is an integral part of the process.
Here you share aesthetics and design priorities with visitors. There is no one way to do it, each of us is different, but every thoughtful wheel building space meets needs we all share: simplicity, tools at hand, tranquility. While building is a straightforward engineering process, the work is largely cerebral. The atelier is both a stage and a tool.
I’ll never tire of other wheel builders’ spaces and can’t help but fantasize what work there might feel like. One such belongs to Olivier Lambert whose “Roues d’Olive” is deep in the Swiss Alps in the picturesque town of Fully.
Village below, riding above!
Just imagine the challenging and spectacular scenery he enjoys year around! And when it’s time to work, the atelier provides a serene, almost film set-like tranquility that must help calm one down after a lively dirt session!
Tidy, simple, quite nice.
Rim decals are clever, initials with topographic lines.
Lacing often involves ingenuity as there’s precious little available on which many builders agree. Olivier has a nice desktop cutout to support the rim. A camera tripod provides a steady, adjustable hub support. Good idea!
Upholstered and professional.
For some, an ideal atelier includes a dog bed or headphones to block out industrial noise. Lucky to live in a riding paradise. May customers find you (but not to the point there’s no time to ride)!
