Would building wheels be cheaper than off the rack

[Shogunade]

Ive been looking around and the answer seems to be no. Its cheaper to buy off the rack, but maybe Ive just been looking in the wrong places.
Anyone know a good site/builder?

[Multebear]

Yes and no. Depends on what you want. If you build, you get exactly what you want/need. For some it's hard to find exactly what you want/need with factory wheels.

But if all you need is a pair of Shimano RS11 etc., then it's cheaper to buy factory wheels.

[BikeAnon]

If your time is worthless, and you feel you can do as well at a job the first time out as someone who has years of experience.... maybe.

[fabriciom]

I've also asked my self the same question a while back and ended up buying the tools and building them my self. Its not brain surgery, it takes time and patience. I know that if I have any problem I can just pop the wheel on the truing stand and fix it. Which in the end is more valuable to me than depending on someone else.

I learned using this book http://www.wheelpro.co.uk/wheelbuilding/book.php

Note: I also built my self a calibration tool for a chinese tensiometer I bought for 90€ on aliexpress. I think its a very useful tool to have.

[Marin]

I build them myself. It's a nice pastime.

Is my time cheaper? BikeAnun probably gets paid for watching TV in the evening, I don't so I build wheels instead

[Multebear]

Building your own wheels is very satisfying in the sense, that you know exactly what it is, you're riding. You can build them with red spokes, or white spokes, and match them with the exact hubs, with the exact color and spoke count, that suits you. You can build them with different brand hubs front and rear, if that's what you like. You'll have no problem replacing the rim, when it's worn. In the end, you will save money, and you'll have the exact wheels, that you like. Finally you'll be able to choose between better hubs than most factory wheelset have.

[Marin]

Also, don't get marketed into buying tools you don't need. The wire spoke wheel is literally centuries old, and for decades has been build without tension meters or similar expensive devices.

All you need for your 1st build is the components, a spoke key and your bike, where you can check trueness against the brakes or a cable tie stuck to the frame. You check centering by flipping the wheel around.

Dedicated centering stands and tension meters make the work easier and quicker for professionals, but I've build enough sets that are still rolling without needing these.

[MattSoutherden]

If your time is worthless, and you feel you can do as well at a job the first time out as someone who has years of experience.... maybe.

I don't consider doing something I enjoy to be a worthless waste of time. But each to their own.

In other news, if you are reasonably technical, then I'm certain you can build a better wheel than some off the shelf machine-built rubbish. The very first set of wheels I built was rock solid for thousands of Km on and off road. They only needed some work after I stuck my heel in the back wheel and broke a spoke.

[Zigmeister]

One thing I don't know how to do with a bike...wheels.

I built two sets of custom wheels, sourced asian/chinese rims, high-end hubs/cxray spokes. Had them built.

2yrs later, my 56mm tubulars nearly all of the nipple holes have micro cracking...wheels are worthless now. Have to come up with something and rebuild, or off the shelf....

So maybe yes, maybe no.

[kgt]

... "sourced asian/chinese rims"

[F45]

I have a Park tensiometer, no name truing stand, no name dish tool, and three park nipple tools, cost was $120. The only tools I could do without are the truing stand and dish tool.

[RussellS]

Ive been looking around and the answer seems to be no. Its cheaper to buy off the rack, but maybe Ive just been looking in the wrong places.

Cheaper? Cost isn't really something I pay attention to with wheels. Quality. And everything else is way down the list. Off the rack wheels can or will be cheaper. Usually because of the components. Unless you are buying very high end rack wheels, the hubs will almost certainly be no name unknown hubs. Spokes? I would not count on name brand DT or Wheelsmith or Sapim. The rims may or may not be name brand quality rims. Probably not. Off the rack wheels are cheaper for a reason. You are buying cheaper parts, machine labor, and a name brand on the wheels. So they will be cheaper than Shimano Dura Ace hubs, DT Revolution spokes, DT alloy nipples, DT Swiss rims. Wheels are similar to other mass produced products. Take furniture for example. Ikea sells cheap furniture made from MDF and particleboard you can assemble in your living room. Made using CNC machines. A local woodworker can make you a set of cabinets from walnut or maple, and dovetails and through tenons, using his old Rockwell saw and Marples chisels and handsaw. Both will function about the same for awhile. But they are not the same and do not cost the same. Not really comparable.

[RussellS]

I have a Park tensiometer, no name truing stand, no name dish tool, and three park nipple tools, cost was $120. The only tools I could do without are the truing stand and dish tool.

??? I'd throw the Park tensiometer away yesterday. 100% unnecessary. The truing stand and dish tool are essential. F-ing about reversing the wheel in the dropouts is comical. I use Spokey spoke wrenches instead of Park. Three corner grip instead of the Park only gripping two corners.

[F45]

Maybe you just don't know how to use the tension meter properly.

[Multebear]

Tensionmeter is def. nice to have, but it's not need to have. I've never had one, and I've build at least 20 wheels. All of them still going strong.

I'd like to have one, but I guess what's holding me back is, when I think about what to do, when the wheel is true but the spoke tension varies. I'm not gonna build the wheel to the point of even tension, if the wheel isn't true.