Bicycle wheels, I mean without them we'd be going nowhere
But how they built and it's the art of wheel building still a thing
Well, we thought we'd take a look
Wheelz come in a few different
Configurations with spoke pattern being one of them. So here's a quick explainer on everything. You need to know about spoke patterns
First up the three cross pattern now
this means that every spoke in six another three times between the hub and the rim and
It's actually the most common way for a wheel to be laced
With most three cross patterns consisting of 32 to 36 j bend spokes
Quick jog another out there for you. Now a J Bend
Spoke is a straight. Spoke with a curve at the top where it joins the hub
Now wheels are crossed in terms of the three cross pattern the spokes are crossed within the wheel
Because this helps the wheel to better handle the pedaling and braking torque applied to the wheel between the hub and the rim
Next up we have the two cross pattern now
These patterns are normally found on higher-end wheels
And will consist of anywhere between 28 and 24 spokes to keep the weight of the wheel down
Now they also consist of straight pull spokes
Joggling a few that means a straight spoke on the wheel as you can see here. Hope you can see there
So it's a straight spoke all the way from the rim to the hub
It doesn't Bend at all and it's called a 2 cross pattern
Because the spoke in six other spokes twice between the rim and the hub as you can see one
crossing two crossing the two cross pattern
Has demonstrated on my lovely maverick wheels
Next up we have the no spoke or radial spoken pattern now
This is when the spokes do not cross at all between the hub and the rim and there is a direct line a straight line
between the rim and the hub
Now this means that the wheel is a little bit lighter because the spokes are shorter
however
in some rules
It can lead to cracking at the hub and a little bit more weakness as the spokes are under a greater amount of tension
Some wheels use radio a spoken on the drive side of the wheel and a cross pattern on the non-drive side of the wheel
I'm gonna explain why now. So have my magic wheel here. I'm gonna line up for the camera feet
Hopefully you're getting a good view down the wheel
So if you look here on the drive side of the wheel, which is a radial pattern
The hub where the spokes join the hub it's closer to the center and on the non-drive side
The hub is further from the center
So on the non-drive side the hot that the spokes are an increased tension to keep the wheel straight
So the wheel builder here is opted for a cross pattern to increase the strength on this side of the wheel
And on the drive side, they utilize the radio smokings as the spokes under a little bit less tension
So, I hope that explains the reason behind that
There's my magic wheel
The rim is the backbone of the wheel and it connects the rider to the road
Due to its rotating nature the rim plays a vital role in the amount of power needed to propel the bike forward
And this is due to its mass and aerodynamic properties
The rim is found at the outermost point of the wheel. So it's going to be rotating at the fastest speed
For this reason when you build a wheel or when you select a prebuilt wheel
Yury need to pay into account the rims wayton
Stiffness and its aerodynamic properties as this will play a huge role in performance of the wheel. Ok
So we said the rim was the furthest point from the center of rotation of a wheel
so it's mass just gonna have a greater effect on the inertia of a wheel an
Example could be an increased mass or a rim is going to be harder to accelerate on and harder to get up to speed
The stiffness of a rim however will increase the power transfer and also allow for a higher spoke tension
aerodynamics also play a huge role in a wheels performers
Taken to extreme a disc wheel where it's just there's no spokes or it's just a disc
That's gonna reduce aerodynamic drag by potentially up to 60% That's a huge amount
If you increase the rim profile depth that's going to increase aerodynamic benefits
However, you will notice a bit of extra sensitivity in crosswinds. Well, though
I never used to bother me and I always based on a team or depth of wheels
though is bearing in mind that unfortunately increased depth of a rim and
Pairing that with carbon fiber it's going to mean that those wheels and rims are in the pricier side
in a well tensioned spoked wheel where a rider sits on the bike the wheel will flatten ever so slightly at the contact point between
the ground and the wheel, but the rest of the wheel will remain relatively
Circular the tension in the spokes doesn't change
Significantly either as the load is spread evenly throughout all the spokes
However, there are some very small changes when the rule does rotate. I'll try to explain this so
The tension above the hub as the wheel is rotating
The tension in the east spokes will be a little bit higher. It's as if the hub is hanging from these spokes
exerting an upward force on the hub to keep it in the center and the spokes below the hub will be on an ever so
Decreased tension due to the fact that these spokes above it are under a little bit more tension
so as the wheel rotates
these spokes will have a little bit of higher tension and these spokes a little bit less as it is if the help the hub
Is hanging from the rim?
Climbing wheels are lighter due to their carbon fiber trims which are usually of a lower profile design
They also contain less spokes all aspects which helps keep the overall weight of the wheel down
Now obviously as a result, they climb a lot better, but they also handle a little bit better, too
However, they're a little less stiff and also a little less aerodynamic aero wheels are typically of a larger rim profile
I often race on a tee
No trims, which is probably one of the largest rims that you can get, but I just loved them
They made an awesome noise when you got out of the saddle now, most Aero wheels are a little bit heavier than other wheels
However, it is said that their aerodynamic advantage does outweigh this so something to bear in mind
Barring the fact that if you're riding on big mountain passes all day long, you might want to opt for a lighter wheel set
Although I personally love my 80 mil rims, and I'd use them on most terrains
If I'm honest now
The handling on aerials does decrease a little bit which they're increased surface area and their sensitivity in crosswinds
However area wheels are usually the stiffest wheels on the market all round wheels will be a balance between the two
stiff responsive and that bit more aerodynamic than a climbing wheel set if you ride on a mixture of terrains this
Will be the wheel set for you there that bit more durable little bonus for now gravel orientated wheels
They on the robust side of things meaning you can take a beating on those gravel trails. They're stronger
They're more durable and sometimes they'll come in a different sizing
650b wheels have a slightly larger rim diameter meaning you can fit wider tires to the wheels
so as a result get more traction on the road and you can
Fly around on that gravel all day long now just to throw a joker into the pack
You may have seen this wheel hanging behind me
This I tell you is the spinergy rev X from the 90s
It was a favorite of mario Cipollini back in the day. However
It also had its fair share of controversy
It's rather dangerous
There's rumors of amateur riders riding them and I'm exploding underneath them causing terrible crashes
Paolo batini he lost his hand in a crash with one and
Bartley nearly severed a kneecap with one
And this is because the spokes on the wheel are basically lazy like a knife if you look at that
you think it was a carbon one-off design but it's actually spokes which are
Bonded to the rims under tension. There's eight of them. They're flat and
ridiculously sharp
So what it does look pretty cool I
Think this wheel is going to be consigned to the history books and our mantle pieces up
But I just introduced it as a little quirky piece
Does look cool the air though and it still remains a firm favorite of me
Although, I'm glad blood enough to race with one in the peloton. I tell you that right enough for me though
I actually caught up with a that wheel builder. I'm with years of experience
Knowing how to build the perfect wheel set
This is Mastan fish up from condor cycles who is their chief wheel builder and he told me everything
He knows about the art of wheel building. My name is marcin Fischer
mechanic at Condor cycles
Started
in 2003
How long do you think it would take for someone to kind of become?
A wheel builder for a master wheel builder how much practice you think you need?
Three three to five years. Would you build a lot? Um feel so feeling this the tension of the spokes with your hands
Oh, yeah now do I don't you I don't use um letters anymore
We have them I still
You still have a tension emitter?
But I don't really use it. I just just get you get used to
How much the tensions supposed to be again?
This is it. Just using your hands to just feel it and you know, and then I've done that
I've built the wheel then I've used attention over to this check it and I myself said, you know
Check it a few times more then I'm never gonna check it again
I'm just going to just be going with my
Instincts for anyone out there who hasn't got what's a wheel before but wants to give it a go
Would you have any kind of tips for a real true beginner on the basic principles of wheel building?
Make sure make sure you have the correct balance
that's the most important thing right because I'm if you've got this asphalt or too long and you and you've got the
Lacing pattern and everything
right it still it's just not gonna do it suppose of this gonna
Wind itself into the nipples are gonna wind up and then it's both you're going to I'll have any intention if they're too short you
might pull spokes out of the nipple
The new building will always start with the first bolt going into the from the valve hole the second hole on the right-hand side
that's the first tip just a
Regional first tip for anybody and you think you could sniff out a poorly built wheel would you how would you sniff out a poorly?
built wheel get a wheel. I look at the valve hole and I see where the
first spoke on … if it's to the first
Or the first or the third hole then I know it's done it wrong somewhere
or another thing is uh
Where the valve hole is again? You want you want the two …
spokes that are either
Side of the valve hole they have to be – they have to come parallel. And the reason I have to come parallel
it's so that you can put
pump adapt– like pump valve attachments in. If they, again, if you built the wheel where you put the
first spoke into the first hole to the right of the valve then when it go around and it cut the
The completed wheel the spokes in the in between the valve hole are going to be crossed in a V
I said it's going to be a limited space
So these are these are the things that are now that will show you that in built wrong. What would be your own dream wheel?
Chris King Hub [unintelligble] hub
Double buttet – DT double butted spokes. Don't need – none of this fancy stuff. I'm not it
I mean there's a lot of guys who would see x-ray we should have blade this boat
fine
very very good
But I don't know if there's an advantage in that I really don't I mean people who keep saying I've aerodynamic
But I don't think so. I just I really am a true believer in
double bodied and do you think you can quantify the difference in race performance or disappear performance when you're out on your bike between
Sort of a really good well-built wheel and I've already built one. Yes. Yes, because it's all about again. It's tension
When you build a wheel properly and you tension and it true and attention is correct
Then when you push in and your power and transmitting power going for your pedals going through your chain
It to your curse it onto then onto the hub which goes through the spokes into the rim
Which is all about the tension if it's correct
When you down that power
Will like it will transmit it will come from your body to your to your pedals to your chain to your cassette
to your hub and
overall your will so give you more efficiency if
The tensions low where the spokes are slightly loose
When you do push down and you get all that you get you that's where you get your talk if they're too loose days
they flop in there kind of like
bending and that's where that's where it just takes a vest to SAP in the power that you are playing in and when when
You do like the growl rate the grabber agency absurd in recent years. Would you change?
the sort of wheel build for an event like this and
What a sort of top tips. Did you have?
The change in equipment for gravel gravel riding. Ah
Well gravel or maybe these wheels are right here gravel wheels down building, okay
Not much. I mean it's a double buy it
definitely double but espanish these are
More durable then I rode a red wheel for a specific road frame one. Yeah. This is more durable
I've changed the nipples on DS I put like longer
Longer nipples. I mean, it's really it's really small. I mean this is normally used twelve millimeter
I'm usually 14 so I just grant assist scrap it a little bit more
I can push a bit more tension in there what you could do. You could use different nipples
you could use pro lock nipples, which are like they have like, um
Like a locked icon built into the Freight another thing as well
Once building a wheel that's using for gravel again, you're using the same principles building the wheel
But you might have to tension a bit more might one of the things aren't
The tips is like you build a wheel you tension it which is like our but you built the wheel
Um, sometimes you just tap tap along that you tap along the actual
Along the spokes and that just that pings out where it's been tightened
It wants to release itself. So you banging you release it. I let it rip
Then you do it again. Keep on doing that
Another thing is with again with gravel and mountain bike you put the tire on
Put pressure up put high pressure in and then what my thing is, this is okay. And this is this is more of a
advanced thing you bang
you take a wheel in your hands and you're banging it on the wall on the floor and you tension it out that way and
Down. Yeah, you tension it happily touching it out
and then you put it back in the stand and then tie in it again that - these are things that
Because
On my bike my gravel bike build the wheels. I've never I've never touched them
I've never I've never to their attention them because I've just done that principle first off. I've never had to do anything to him
It's their control of an all-time best way anything that kind of stands out
But you remember is being like that was that was the best girl ever built. All right. I'll tell you a wielder
I hope hope helped made a hub called a bigan. I
Don't know. I think I know I don't know who my broom for your time
But it's like it was wondering this first downhill hubs massive flange weird
Like concave flange the spouse could only go in one direction from the outside
I never and it was exacted was about one
Spoke there one spoke there my sparkly eyes right there. So really weird configuration. It was just the way it looked it
Was it just look it just looks space-age. I mean if anyone's sort of
Real have you have any tips or
Just on the fly when it's in the frame. That's what that's one of the first things I learned
Before lacing the wheel was to true it and how I did it was on obviously the back tom on a back brake
Turn the bike I'll be able to you. He ain't got a bike stand
I don't really like turning the bike upside down but you have to turn because you need about to move the wheels
turn the bike upside down and
Under brake pad so the brake pad to the rim
so
turn
push to spin the wheel spin the wheel and
Where the rim hits the brake pad just do it slowly where you see it when it hits the brake pad and stops
The spoke on the opposite side needs to be tightened because what people have to understand
The left side spokes will bring the wheel to the left
The right hand side spokes will bring those will to the right. So it's quite simple so
When you spin though when you spin the wheel
And it hits the brake pad
that spoke on the opposite side needs to be tightened and
The same at the same time when you tighten that spoke
To spoke right next to it, which is on the opposite side just to loosen it
the reason you gotta loosen it is to stop it from
going out of true raid radio up and down because obviously there will
It's got a side to side but it also up and down
So if you just tie it on one side and you don't balance it
It's gonna you might get what we call a hop
So when you know when the wheel goes around it looks like it's great. Ha ha ha that's because the spokes have been there
It's not it's been built again. That's another sign of bad bad wheel building because people lace the will and build a wheel completely and
They this true it from side to side and they don't think about the up and down and then you've got this rule
that's perfectly straight, but
It's going up and down. That's for your time very
Appreciative. All right. Thanks. Thank you. Thank you for the questions. Thanks for watching everyone
I hope you found it enlightening it helped you get some general wheel building tips and advice
But I'd really like to hear from you in the comment section below. What is your dream?
Your ultimate ham bill will set what's a tricky one, isn't it?
We're looking forward to seeing everyone's answers though. And I don't know what mine would be to be honest
Maybe maybe a spin disease, but they do rather like my hand on my wrist and I'd like to take that chance
Thanks for watching everyone stay safe out there and I guess I better go and put these wheels back on my bike
I'll leave the spinergy on the mantelpiece