Kudos to you for taking the plunge on building your own wheels. It will naturally take time and patience, but you can save quite a bit of money doing it.

Regarding rims, the two rims you mentioned are pretty good. Kinlins have been known as the best bang for you buck for quite some time now. They are inexpensive, but they work well.

Although pricier, you can't definitely can't go wrong with Flos. Especially, since they have a wider profle.

I think you already have a pretty good start to where to find rims and hubs. You can some times check for the same models on eBay for a better price too.

Once you've got hubs and rims, you'll need to calculate your spoke length by using a calculator like this:

https://leonard.io/edd/

Although, you can technically calculate your spoke length and buy them before you receive everything, I usually recommend that you get your rims first so that you can measure the actual ERD before you calculate your spokes. Though ERD specs are usually published by manufacturers, sometimes the ERD is a bit off, which can change the length of your spoke.

I'm sure others can chime in with other thoughts and tips.

Brian

Bikehubstore is a great resource for alloy rims, hubs, spokes, and other wheel building materials.

For information, I would definitely recommend purchasing Roger Musson's wheel building book. It's less than $15 and includes free lifetime updates and has a wealth of information. I also learned a lot from this site: http://miketechinfo.com/...ech-wheels-tires.htm

Good luck!

Can't go wrong with Flos 30s - they're dirt cheap for rims, and while a bit more than the Kinlins you do get the knowledge that thy were very well designed. Depends on your purpose though - if you're looking for cheap, strong training wheels Kinlins are great and bulletproof. The new AForce rims look intriguing too, though I have no experience with them.

Bikehubstore is the only place I'll go for spokes and hubs. I was one of their first customers about 8 years ago, and the first set of hubs I ever bought from them is still going strong. 8+ year longevity and light weight.... I see no reason to ever spend more!

For wheelbuilding resources, I learned from the website of the late Sheldon Brown: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html

Should have everything you need.

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MS: Exercise Science
Your speed matters a lot, sometimes you need to be very fast, where sometimes you need to breakdown your speed.

I have nothing to add, other than the fact that riding around on wheels that you'd built yourself is very satisfying. Do it!

I wouldn't recommend a faired rim for your first build.

Lacing is a little more involved because you have to slide things around to get the spokes through the rim. Building a rear half radial makes things easier since you don't have to do the second cross. Also if you don't start the tension evenly you can pull the fairing off the rim.

Of course it can be done but it's really not for a first-timer.

This is your biggest decision... "between 30-45mm" is a significant transition point in rims. 30mm rims are typically all aluminum, heavier, and less aero. However, most 45mm rims are typically carbon or carbon fairings on aluminum. If they are all carbon, they will be significantly lighter than 30mm rims. And, they will also likely be significantly more aerodynamic than 30mm rims. 45mm rims are typically more expensive than 30mm rims.

So, before you go further, decide whether you want 30mm or 45mm (all aluminum vs. carbon). And next, whether you want a carbon brake track or an aluminum brake track. After that, pick and roll. The brand recommendations above are all very good.

If you are starting out/learning, I would recommend getting some cheap rims and practicing first., before setting out to build a set of wheels you'd actually ride.

For rims, I recommed some famous chinese wheel makers (yoeleo and farsports)
They sell carbon road rim at 120~180$
Their products are quite... good, at least they are safe and cheap. Rim profile, hole count, almost every deatail is customizable.

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Stay home, stay healthy.

I agree with this, to a point. I'd suggest not messing around with fancy lacings and deep section rims (that can require those fancy lacings), and just get something basic that you can lace 3x all around and slowly work into true and round. I just recently retired the first set of wheels I ever built (back in 1990), and pretty much didn't have to touch them in all that time (as far as needing to be trued). Mavic Open4CD laced 3x to Ultegra 8-speed hubs were pretty much bulletproof, and only were retired because the brake track was getting a bit thin.

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Some are born to move the world to live their fantasies...

https://triomultisport.com/
http://www.mjolnircycles.com/

I'd definitely recommend building some simple 32 spoke training wheels first. These needn't be expensive but will definitely give you experience. It's harder to build wheels the with fewer spokes, and if you are using expensive spokes, you certainly need to know you are measuring erd and the hub specs correctly.

As for saving money I'm not sure. I built my first wheels because I wanted road rims with disc mtb hubs for a cross bike. I figured I could save money buy doing them myself, but when I'd finished buying a nice park truing stand/spoke tension meter etc it will take quite a few wheels more to break even.

That said I really enjoyed building them (and a couple of other sets since) and there is a sense of satisfaction riding self built wheels (once you realise they're not going to break).

Thanks all for the responses so far. I'm not in any hurry to get these built so plan on doing a bit of research. As far as carbon vs aluminum, my budget and mind both say stick with an all aluminum rim. The kinlin set I was looking at are the 38's though the Flo's seem to check just about everything I could ask for/need.

Thanks for the link, looks like a lot of good information. Nice to hear bikehubstore is a reputable store to get the necessary parts as well.

I'm thinking 28/32 as my weight fluctuates between 185-195 throughout the year.

Fortunately I have a bike co-op just a couple miles away where they have a truing stand/tension meter/rest of the parts I currently don't have. Definitely looking forward to learning a new skill.

Let's know if you need any spokes and nipples at below wholesale prices.

I like the DT Swiss rims and especially the hubs. The DT Swiss 240s is the gold standard that people try to beat in my mind.

If you want aero or wide rims, then the Hed Belgium or Flo is probably the answer.

I use the DT Swiss spoke call that is free to use online for the spoke lengths.


When I build wheels, I use linseed oil to prep the spoke threads. It acts as a "loctite" basically. Turn each nipple until the nipple is at the end of the spoke threads. When all spokes are in, then turn each nipple evenly (1 full turn, or 1/2 turn, etc.). Just keep all spokes the same. I use a park tool spoke tensioner to dial in the spokes to even tension. Realize the back wheel will be "dished" and have different spoke lengths on either side due to the cassette and this also means spoke tension differs on both sides.

Have fun and enjoy.