Home-made disk

Triathlon Forum
1

I finally got it done, I used the techniques that were described here on slowtwitch.

Yes, they are tubulars.

I hope these pictures work.

here is a link to my yahoo pictures

http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jaretjoh/album?.dir=/eddf&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3A//f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jaretjoh/my_photos

jaretj

2

Very, very nice.

3

Well done. I’d be interested in seeing closeups of the wheel, just to see how “finished” it looks (wrinkles, seams, etc.).

Any further advice on how to build them?

Ken Lehner

4

very cool, nice touch with the color

what tires are you running?

5

What’s with that front shifter cable running from the extensions to the down tube? And how many gallons does that bottle hold?

Ken Lehner

7

I’ll get some close ups of the wheel later. I upload them on my webspace to keep them current

The shifter cable is long cuz I just lowered my bars and haven’t cut the cable down yet. I’m gonna have the bike rebuilt before Eagleman so it will be taken care of then.

The disk was made per your instructions in an earlier thread. There was a little puckering on the drive side cuz I didn’t dish it, but it worked pretty good. The rim is a Velocity Deep V so I had plenty of surface to glue to. I taped off a section about 1/4 inch below the brake surface to apply glue to. I didn’t use an iron, I used a heat gun which worked awesome.

I wasn’t sure if I should glue the monocote together or seal together with heat when I dished it. I wound up glueing it.

Things I would have done differently would be to dish the drive side too, taken more time and had someone to help.

The bottle holds 30oz. I drink a lot of water. It’s a Jetstream.

Tires are tufo jet special 19mm. Very easy to mount

Thanks for the compliments

jaretj

8

Looks great, colors seem to match very well. Nice looking ride overall.

I’m going to be making one ASAP using klehner’s instructions, so I’ve got a couple questions:

  • Any tips on cutting the hole for the valve stem. I thought about covering it completely, buying the crack pipe, then cutting just enough to get the pipe in there.
  • Did you use any special glue?
  • How does the disk ride? Any thoughts on its durability?
  • I’m about to buy a Zipp 404 for the front to go with my home-made disk, are you happy with your setup?
9
  • Any tips on cutting the hole for the valve stem. I thought about covering it completely, buying the crack pipe, then cutting just enough to get the pipe in there.
  • Did you use any special glue?
  • How does the disk ride? Any thoughts on its durability?
  • I’m about to buy a Zipp 404 for the front to go with my home-made disk, are you happy with your setup?

You need to have enough room (as measured from the rim towards the hub) to put the pipe in, push it down, and pull it off. Mine is probably too big, but I can fit a frame pump head in there if I need to.

I used DAP contact cement.

Rides like any other wheel. You can hear it when you ride next to a wall or other sound-reflective surface.

The cover I made in April 2003 lasted until about March of 2004, when I hit a pothole, and pulled a spoke through the rim. The cover pulled off the rim over a few inches at that spot. With care, the cover should last a couple of years. I screwed up by pulling it too tight when gluing, and I don’t have as much glued surface on the rim as I’d like in a couple of spots on one side.

Considering the amount of money I saved over a “real” disk, yet getting the performance of that disk, I’m pretty happy.

10

Thanks for the compliment

After carefull thought I decided to make a plastic ring from the top of a cookie dough container. (you know the tubs you buy as fund raisers) The ring is about 3 1/2 inches in diameter with a 2 1/2 inch hole cut in the center of it. After making the ring, I glued it to the inside of the cover then cut the monokote after it was shrunk down. You will need the reinforcement for the hole.

I used SIG contact cement from my local hobby store.

I just finished it last night and haven’t ridden it yet. I’ll give a report as soon as I do, probably this weekend. If I don’t put anything through it, I expect it to last quite a while. This is supposed to be temporary. I plan to buy a disk in the future.

I like the HED CX that I have. I bought it used from Ebay for about $160 with the tire. It was from a pro that had quit racing. I talked to him through email, a very nice guy. A Zipp 404 was one of my choices but I bought the first good quality wheel for a good price.

jaretj