On my previous post I did explain about my SS/FG build and why I got into it.
This post is part of a series where I happened to go through the pain of picking my component list for my build. To start with are the hubs, spokes, chain and the cog.
Someone called me eccentric why I built my bike and that too buying it all in parts and taking the pain to bring it from US and assembling. Well, I certainly can’t answer everyone, unless you are into cycling 🙂
When I decided to build my bike, I had the option to decide buying a fully built wheel or building the wheel from spokes, hubs and rims. I chose the second option primarily because of the fact that 1) I decided to build my bike from parts and not from semi assembled parts 2) I got inspired by another cyclist who did build a bike and wheel all by himself, you can read more about it at BikesZone . Some quotes from it “Make a bike. It’s amazing how complicated this simple machine can be. Build your own wheels. Wheelbuilding alone gives you a lot of confidence about handling problems out in the field.”
Hubs!
Having had some experience working on development on a robotic arm and moving components, I had learnt one thing – the overall friction involved can be from anywhere in the entire moving part and it is hard to spot when all are working together. While selecting the hubs, my choice was in getting something reliable and do not need frequent servicing. There are hubs with loose ball bearings and with sealed ball bearings, I chose Formula track hubs with sealed bearings because they were efficient and yet decently priced. Formula hubs are having many good reviews and yet they are not priced a bomb like the ones from Phil Woods.
Spokes
Spokes are very important part in a wheel build. The load of the bike plus the rider is transmitted through the spokes and hence they have to be as reliable and strong as possible. After spending a lot of browsing time on cycling related websites and forums I decided on DT Swiss Champion spokes. The other option I considered were DT Swiss Competition spokes, but finally the former one won in front of me because my intended usage and the price difference. Don’t call me a cheapie, my bike was never built with no name components. My choice were from reliable and reviewed components which were decently priced.
Calculating the spoke length is a very important step in this process. A mistake in measuring the length correctly in your order decides whether the spoke goes into the build or back into eBay for a resale. In order to measure the length of spokes you need mainly the dimensions of the rim and the hub you are planning to use. My choices on the rim and the hubs were zeroed on Alex R450 rims and Formula TH 51/50 track hubs. The dimensions I could gather were as follows
REAR HUB
Right Flange diameter: 62mm
Left Flange diameter: 62mm
Center to right Flange diameter: 32mm
Center to left Flange diameter: 32mm
Spoke Hole diameter: 2.3mm
FRONT HUB
Right Flange diameter:62mm
Left Flange diameter:62mm
Center to right Flange diameter: 34mm
Center to left Flange diameter: 34mm
Spoke Hole diameter: 2.3mm
ERD for Alex R450
In order to calculate the length of the spoke there is a reliable spoke length calculator at Unite Bicylce Institute website. Since the SS?track hubs I was planning to buy had similar measurements I ended up with a single lenth of spoke considering drive side and non drive side, front, rear etc. The spoke lenth I ordered were 289mm. Usually drive side spokes do tend to be shorter since there is an asymmetry in the way they are setup on the hub, but was not there in my case.
Here are my calculations
Front hub spokes
Rear hub spokes
If anyone is interested to lear more of the process, here is the Youtube video which helped me in this process.
Chain
My choice here was made very simple because KMC chains are very widely used in most of the good brands of bicycles and I chose the KMC Z410 chain model since the bike I was building was a single speed / fixed gear one. The other consideration was the color of the chain. A fixie is unique because of the color combinations. My build was not fancy but was looking at just black/silver/white as the combination for the build. I did try some combinations and settled on a white chain (don’t ask me how, but that was the final decision)
Cogs
Another important decision on a fixie build is the gear inch calculation. I decided to stick to an easier gearing (not advisable for going down inclines). So I decided on an 18 teeth cog to go with a 46 teeth crank. I also ordered a 16 teeth cog as back up so that I can switch to it when I get more comfortable with the initial setup or start to spin a lot.
Transporting these components to me in India
A bike build can be very costly and the best way to control your cost is by controlling the amount of money you spend on shipping and import duties. People travelling from US have an advantage of carrying the components down at no additional shipping or import duties. My build plan started early in 2013 and I had been begging my friends to carry these pieces whenever they travel as my travel plan never happened in 2013 (it finally did in 2014 and that’s how I ended up with almost the entire bike’s parts). A good friend of mine agreed to carry hubs, spokes and the 18 teeth cog and lockring and my first set of components reached me in the month of Aug 2013.
Next post is about my epic wheel build!