Why build your bike?

Step 10 Wheels

Get sealed, already made wheels and you will be able to skip what can be the most difficult step in bike building. If you want to be able to build your wheels, spoke by spoke, and then "true" the wheels so that they are evenly distributed.

Put tape around the wheel starting from valve hole around the wheel and back to the valve hole. Make sure it's tight and even for both wheels.

The most common part of building the bike (but not the easiest, by far) is putting on the tube and tire. Here's a tip: First put half of the tire's lip on the rim, then put the tube into the tire, valve first- and work the other half of the tire on from the valve, ¼ way down each side on the valve's half, and then the other ¼ way down each side on the opposing half. To take the tire off again, start at the end directly opposite of the valve and reverse the process. Note: Make sure the tread is facing forward when putting on the tire for the rear wheel. New tires will be more difficult to put on than those you've had a chance to stretch.

Comments

[backyardwrench]

Another good tire tip: install the tires with the tire label aligned next to the valve. This way, if you get a flat, it's easier to track down the cause. Find the hole in the tube, then trace back to the same area on the tire, starting from the label.

[Sullen70]

On custom wheel building, if you are so bold as to "spoke your own", might I suggest radial spoking (on the front wheel only of course) it's a clean look, it makes that wheel alot easier to assemble and true than your rear cross-spoking, and for the gram-shavers, you get to use shorter spokes, hence, less (by a few grams) weight. Since there is no torque, it's a perfectly brilliant solution.

[Metrokillah]

Couple of suggestions,If replacing a tube after a puncture always visually inspect the inside of the tyre then if nothing is seen dump a small handful of talcum powder in and run it around with your hands feeling carefully for any foreign jaggy bit or cause of the initial puncture. The talc makes it easier to feel any imperfection and helps the tube bed without snags or stretches when replaced. I find it easier to remove and replace the tyre valve side first as the valve holds the tube central to the rim and keeps it slightly out of the way of your tyre lever. Great post. thanks

[jordan.day]

One additional comment here for someone who might be a complete newbie to bikes, especially with replacing tubes. After seating half of the tire inside the rim and inserting the tube, pump the tube up -- but only a little. In practice, you want enough air to give the tube the look of actually being somewhat inflated. This prevents kinks or creases which can lead to the tube failing much earlier than expected. Also, when seating the other side of the tire bead, make sure no part of the tube accidently gets "pinched" between the bead of the tire and the rim. This will cause a bubble which very quickly will lead to you replacing your tube. Also, after seating the bead and pumping up the tire, inspect the tire to make sure no bulges have fomed -- this is a sign that the bead hasn't been seated properly on the rim, and will also lead to replacing a blown tube in short order. :)