Back wheel or a new used bike .

Hixyhicks

Pedelecer
May 14, 2020
151
10
55
Im going through back wheels alot,or braking spokes stuff like that,Ive only been spending about £50 each time .My bike is an old Spez hardrock with 26 inch wheels.I was going to buy a tandem rear wheel hand built 48 spoke for £220 and hope it solves my problems. I was looking on market place and i can get a 29er Voodoo Bzango for about the same money.Would the larger wheels deal with my daily commute more easily and be more substantial than my thin 26 inch wheels ?

Kind regards

Mick
 

Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
19,990
8,172
60
West Sx RH
Is this a wheel with no motor ?
 

guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
10,048
2,966
Replacing spokes and making wheels true, isn't as hard as people might assume - I've learned how to do it reasonably well recently through Youtube videos, and it's saved me money - it's also saved me time, because it takes my local bike shop THREE DAYS to do it. If spoke tension in a particular spoke is very high, relative to the others nearby, spokes will break. After truing a wheel, I pluck each spoke about halfway along, to tune them like guitar strings - overtightened spokes produce a note of a much higher pitch. Then I retrue. A couple or several rounds of this gets me a perfectly straight wheel, which doesn't break spokes. I don't use a truing stand - just cut zipties on the forks for lateral truing. I don't bother with radial truing, but I should - that'll be the next part of my self training... but it doesn't seem necessary at the moment.
 
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Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
19,990
8,172
60
West Sx RH
My radial truing is within a couple off mm so plenty good enough for me, I made my own truing stand out of timber, surprisingly works a treat. I use it for complete wheel builds but once on the bike any issues and like you I have cable ties permanently on the stays.
 
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guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
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My radial truing is within a couple off mm so plenty good enough for me, I mad my own truing stand out of timber, surprisingly works a treat. I use it for complete wheel builds but once on the bike any issues and like you I have cable ties permanently on the stays.
Cable ties permanently on the forks is a good idea! Not sure my woodworking skills are up to making a truing stand though - that'd require even more Youtube video self-education. I'm going to buy rims, catridges and spokes to make wheels myself next time, because the two new wheels I bought recently were both ever so slightly wonky, and they got wonkier over time, which forced me to learn to tue them. If I'm going to have to true brand new wheels, I may as well assemble them myself in the first place! Plus it works out cheaper (for my wheels), with the same spokes, cartridges and rims.
 

Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
19,990
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West Sx RH
If a regular cyclist and a keen diy'er wheel building is a skill well worth trying and in all isn't as hard a sit looks once one has built a couple of wheels. The obvious way it to start with an unused wheel dismantle in to it's three component parts and begin again.
 
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Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
19,990
8,172
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West Sx RH
No reason not to still use the bike as a truing stand today flecc.
 

guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
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Cotton or other rim tape? The guy I buy wheels and rims from, claims cotton is "Far superior", so I use Zefal cotton:


...I wipe inside the rims with isopropyl alcohol first, to make sure it sticks. It's nice thick stuff, and oddly satisfying to apply.
 
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Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
19,990
8,172
60
West Sx RH
I have a big roll of tesa TL tape so use that.
 

guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
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Hixyhicks

Pedelecer
May 14, 2020
151
10
55
Would it be cheaper,to buy the parts and make it myself,im not fussed about weight .I just want a very strong wheel.Amazon has cheap truing stands .
 

guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
10,048
2,966
Would it be cheaper,to buy the parts and make it myself,im not fussed about weight .I just want a very strong wheel.Amazon has cheap truing stands .
If you're just commuting via road, I don't see why your spokes keep breaking - unless they're not being tensioned right.
 
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Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
19,990
8,172
60
West Sx RH
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Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
19,990
8,172
60
West Sx RH
Would it be cheaper,to buy the parts and make it myself,im not fussed about weight .I just want a very strong wheel.Amazon has cheap truing stands .
Built properly they should be trouble free esp with no motor.
I use ryde z2000 from bankrupt bike parts about £20 a pair in a nice fetching blue, for spokes I buy from ryanswheels/ryan spokes or you could get ryan to build your wheel. I use 14g sapim strong on all my wheels.

In this link are two of my wheels built up
Roadrat Alfine 8 with G370 hub build. | Pedelecs - Electric Bike Community
 
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guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
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guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
10,048
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guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
10,048
2,966
Im heavy the bike is heavy i ride 30 mile 5 days a week,my poor bike takes a beating .
How fast do you travel on your Bafang HD? If yours is unrestricted and you're a heavy guy on a heavy bike, regularly hitting potholes on the flat at 30mph+ , you're going to break spokes!

Or is your "Start current" too high, applying too much torque on the rear wheel from a standing start? That can be adjusted using the Bafang config tool.


26" 48 hole rims on ebay:


40 hole:


Looks like you're going to have to do a fair bit of Googling, to find your components for a build.

Is this suitable for your bike? SJS are a bit slow to dispatch, but anything I've ordered has been delivered within a week - 48h 26" £134.99 Inc VAT :



Can you fit fatter tyres on the rims you have, to absorb shocks?

44430
 

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