Wheel rebuilding - R100GS-Paris Dakar

[Paul Rochdale]

I recently asked a specialist what would the likely cost be of rebuilding my spoked wheels, that's stainless steel spokes, polished wheel rims and bead blasted hubs, and I was given the staggering figure of £750 for two wheels.

At Ardingly last weekend I asked another wheel specialist and he said "No chance. Not interested" as they are apparently a bugger to work on. He recommended Devon Wheel Co as one of the few firms to have experience of them.

On ADVrider, a few people have had a go at rebuilding their own wheels and I guess that if the spokes are replaced one at a time, it's a possiblity.

I've also heard that patient work with a Dremel and felt mops would work too.

Today I tried that and whilst it's is pretty time consuming, at does at least give an improvement on the existing wheels.

So, anyone tried to rebuild their own wheels?

 

[GADGET]

Or, you could buy my new wheels/tyres, plus 300mm ABM brake disk conversion. For less than your quoted rebuild cost. See my post in the for sale section, or now on ebay, finishing tomorrow


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=221198388840&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

 

[Paul Rochdale]

Thanks and but for the black, which I don't care for, tempting. I already have a floating disc and a four-pot Brembo, and good tyres, but the spokes are very rough. I presume they are plated steel as they are magnetic.

Good luck with the sale.

 

[Kenny]

The spokes will ( and I mean WILL ) be well corroded into the rims on a GS ( mono are easier ) .....usual MO is to cut one off near the rim and spend absolutely ages coaxing the nipple out of the wheel !!! Very time consuming..and even though you replace one at a time, the wheel will still have to be checked for true etc as rear hub is offset.

 

[THE TOURIST]

Wheel rebuild

I just had two x spoke wheel rebuilt hubs and rims powder coated and rebuilt with stainless spokes perfect work at the devon wheel co.

 

[Dogbytes]

I was thinking of having a go at rebuilding mine.

A friend of mine owns a cycle shop and occasionally builds the odd pair of bicycle wheels when he feels the need for something 'therapeutic' to spend a few hours on. He reckons its not difficult, you just have to take it slowly.

I'll beadblast the hubs myself and I have a decent sized pedestal buffing machine which will clean up the rims nicely. The only problem is I stripped them down already and didn't measure the offsets Still, someone will know.

Incidentally, mine came apart no problem at all.

 

[Redboots]

So, anyone tried to rebuild their own wheels?

I was recently searching for a re-con diesel pump. I finally found one at a good price from a chap in Kings Lynn.

Reading his web site I came across THIS page.

He says he will teach you how to do it and offers other Airhead/K bike services.

J

 

[Dogbytes]

I was recently searching for a re-con diesel pump. I finally found one at a good price from a chap in Kings Lynn.

Reading his web site I came across THIS page.

He says he will teach you how to do it and offers other Airhead/K bike services.

J

Looks like it would be well worth the trip to take my rims, hubs, etc up there and be shown how to put them all together properly.

 

[cookie]

he crucially makes no mention of the tubeless spoked wheels that the GS uses.

can't see him teaching anyone to build them

 

[cheb]

I'm glad I didn't read this thread before I laced up my own cross spokes.

They are, IMO, as easy to lace up as any other spoked wheel. Truing them is something else, I've not managed to do that with a normal wheel either. I take them to a chap who does motocross wheels and he charges me the same as he does for truing a normal wheel.

 

[lewisjohn]

Wheel rebuild

I did my paralever GS wheel myself.Have a look at my thread(Project bike advice)Patience is the key,the spokes more or less line themselves up with the hub,I removed the old nipples by drilling out the old ones and cleaning up the holes with a Dremel.Using a DTI and a jig i set up in my vice i got it to run well within the allowance suggested by BMW.

 

[Paul Rochdale]

If I was to replace the spokes one at a time, I don't see how it would go out of true. I've had a go at polishing the rims around the spokes using a Dremel and it's not bad but not as good as a complete strip down.

 

[Dogbytes]

If I was to replace the spokes one at a time, I don't see how it would go out of true. I've had a go at polishing the rims around the spokes using a Dremel and it's not bad but not as good as a complete strip down.

It would go out of true because they stay in true by virtue of a balance in spoke tension across the wheel. You could replace one spoke and it probably would stay in true but take them out one bu one and replace the lot and you wouldn't maintain the right tension. You'd end up re-tensioning the whole lot anyway so you might as well do it all from scratch.