H: Hubs, Wheels and Tyres How much run-out for rims

Albervin

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I have had a wheel building/truing/balancing jig for a few years. Up until now I have only used it for balancing. Today I took a leap and rebuilt a front wheel. It took a lot of patience and a bit of swearing. I now have 30 thou of run-out. Is that too much? I would think a tyre would absorb some of that but if needed I can persist to obtain less.
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Albervin

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Thanks Bill. I was a bit worried when I laced up the rims I had a pretty good line and when tightening the spoke I thought it would pull out. I was also worried about the roundness but also seems to be a few thou. Beginner's luck. I also had some heavier spokes fitted due to Australian roads so had to take the drums off to fit spokes. Luckily no spacers required.
 

Chris Launders

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30 thou is good, especially with some rims !!!
I've built my own for 40 years and never had any trouble but doing the occasional one for others I've had rims with a massive kick where the weld was, I suspect they were cheap or even seconds.
 

Albervin

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I was warned against stainless rims due to the welding. Having said that I have two on my Rapide. These are chrome steel on my shadow, the rear is an original but the front is new. I do note the front rim has milling to capture the tyre bead and so not require a clamp. I am not sure if the company does the same with all rims. Purchased from a reputable rim shop in Birmingham.
 

A_HRD

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I usually aim to get as far below 10 thou as I can - not counting the "kick" where the weld is. Probably teaching granny to suck eggs and all that, but the up and down movement should definitely be minimised below 10 thou otherwise the faster you go on the bike the more you will feel the resultant vibration.

The trick of course is to get the side-to-side and up-and-down readings to a minimum - just at the moment that you have even torque on every spoke. Swearing is an inevitable part of the process!

Peter B
 

Albervin

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Peter, as this is a front wheel I want it as close as I can get. Getting "even torque" is just a concept for me. Surely the weld joint has an effect on up and down as well as the kick. Anyway I have progressed beyond strong tea so need to sign off.
 

Simon Dinsdale

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Having built over 20 wheels over the years I find the weld joint has little effect on the wheel overall as it is over such a short distance. Once you get a tyre on the rim, rotate it and see if the weld has any effect on the tyre shape and I bet you will not be able to see change in the tyre.
I usually get rims to less than 15 thou in all directions (I am an engineer) but it can take some time to achieve that and I have sometimes left a wheel and gone back to it the following day. As Peter says, up & down is more important so you don't want an oval shaped wheel.
I have found no difference between truing a stainless rim or chromed steel rim, but I have found old rims are the hardest to do. I don't know if they take a particular set over the years.

Simon
 
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