wheelbuilding is a lot like knitting or weaving. you pick a pattern, chose your materials, do your thing, carefully and repeatedly, in a sequence of steps, and you have a beautiful piece of handiwork when you’re done. wheelbuilding, like knitting, is truly difficult for me. it has never been easy. not since the first time i learned, with my husband trying to help me comprehend Sheldon Brown’s instructions, to this last time, with mismatched nipple sizes and an offset rim, augh!

when i build wheels i always get my UBI manual out,so i can reference it when i get lost. i usually make a careless mistake. i typically take more than 2 hours to lace,true and tension a wheel. even though frustrating and time consuming, the result is so awesome and so worth it. it’s damn near perfect when i’m finished, and i love it. it’s unique, strong and true.

the learning is slow (so slow!!!), but the only way to get better at wheelbuilding is to build wheels, over and over again. it’s true of most things in life that take time and are worthwhile. if it were easy, would i still appreciate it or keep trying like i do? probably not : )

latest wheels: Velocity Synergy 650b rims, Shimano Dynamo (front), Shimano 105 (rear) hubs, DT Swiss 15g spokes