Roger Musson Wheel Building

Price Paid:  $18.00 at wheelpro.co.uk

Bike Setup:
Trek Madone, velocity rims, sapim spokes, dura ace hubs.

Summary:
I'll get to the point. The book is fantastic. The author (Roger Musson) is a detailed, wheel building, perfectionist. No detail is too small. If this is your first wheel build, you can do it with this book. There are tips, tricks, warnings etc. Everything you wanted to or need to know is here.

Roger goes over the tools of the trade, how to use them and doesn't leave out anything (in my opinion) when it comes to exactly what you need to know to build a superior set of wheels. Just go to wheelpro.co.uk and you can check out the table of contents.

I made one major mistake when I got this book. I didn't read it all the way through and I didn't take notes. Big mistake. I ended up with a very frustrating situation due to my not reading the part in the book where it says to measure the spokes to make sure they are the length you ordered. The vendor sent me the wrong length spokes and I spent hours trying to figure out what I had done wrong.

This is the most cost effective $18 I've ever spent on cycling.

Strengths:
Detailed, logical, clear instructions. Written so even a novice can build a superior set of wheels. Searchable PDF ebook format.

Weaknesses:
None. Some people may prefer a traditional book, but I can tell you that you will save a ton of time by having a PDF format book that can easily be searched.

Price Paid:  $18.00 at www.wheelpro.com

Summary:
This e-book is the perfect wheelbuilding resource by pro wheelbuilder Roger Musson. Buy it through Roger's site or RoadBikeRider.com (they allow you 5 downloads) and if you wish, print it out and get it bound at Staples. Mine cost me $4.



Roger describes every stage in wheelbuilding in a non-technical manner from selecting components, through making your own simple wheelbuilding tools to the actual wheelbuilding itself. Roger admits that he holds nothing back; read the book and you will know all that he knows.

The book is profusely illustrated with drawings and photographs and comes with a checklist at the back (with page reference numbers) so you don't have to wade through the whole book when building your wheel.



He also covers repairs from rim replacement to spoke breakage and busts a few myths along the way.



I've read (heck, I own) all the other wheelbuilding books and articles and this book is the finest single wheebuilding source I've seen.

Strengths:
Not overly technical. All you need is here without the science stuff.

Weaknesses:
None that will prevent you from building a pro level wheel.

Similar Products Used:
Brandt's "The Bicycle Wheel".

Schraner's "The Art of Wheelbuilding".