newbie error on wheel building

[chisixer6]

i just built my 1st wheel, after watching on utube. I know there is a mistake. this is a front wheel build, using a Shimano M525 disc hub on a 406 size rim. My mistake was in the dishing. I built the wheel with both side equal rather than taking the disc into consideration, as a result the wheel is off center by about 1/4". I can tried to correct this by doing a 1/4 turn on all spokes on one side and 1/4 turn opposite on the other side, or just disassemble the whole wheel and relace correctly or if there will be no major problem, leave it alone. I think the spoke length was 1 or 2 mm different between both sides. thax in advance. Jerry

 

[johnrobholmes]

You probably need closer to 4 turns added to one side and subtracted from the other. Do it one turn at a time around the wheel. Loosen first, tighten next.

 

[SamTexas]

this is a front wheel build,
...
I built the wheel with both side equal rather than taking the disc into consideration, as a result the wheel is off center by about 1/4".

This is new to me. I thought the front wheel NEVER requires dishing, with or without the disc. I have never used a bicycle with disc brake though.

Questions:
1) So is there any dishing required for a REAR wheel with a disc on one side and a 7-speed freewheel on the other? Do the two (disc and freewheel) balance out?
2) If 1) is true, is the rear dropout spacing wider than normal?
Thanks

 

[rkosiorek]

this is a front wheel build,
...
I built the wheel with both side equal rather than taking the disc into consideration, as a result the wheel is off center by about 1/4".

This is new to me. I thought the front wheel NEVER requires dishing, with or without the disc. I have never used a bicycle with disc brake though.

Questions:
1) So is there any dishing required for a REAR wheel with a disc on one side and a 7-speed freewheel on the other? Do the two (disc and freewheel) balance out?
2) If 1) is true, is the rear dropout spacing wider than normal?
Thanks

That all depends on the geometry of the individual parts. for example the early Crystalyte rear motors especially the 530X motors needed a lot of offset. on the original motors many of us re-machined or modified the axles, even adding spacers to center them better.

so the answer to #1 is you can't tell until you fit your specific parts. some suppliers (like ebikes.ca) have custom ordered motors supplied to them that help a lot with these issues. so check with your supplier to see if he can answer the question.

#2 is easier. most regular bikes are built using a 135mm spacing for a mountain bike/hybrid bike and 125mm for a single speed or 3-speed cruiser bike. again check the spec from the frame manufacturer to know for sure.

i just did an original 1st production run crystalyte 5302 motor from 2006 into a 406 rim (actually a 16" Zero Motorcycle rim) these were so badly off center that i needed to modify the axle, add a spacer to the disc brake and severely dish the wheel to more or less center the wheel. with only a 5 speed this thing is still 10mm off center. since I am using a disc i'm not that concerned about not having the wheel perfectly centered. as long as nothing rubs on the frame it will be okay.

Newer motors from Crystalyte have the spoke flanges offset to make centering easier. the motor bodies have been made with a thinner profile to leave more room for discs and freewheels. other manufacturers have also evolved their designs over the years to fix these issues. so the vintage of the motor may also affect the answer to #1.

rick

 

[amberwolf]

So far I have only gotten one kind of disc-compatible hub (normal hub, not motor), a bare one donated by Papa some time ago and two already in wheels. All three are the same unknown brand, but they all require dishing, as the disc mount forces the spoke flange on that side inward by quite some distance, probably proportionally equivalent to that of a rear wheel's dishing. (meaning you could probably use a set of rear-wheel spokes to lace them up).

I haven't looked in detail at other normal bike disc wheels (which is what the OP has, rather than a hubmotor, in the wheel in question), so I'm not sure if they all require dishing or not.

 

[chisixer6]

thanks for the answers...

Johnrobholmes..I will tried that one full turn at a time to one side then one turn opposite on the other side...

Samtexas... I just looked at my mountain bike wheel, which has a rear disc and 8 speed cassette and the drive side is flatter than the disc side.

 

[d8veh]

I've had to dish all three motor wheels that I built. I always make them symmetrical first and then go round one side at a time - first loosening 1/4 turn and then tightening 1/4 turn on the other side. Just keep going round until the rim's in the correct position. You might need to make a final adjustment once everything's settled after riding a bit, but I never did.

 

[chisixer6]

d8veh;
Yes, I saw something on another site doing 1/4 at a time. sounds good.