Wheel building.

[Zombie Master]

One spoke at a time? Removing the tube and tire each time. Re-spoke the wheel if you don't like the way it looks.

[jagarra]

You may find that dealing with a rusted nipple to spoke connection is not worth the trouble to try and take apart. Stripping the flats will leave you few options. If you are replacing all the pieces cutting the spokes may be the easiest solution. Measure and record the off sets first.

[Chuey]

tsa, with airhead wheels, at least the ones I've done, the straight pull spokes more or less guide themselves to the rim. After starting all the spokes, spin them up to where they are even. I start with "hiding the threads" and then, if there is enough slack left, I'll spin them all up to where there is say, 1mm below the slot as seen from the rim side. After that, add the same amount of turns to keep everything even. It makes the truing process go more quickly. When you have the wheel as round as you can get it and pretty true, then you should check the side to side spacing. If you need to move the rim left or right, that is done by tightening one side more than the other. You may need to let off half a turn on the one side and tighten the other side half a turn. That would be if you don't want to add more tension. If you do want to add tension, you may just tighten the side you want to pull it toward evenly. The point is, that once the wheel is true if you add the same amount of turn(s) to one side, it will not appreciably affect the trueness.

Chuey

[George Ryals]

Sure, replacing one spoke at a time is a way to do it. You would want to do a final check on alignment once you finished replacing the spokes.

[tsa]

One spoke at a time? Removing the tube and tire each time.

If I had a bit more (i.e. too much) spare time I certainly could replace one spoke at the time, with re-fitting the tyre, balancing the wheel, and taking the bike on a test run to check how it feels with a succession of new spokes . . .

Seriously, I may not have described accurately what I intended, but George Ryals somehow understood.

Good point by jagarra about cutting the spokes instead of fighting rusty nipple threads.

The main disandvantage with the one spoke at the time approach would IMHO be that one looses the opportunity to clean the hub in an efficient way.

[Roy Gavin]

If you follow the link I posted to The Vinagents Workshop you will see that Radco details a simple timber Jig that is used to hold the rim concentric and with the correct offset.
With Brit bikes with single sided drum brakes, a rim up to 25mm offset and bent spokes of different lengths and angles it makes a difficult job easy.
With BMW's equal length straight spokes and central rim with this jig all that is needed is to run the spokes up in stages to the factory torque, which usually gets you as close as the wheels were when they were new, but if not only minor tweeks are needed.
Unless your rim is bent out of tolerance------
The factory, and pro wheel workshops, use a steel jig which does the same thing and holds the rim even closer to spec, which is how some can build a wheel for less than $30-, even a cross spoke tubeless one.

[Ken in Oklahoma]

I haven't been following this thread, but I have built a hand full of wheels (but not BMW wheels only). I have a couple thoughts to 'scatter shoot'. As for spoke wrenches, I have never found a 'store-bought' wrench to be satisfactory. Too loose! Invariably, it seems, that the too-loose wrench 'wants' to round off the already partly rounded off barrel of a typical spoke nipple. What I do is to make my own spoke wrenches. That way I can get the wrench as tight as I want.

We all have some ugly small open end wrenches in our tool box(es) that we hope we will never actually have to use on something. What I do is to take a right angle grinder with a thin cut-off grinder and cut off the 'ears' of the wrench. (Use a vise to hold the wrench stationary.) What you then have then is a wrench end that looks a bit like a 'flattened' dog bone on the end. Then I will use that same thin cut off wheel and make a notch in the 'dog bone' end 'just shy' of the width you need. Now, using a thin file, you file away at that notch until it JUST FITS the flats on the nipple. Now you won't round off the flats.

Lastly you want to take your new shop-made nipple wrench and smooth it off with your bench grinder until it is as aesthetically pleasing as it's going to get. And don't forget to take some pleasing self-satisfaction that you did it yourself and the wrench you made is better than can be bought--anywhere!

Ken

[Wobbly]

Now, as caretaker for four boxers, I've noticed that several of their (mostly chrome plated) spokes show signs of corrosion. My approach will be rebuiliding or replacing all the spokes of one wheel when the corrosion level has reached a critical level.

By the time steel spoke bodies show corrosion, the nipples are sometimes frozen in place. BMW likes the straight-pull type spoke, which fairly well line-up the rim position for you, but their down-side is that when locked up with rust they may spin in place rather than loosen. Be prepared with a mini-set of bolt cutters.

One at a time is a great way for a first time novice.

If you don't buy the Buchannan spoke set, then lubricate the new spoke threads with the same oil you use in your final drive.

[Chuey]

Ken, the Buchanan's spoke wrenches are the bomb! They have it down! When you buy spokes from them is the time to buy the wrench.

Chuey

[Ken in Oklahoma]

Ken, the Buchanan's spoke wrenches are the bomb! They have it down! When you buy spokes from them is the time to buy the wrench.

Hi Chuey. What you say sounds right and true. Good advice. Uh, but it doesn't work for me. You see, I have a quirk. Well, multiple quirks, but this is the one I'm talking about right now. And I'll bet that, by degrees, you have the same sort of quirk. Searching for an analogy, it's a little bit like creating wealth! After I finish with the spoke wrench I am richer because I now have a fine functional spoke wrench (albeit a trifle on the ugly side).

Ken in Boise/Oklahoma