I assembled my first wheels
I got some wheels with bad rims and good hubs, so with assistance from my mechanic, I got spokes and rims. We deliberated together, but he did the math.
I got Sun CR18 rims, as I am not very light, and chose 15g DT double butted spokes. The hubs were Campagnolo Victory.
The Gerd Schraner book, "The Art of Wheelbuilding," was very helpful in giving me a quick and accurate plan for getting the spokes lined up right. It's a spiral bound book which stays open, and it's pretty logical.
Jobst Brandt's book "The Bicycle Wheel" was good to read, reread, and put away, and Sheldon Brown's extensive writings gave me the answers to fill in the gaps in understanding.
The most frustrating part was getting the spokes on one side through when the other side was completely connected. On the second wheel, I placed all spokes in the hub and used a hair tie to keep the second side out of my way while lacing the first side.
It was a lot of fun and I hope I get the chance to do this again soon *for fun*.
