Straight answers to the questions we get asked the most about our custom wheel building. If you don't see your question here, email info@prowheelbuilder.com or text / leave a voicemail at 470-253-0929 and we will be happy to talk wheels. One honest note: we are usually on the bench building, so we don't pick up live calls — but we answer every voicemail, text and email.
What happened to the Simple Custom Wheel (SCW) packages?
We retired them. The SCW packages existed because some customers felt overwhelmed by all the options in the full Custom Wheel program — and that was fair. But rather than run two separate programs, we built that simplicity into the Custom Wheel program itself. When you get to the build step you now choose between two paths: Manually Configure, where you pick every part yourself, and the Build Assistant, where you tell us what matters most to you — price, weight, toughness — and it designs complete, compatible builds ranked for you. One program, two ways through it, and every wheel comes off the same bench either way.
I have been to other sites and their wheel programs seem easier. Why all the extra steps?
Two reasons. First, our program does things few others can claim: it takes your weight and your intended use into account and rates every rim, hub, spoke and nipple for your riding — Recommended, Acceptable, or Not Recommended — instead of letting you guess. That costs you a couple of extra questions up front, and we think it's worth it.
Second, we offer one of the largest selections of wheel building products anywhere, and more choices can feel like more work. If it ever feels like information overload, use the Build Assistant — or email us at info@prowheelbuilder.com (or text 470-253-0929) and we will walk you through configuring your future favorite wheels.
Are your wheels machine built?
Only if you consider the human hands that build your wheels machines. Every wheel that leaves ProWheelBuilder is laced, tensioned, stress-relieved and trued by hand, and we take great pride in what leaves our shop.
Why do you ask for my weight, and does it affect the build?
A few reasons. Your weight and how hard you ride set the strength target the program uses to recommend drilling counts, spokes and nipples — that's why the ratings you see are personal to you. It also lets us sanity-check the order before we build it; if something in the build doesn't add up for your weight, we will call you before a single spoke goes in. And on the bench, it tells us how much tension the wheel should carry and how thoroughly we stress it.
How long until my wheels ship?
Build time is driven by parts availability more than bench time — currently plan on 4 to 5 weeks. The lead time is shown in the wheel program and again before you check out, so there are no surprises. If you are up against a race date or a trip, text or email us before you order and we will tell you honestly whether we can make it happen.
Do you use spoke prep or any locking agent when building your wheels?
In most cases, no. If a wheel is properly tensioned and — even more importantly — stressed thoroughly, the spokes will not back off. Most spoke preps either do very little or do too much. The exception is a radial non-drive-side build or a heavier rider on a flexier rim; there we use DT Spoke Freeze, diluted, because at full strength it would make the wheel unserviceable down the road.
If I send you my rim or hub, will you build with it? How much does it cost?
We most certainly build wheels with your supplied components (spokes and nipples excluded — those we insist on providing new, cut to length). In the Custom Wheel program, look for the Supply Your Own option when you reach the rim or hub selection, tell us about the part, and the labor charge is shown right there before you check out. Add the build to your cart, check out, print your invoice and include it in the box with your parts. When they arrive we measure and verify everything ourselves before we build.
Can you build my rear wheel with different lacing per side, like 3x/2x?
The program doesn't offer per-side lacing because, for almost every build, the cons outweigh the pros — the cross count drives the spoke's approach angle far more than flange size does, and mismatched sides are easy to get wrong. That said, we will accommodate special requests like 3x/2x or 2x/radial if you ask for it in the build notes, providing it does not compromise the integrity of the build.
I weigh 250 lbs and have broken a bunch of spokes and nipples. I really want green nipples in my build. What do you think?
Go green. The nipples you broke in the past most likely failed because the spokes were cut too short, not because they were aluminum. The one honest caveat with alloy nipples is wet weather: ride in the rain regularly and oxidation will make them unserviceable in about three years, give or take. That doesn't mean they fail at that point — it means they stop turning when you want a true-up. If you want four-plus years of serviceability, go brass. Otherwise, go green.
I'm not sure which rim or hub to start with. Do you have anything to help me choose?
We built tools for exactly this. Start with the Build Assistant, right inside the Custom Wheel program: tell it what matters most to you — price, weight, toughness — and it designs complete, compatible builds ranked for your riding. If you'd rather have a human pick, there is an Email us for advice button right in the Assistant that sends us everything you've filled in along with your question, and our builders will reply with a recommendation.
For comparing individual parts, the Rim Finder and Hub Finder put everything we stock in one sortable table — filter by brand, width, drilling, axle, driver, color, and compare weights and prices side by side. Rims also carry our Toughness score, one scale that tells you how much structure a rim brings so you can compare within your kind of riding. And if you're doing your own math, our Spoke Length Calculator is the same one we use on the bench.
I want a front and rear. Do I have to configure everything twice?
No. Build the first wheel, and the program offers to mirror it for the other end — same rim, same spokes, same colors, with the correct front or rear hub swapped in automatically. If you want the two ends to be different, choose Build Separate and configure the second wheel on its own. Either way the pair rides out of here matched.
What happens if I pick parts that don't fit together?
You can't — and that's the point of the program. J-bend spokes never get offered on a straight-pull hub, drilling counts always match between rim and hub, internal-nipple rims only show compatible nipples, and so on. Anything that will not physically go together is filtered out before you ever see it. You are free to build lighter or heavier than we would recommend — the ratings tell you what we would ride — but you cannot build a wheel here that won't lace up.
Can I save my build or send it to someone?
Yes. From the build summary you can email yourself a copy or copy a link that rebuilds the whole configuration — handy for sharing with a riding buddy, your mechanic, or us if you want a second opinion before you order. Email or text us the link and we will be looking at the exact same wheel you are.
Do you build wheels for e-bikes, tandems, fat bikes and cargo bikes?
Absolutely — those builds are some of our favorites, because they are exactly where hand-built beats off-the-shelf. Pick the matching riding style in the program and it steers you toward rims, hubs, drilling counts and spokes rated for the loads involved. For a tandem, enter both riders' weights combined and the strength target takes care of the rest.