00:00People are always saying the first thing you need to upgrade on your bike are the wheels.
00:05For those who have heeded that advice, this video is for you. We're going to tell you how to set
00:10them up going from boxed to fully fitted. The first step is a pretty easy one. You need to
00:17unbox them. Happily, most of the packaging wheels come in is recyclable, so be sure to dispose of
00:23the waste correctly. Make sure you dig out any spares that come with the wheels and if they're
00:28loose, then keep them together in a sealable bag for safekeeping. Losing these bits can be a real
00:34pain later down the line. First off, inspect them. Now that you're hands on with your wheels,
00:40it's important to inspect them while they're fresh out of the box and untampered with. Go around both
00:46wheels and give the spokes a little squeeze just to ensure they're under tension and none of them
00:51are obviously loose. Next, check the rim tape has been fitted correctly. Runs perfectly straight
00:57through the middle of the rim and isn't lifting in any areas. If you're going to be setting your
01:02wheels up tubeless, then this part is especially important. Check the wheels are untrue and the
01:07bearings are smooth. You can do this by spinning the wheel in your hands, holding it out and looking
01:12at the rim to see if it wobbles. You can check the smoothness of the bearings with your hands.
01:17Ensure they turn with ease and don't feel loose or grindy. Check the rims for any defects or damage.
01:23This is particularly important if you've bought your wheels secondhand. Check for any scuffs, scrapes,
01:29dents or cracks which could jeopardize the structural integrity of the wheels. If you see something you're
01:35unsure about, then head to your local bike shop and get a second opinion. Check the nipple holes
01:40are well machined and do not show any signs of cracking or splitting. And the same goes for the hub.
01:47If you are considering buying some secondhand wheels, then be sure to check out Hunt's Renew
01:51program. They will recycle lightly used wheels and put them through a full inspection and
01:57refurbishment program by their own technical service team, meaning you can not only save a
02:02bit of money, but also ensure perfectly good components get their chance to be ridden.
02:08Now that your wheels are unboxed and you're happy with the condition they arrived in,
02:12we can start to get them set up. First, we'll get the tires on. We've made plenty of videos on how to
02:18set up either tubed or tubeless tires, so I will leave links to those videos in the corner of the
02:23screen. But in this case, I'll be going tubeless. Next up, it's time to fit your cassette. In this
02:29scenario, I'm using a Shimano cassette and as such, I have ordered these wheels with a Shimano Freehub
02:34body. However, if you have a SRAM groupset, then be sure to order the SRAM XDR Freehub. Both fit in
02:42similar ways, although each of them has their own nuances. If you're fitting an 11 or 12 speed Shimano
02:48cassette, then simply slide it onto the Freehub body like so and screw on the lock ring, just
02:54finger tight for now. From here, you'll need to be grabbing some tools. Grab a Freehub tool and a
02:59wrench and fully tighten. Cassette lock rings should be tightened to 40 newton meters. Ensure there's no
03:05play in the cassette and it is securely attached to the Freehub body. If you have a 10-speed cassette or
03:11lower, then you may need to attach an extra shim, which would sit at the base of the Freehub and
03:16would need attaching before you install the cassette. If you have a Campagnolo groupset, you'll need a
03:22different cassette tool, but the process is largely the same as fitting a Shimano cassette. We're nearly
03:28there with adding components, so now the last thing to fit before you can get these wheels in your bike
03:34are the rotors. That is, if you're using disc brakes. If you're on rim brakes, then you can go ahead
03:40and skip to the next step. Slide your rotors into place, ensuring the interface is clean. Once again,
03:47finger tighten the lock ring. Now grab your Freehub tool, insert it into the lock ring and tighten to
03:5240 newton meters using your torque wrench. Some wheels, like the ones I have here, use a different
03:58lock ring that have external splines rather than internal ones. If the tool doesn't go in smoothly
04:05when you attempt to fit your lock ring with internal splines, then it's likely you'll need an externally
04:10splined lock ring. In this case, visit your local bike shop. Your wheels are now ready to be fitted to
04:16your bike, but it's worth taking one last look at them to make sure they are fully ready. Ensure the
04:21tyres are fitted correctly and the bead of the tyre has popped into the rim of the wheel. Check your rotors
04:27are secure if you have them and ensure the cassette is also tight and secure. Now, offer the wheel up to
04:35the bike. I always like to start with the front wheel. If using rim brakes, ensure the wheel is pointing
04:40in the right way and you can do this by checking the rotation arrow on your tyre. For disc brake users,
04:46you'll just need to ensure that the rotor sits in the caliper nicely and then tighten your through axle
04:51or quick release. Again, for quick release users, ensure the wheels have gone in straight. The best way
04:57to do this is to open the lever up while the bike is on the ground as this will ensure the axles are sitting
05:03square in the dropouts. Move over to the rear now and pull the rear derailleur back. Let the chain droop
05:09onto the cassette and slowly bring it up into the frame, being sure to align the rotor so that it sits
05:15inside the caliper. Again, pop the through axle in or fit your quick release. If you haven't already,
05:21now is a good time to set your tyre pressure. You can do that by using the brilliant calculator that's
05:26found on Zipp's website. I've been using it for years and it's worked really well for me. If you
05:32have set your wheels up tubeless, then do monitor the pressure in your tyres over the first couple of
05:37weeks of having them set up as it'll likely deflate a little faster than usual as the sealant settles in.
05:44However, once you're past that point, they should hold air as well as any tube setup, but it's always
05:50worth keeping an eye on them. Finally, there are two key jobs you need to do before you set off on your
05:56first ride. First, ensure your rotors are not rubbing. I like to do this very simply by placing
06:02something brightly coloured on the floor and then positioning the caliper over that surface
06:07and looking down through the gap. You'll quickly be able to see if anything is rubbing. Ideally,
06:13what you want is an equal distance between each brake pad and the rotor. If there is rubbing,
06:18work out if it's because the rotor is warped or if it's because the caliper is misaligned.
06:24Caliper misalignment can be easily fixed by slightly loosening the caliper mount bolts
06:29and then shimming it over into position. This can take a while to do and does require some patience,
06:35so take your time. If you really cannot get it right, there is a chance that the caliper mounting
06:40surface may need to be faced to create a perfectly flat mounting surface. If this is the case, then go
06:47visit your local bike shop. If the rotor has warped, then you can realign it using a rotor tool, but
06:54again, go careful on this. It is easy to overdo it. If the rotor has warped by more than a couple of
06:59millimeters, then you may want to consider replacement. Lastly, the final job to do is to check your gear
07:06indexing. There's a myriad of reasons why your indexing may have been thrown off, so run through your gears and
07:13check they're all working smoothly. If they aren't playing ball, then go see your local bike shop or
07:19watch one of the many videos that we've made on how to fix them, which again, I've linked to in the
07:24corner of the screen. That's it. You are done and it's time to go for your first ride. If you've
07:31just upgraded your wheels, then let us know what you went for.
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