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 second hand. Check for any scuffs, scrapes,
01:30dents 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 are
01:40well machined and do not show any signs of cracking or splitting. And the same goes for the hub. If
01:47you are
01:47considering buying some second hand wheels, then be sure to check out Hunt's Renew program. They will
01:53recycle lightly used wheels and put them through a full inspection and refurbishment program by their
01:59own technical service team. Meaning you can not only save a bit of money, but also ensure perfectly
02:04good components get their chance to be ridden. Now that your wheels are unboxed and you're happy with
02:10the condition they arrived in, we can start to get them set up. First, we'll get the tyres on. We've
02:16made
02:16plenty of videos on how to set up either tubes or tubeless tyres, so I'll leave links to those videos
02:22in the corner of the screen. But in this case, I'll be going tubeless. Next up, it's time to fit
02:27your
02:28cassette. In this scenario, I'm using a Shimano cassette and as such, I have ordered these wheels
02:33with a Shimano Freehub body. However, if you have a SRAM groupset, then be sure to order the SRAM
02:39XDR Freehub. Both fit in similar ways, although each of them has their own nuances.
02:45If you're fitting an 11 or 12 speed Shimano cassette, then simply slide it onto the Freehub
02:51body like so and screw on the lock ring, just finger tight for now. From here, you'll need to
02:56be grabbing some tools. Grab a Freehub tool and a wrench and fully tighten. Cassette lock rings should
03:02be tightened to 40 Newton meters. Ensure there's no play in the cassette and it is securely attached to the
03:08Freehub body. If you have a 10-speed cassette or lower, then you may need to attach an extra shim,
03:14which would sit at the base of the Freehub and would need attaching before you install the cassette.
03:19If you have a Campagnolo groupset, you'll need a different cassette tool, but the process is
03:24largely the same as fitting a Shimano cassette. We're nearly there with adding components, so now the
03:31last thing to fit before you can get these wheels in your bike are the rotors. That is, if you're
03:37using
03:37disc brakes. If you're on rim brakes, then you can go ahead and skip to the next step. Slide your
03:43rotors
03:43into place, ensuring the interface is clean. Once again, finger tighten the lock ring. Now grab your
03:49Freehub tool, insert it into the lock ring and tighten to 40 Newton meters using your torque wrench.
03:55Some wheels, like the ones I have here, use a different lock ring that have external splines
04:00rather than internal ones. If the tool doesn't go in smoothly when you attempt to fit your lock ring with
04:07internal splines, then it's likely you'll need an externally splined lock ring. In this case,
04:12visit your local bike shop. Your wheels are now ready to be fitted to your bike, but it's worth
04:17taking one last look at them to make sure they are fully ready. Ensure the tyres are fitted correctly and
04:23the bead of the tyre has popped into the rim of the wheel. Check your rotors are secure if you
04:28have them
04:29and ensure the cassette is also tight and secure. Now offer the wheel up to the bike. I always like
04:36to start
04:36with the front wheel. If using rim brakes, ensure the wheel is pointing in the right way and you can
04:41do this by checking the rotation arrow on your tyre. For disc brake users, you'll just need to ensure
04:47that the rotor sits in the caliper nicely and then tighten your through axle or quick release. Again,
04:53for quick release users, ensure the wheels have gone in straight. The best way to do this is to open
04:58the lever up while the bike is on the ground as this will ensure the axles are sitting square in
05:04the
05:04dropouts. Move over to the rear now and pull the rear derailleur back. Let the chain droop onto the
05:09cassette 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
05:26that's found on Zipp's website. I've been using it for years and it's worked really well for me.
05:31If you have set your wheels up tubeless, then do monitor the pressure in your tyres over the first
05:36couple of weeks of having them set up as it'll likely deflate a little faster than usual as the
05:43sealant settles in. However, once you're past that point, they should hold air as well as any tube
05:48set up, but it's always worth keeping an eye on them. Finally, there are two key jobs you need to
05:54do
05:55before you set off on your first ride. First, ensure your rotors are not rubbing. I like to do this
06:01very simply by placing something brightly coloured on the floor and then positioning the caliper over
06:06that surface and looking down through the gap. You'll quickly be able to see if anything is rubbing.
06:12Ideally, what you want is an equal distance between each brake pad and the rotor. If there is rubbing,
06:19work 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
06:53again, go careful on this. It is easy to overdo it. If the rotor has warped by more than a
06:59couple 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
07:12gears and check they're all working smoothly. If they aren't playing ball, then go see your local
07:18bike shop or watch one of the many videos that we've made on how to fix them, which again, I've
07:24linked to in the corner of the screen. That's it. You are done and it's time to go for your
07:30first ride.
07:31If you've just upgraded your wheels, then let us know what you went for.
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