How to Spoke a New Bicycle Wheel

This is my How To Instructions for Spoking a New Bike Wheel.

Use new spokes, rim and hub make sure you have the right length spokes for the wheel. You might find this spoke chart helpful. (see link below).

Look at the spoke holes in the rim, and see if they are offset from the center. If they are you have rear wheel or rim we are working with the front tire/wheel.

Lay the bicycle's rim on a table with the valve hole at the top position. This is your starting point.

Common Bicycle wheels always have multiples of four spokes. 36-spoke wheels are the most common, we will be working with a front 36 spoke wheel.

Look at wheel spoking patterns as having four parts, the spokes that come over the top of the top flange, the spokes that come out of the underside of the top flange, the spokes that come from the inside of the bottom flange, and the spokes that come from the outside of the bottom hub flange.

If you have a 36-spoke wheel, each group will be eight spokes. We'll install these four groups, one at a time.

Front wheels are easier, because you can ignore the direction of specific details.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Rim
• Hub
• Spokes
• Nipples (spoke nuts)
• Spoke wrench
• Straight edge screw driver
• Some type of lubricant
• Safety glasses
• Time: 1st time 2 to 4 hours, your time will improve the more you do it.

1. Consult a wheel spoke chart (link below) or a bike shop near you for number of spokes to use for your rim and hub. You should buy them together at the same time to get the right length and number of spokes.

2. Place all spokes going one direction to the hub from top of flange down, skipping every other hole.

3. Pick one spoke in one hand ( letting the other spokes and hub dangle down) hold rim in other hand on top of a work table. Look for the valve stem hole usually the middle hole of a 3 hole pattern closer together than the rest.

4. Holding the rim in front of you with the valve hole as a starting point or guide insert the spoke into the first hole after the middle valve hole.

5. Start a nipple turning it about ¼ into the spoke just enough to hold the spoke and nipple together, you want it to be loose.

6. Go around the rim inserting a spoke into every 4th hole all around the rim. (count 1, 2, 3 use 4th hole) You should end up with the last spoke with the same spacing all the way around the rim.

7. String spokes into the other side of the hub from top down into the hub behind the first set of spokes. Start behind the spoke that is next to the valve hole your starting point.

8. Notice the holes on the hub do not line up to the hole below. Start behind the first spoke from your starting point bringing it to the rim start point first hole behind the valve stem hole.

9. Insert each spoke on the rim right behind the first set of spokes. Insert a nipple and tighten the same amount about ¼ down just enough to hold it but try to keep all of them the same. Repeat all around the rim.

10. Now you should have all the spokes in place on the outside of the hub. Back at your starting point insert spokes from the top of the hub to the bottom of the flange below. Twist the hub one way and the rim opposite way to set spokes at an angle or slant.

11. Grab any loose spoke pulling it opposite way of the spokes already set. Go over, over under and skip a hole. Important: go over 1st spoke, over 2nd spoke, then under the 3rd spoke, skip a hole in the rim install a nipple using the same turning amounts as before. Repeat all around hub and rim.

12. Last set of spokes go from the bottom of the flange out same as above, but pull them to the opposite side as above. If you started pulling the spokes back, this side should go forward. Because it’s the other side remember to pull opposite way of the first set of spokes. Again same as before, over, over, under last hole remaining. Important: Go over 1st spoke, over 2nd spoke, then under the 3rd spoke, to last remaining hole in the rim install a nipple using the same turning amounts as before. Repeat all around hub and rim.

13. Now you should have all spokes in place and should look uniform all around the rim (same spacing all around), if not do over. Starting at you start point tighten nipples until you are 3 to 4 treads from the bottom of the spoke treads. Use your screwdriver for this. Keep each nipple the same on each spoke.

14. The tension on the spokes should feel tight but not to tight, use a good wheel as a guide until you get the feel for it. If they feel to loose tighten them using your spoke wrench turning each nipple about ¼ turn at a time no more than ½ if very loose. Make sure not to over tighten.

15. Your wheel should look and feel right, time to try your wheel out. BUT DO NOT ride your wheel yet. Using your bicycle front forks as a stand, insert your wheel tight enough to turn by hand. Your wheel should turn freely in the forks with slight wobbling from side to side. If to much wobbling wheel is loose tighten each spoke one more time about 1/8 to ¼ turn at a time starting and end at your start point.

16. You are done! Congratulations! Next step is called Truing a Wheel”. This is where you will straighten your wheel and make sure it is turning true. See next step “How to True a Bicycle Wheel”.

Tips & Warnings

• Spoke nipple nuts and treads tighten clock wise – remember “Righty Tightly, Lefty Loosely” also remember using the spoke wrench your hand and wrench will be underneath you, so it may seem to tight the opposite direction.
• Use a small drop of lube oil or other type of lubricant on each nipple before you do you final turning. This will help smooth things out and will help keep nipples and spokes from sticking together, makes for easier adjustments in the near future.
• If you end up with extra holes or spokes you may have missed a step. Before you start over make sure you bought the correct size, amount of spokes for your rim and hub. Also make sure you hub and rim are correct for your spokes. If you have the correct items, take a break before you retract your steps, best to retract your steps than to start over from scratch.
• You can go straight into the next step from here, but I recommend you take a good break. Rest for an hour or 2 maybe wait until next day to start step 2.
• If you tighten spokes to much they could break, be safe and wear safety glasses.
• Start tightening slowly, do not get in a rush through the steps you cloud over tighten and damage your rim or break a spoke.

Resources

• WesterBikeworks.com
• Sample Spoke Chart
• All About Biking