How to lace up bicycle wheels - practical part

In my previous post, I discussed the somewhat "mystical" and mysterious atmosphere surrounding bicycle wheel lacing and explained my perspective on the artisanal nature of this activity. Today, we'll get down to specifics, without any unnecessary philosophizing. I'd just like to point out from the outset that there's no single "best" school, and the steps and techniques presented below aren't the only ones. Every mechanic laces wheels a little differently, and some methods are even radically different. I'm presenting my workflow based on the experiences of those who taught me, advice from the best wheelbuilders online, and experience. I believe the quality of my wheels is guaranteed by dozens of satisfied users, including many road and mountain bike racers. If anything seems strange or completely at odds with your experience, please let me know in the comments. Lacing bicycle wheels is my passion, and I'd be happy to discuss it. :) You can find a separate guide on wheel truing here .

Component selection

Ask yourself what parts you want to assemble the wheel from. Ideally, they should be similarly priced – there's no point skimping on one component to make another better. Butted spokes alone won't do much if the rim weighs a ton, and will only make work and replacement more difficult in the event of a failure. Avoid the absolute cheapest products. There's no point in hand-crafting a wheel that will still be weak due to a bent rim or poor-quality bearings. Remember, your time is valuable, and it's often better to add a few dozen złoty to a rim than to struggle with a cheaper one for several hours. Think about who you're building a wheel for. For heavy riders, lightweight rims are out of the question. It's better to build slightly heavier, yet durable wheels. For aluminum MTB models, I also advise against the lightest models in the range, unless you're sure the rider is light and rides carefully. Don't be afraid of butted spokes, though. What's more, taller, lighter models are often more durable than entry-level models. However, I'm not a fan of straight-pull spokes. The difference in strength and stiffness compared to traditional spokes is imperceptible to the vast majority of users, but their availability is less favorable, and measuring the hub is more difficult. I must admit, though, that they look amazing. ;) When it comes to hubs , it's hard to find a dud in terms of lacing. I only recommend avoiding hubs taken from system wheels, as they can be adapted to unusual, asymmetric lacing, for example, which will be difficult to replicate without a dedicated rim and spokes.

Details matter!

And most importantly: always use new spokes. Spokes stretch during truing and use. Lacing a bicycle wheel with used spokes is not only more difficult, but above all, the result is visibly worse. For this reason, it's also worth avoiding used rims, although in this case, it's not so absolute. Sometimes, lacing with new spokes can give a wheel a second life. There's another wheel component that many forget about – nipple washers. While they can be omitted on capped rims, they are a must-have for rims without caps, especially carbon ones! Washers facilitate centering by reducing friction and the force required to turn the nipple. Above all, they distribute the pressure on the rim over a larger surface, allowing for greater tension, and reducing the risk of rim breakage. I also don't recommend aluminum nipples for beginners. They require special care and skill, and they break easily in the hands of a novice mechanic.

Calculating the length of spokes - lacing wheels is also mathematics

First, consider how many crosses you want to lace your wheel. For most mid-range wheels, traditional three-cross lacing works best. For lightweight competition wheels, you can try two. Asymmetrical lacing (with different numbers of crosses on the right and left sides) is a more advanced technique, and in my humble opinion, in 90% of cases, it's a triumph of style over substance. The same applies to a "sun" (no crosses) front wheel. Its only real advantages are found in specific conditions on strictly competition bikes. How to calculate spoke length? It depends on the calculator you use. The most popular is the one posted on the Belgian Sapim website. Its undoubted advantage is its user-friendly interface and the elimination of "inconvenient" measurements from the hub (e.g., from the center of the hub body to the center of the flange). Unfortunately, its results are often inaccurate. It has a noticeable tendency to overestimate the length and sometimes confuses left and right sides. The one posted on the DT Swiss website is slightly better, but it's a bit irritating unless you're using the manufacturer's (otherwise excellent) parts. However, I recommend a simple tool you won't find on the first page of Google. The spoke length calculator from the United Bicycle Institute: https://bikeschool.com/resources/spoke-calculator The simplest possible calculator, without any extra features or approximations that could skew the results. Each field has detailed measurement instructions and tips on how to perform the measurement correctly. Remember, if you're using nipple washers, their thickness must be added to the rim dimensions! What if the result is odd and I only have access to even-numbered spokes? This is a difficult question, despite appearances. If you can't get advice from an experienced mechanic, it's best to rely on your intuition and choose the closest size. For hubs with the same diameter flanges (especially Shimano, DT, and Novatec), the difference in spoke length on each side is usually no more than two millimeters. There's also one solution worth considering. The Edd calculator has a huge database of components, updated by users. Often, simply entering the name of a popular hub and rim will yield a reliable result. You can find it here: https://leonard.io/edd/

Preparing the workstation

This may sound trivial, but sit comfortably and have your tools and parts within easy reach. It's a good idea to lightly oil the spoke threads. Thick chain oil works well for this. This will make the job easier and also protect the nipples from seizing. It's best to soak the spoke ends in oil and then wipe them with a paper towel, leaving only the oil on the bottom of the threads. It's better to use too little than too much. Some mechanics prefer to work without oil (I did for a while), but I find that a pinch helps with smoother and more accurate centering. In special cases, nipple glue is used, but I recommend this option only for experienced mechanics. Lacing wheels with glue requires a high degree of skill, combined with a thorough understanding of the user's needs. It's worth counting out the spokes and setting aside the other sizes – once you start lacing mechanically, it's easy to get lost and end up with the wrong spokes. It's also worth having an extra spoke to help with inserting the nipples (preferably in a different color). Special screwdrivers and nipple boxes speed up the work in a professional repair shop, but at home, you can do without them.

Braiding the wheel

The first thing you need to consider is the division of spokes into inner and outer ones. Most wheelbuilders assume that, depending on the forces transferred, the inner spokes should be pushers (i.e., forward-facing) and the outer spokes should be pullers (rearward-facing). What does this mean? In a traditional rear wheel designed for rim brakes, the greatest force transmitted by the hub to the rim is the drive. We're moving forward, so all the inner spokes are forward-facing, while the outer spokes are rearward-facing. A front wheel without a disc brake is matched to the rear wheel—this is purely aesthetic. The situation is different with wheels designed for disc brakes. A brake is the opposite of a drive—hence, its spokes will be arranged in reverse. For the rear wheel, the right side remains the same—the inner spokes push and the outer spokes pull, while on the left side, the reverse is true. With a front wheel with a disc brake, all the inner spokes pull, and the outer spokes push. How to start? Start with the inner spokes, which are responsible for transmitting the most power. For the rear wheel, this is always the drive side; for the front, the disc side, if present. Traditionally, the manufacturer's logo or model designation on the hub body should appear below the valve hole. To achieve this effect, we need to visualize how the hub will fit in the finished wheel. This requires a bit of experience, but I'll tell you that for most popular models, starting with the fourth hole from the center of the graphic will achieve the desired effect. Watch our video guide!

Let's get started!

• Insert the spoke through the hole in the hub so that its head is outside the flange, and then thread it through the hole in the rim. When lacing the wheel using three crosses, always start with the first nipple hole to the left of the valve . This is important because it prevents the cross from falling over the valve, which could interfere with inflation. Furthermore, most rims have holes oriented at a specific angle to the hub. Starting this way is sure to avoid mistakes. Thread the nipple onto the spoke so that it holds securely, but a few threads are still visible.
• We move to the right. Leave one hole in the flange free and insert the spoke through the next one. Leave three holes free in the rim (not counting the valve!) and insert them similarly to the first. Continue until we return to the starting point.
• Now it's time for the outer spokes. Rotate the hub relative to the rim so that the mounted spokes align in the correct direction (e.g., in the case of the rear wheel, so they push). Insert a spoke anywhere, but from the opposite side than before – this time, its head should be on the inside of the hub. Orient the spoke in the opposite direction to the previous ones and create three crosses: the first usually near the flange, the second slightly higher, and the third a few centimeters further back. The last one differs in that our spoke must pass over the already mounted spoke, not under it, as before. The spoke should be positioned between two already mounted spokes. Select a hole precisely between them, leaving one free on each side, and attach the nipple. It's worth checking to make sure the number of crosses is correct.
• Repeat this process until the flange holes are filled. Check that all spokes are installed in the correct direction, that the number of crosses is correct, and that each third cross is properly installed and applies light pressure to the spokes.

We turn the wheel.

• Now, here's an important point, as it's easy to get confused. Again, we'll start with the inner spokes (regardless of whether they're supposed to push or pull). This time, where we start is crucial. Choose the spoke closest to the valve. If you're lacing the spokes the same way as on the previous side, choose the inner one; if you're lacing them the other way, choose the outer one. Now look at the hub from the side—you'll notice that the holes in the left and right hub flanges are offset from each other to match the holes in the rim. The first spoke should be as parallel as possible to the chosen one, and you have two holes to choose from. What should you do? Place it on the wheel and check which side of the rim hole is on from the reference side. If it's offset to the right, the same will be true for the hub hole, and vice versa. Voila!
• From here on out, everything looks the same as before, except that sometimes you'll have to be a bit more flexible with the spokes. Don't be afraid to bend them slightly, as long as they don't permanently warp.
• Once all the spokes are in place, tighten the nipples just enough so that the threads on the spokes are no longer visible.

Centering Lace-up bicycle wheels isn't difficult once you have the instructions. Truing is a different story. To perfectly tension your spokes, a spoke tension gauge is helpful, but at home, you can get by without one. However, you won't be without a spoke wrench – be sure to use one that's the right size! Of course, it's best to place the wheel in a truing stand, but if you don't have one, your bike's fork will be the most convenient. Properly cut cable ties can serve as reference points. Striking the ridges will show you where to apply pressure. The basis of truing is understanding its mechanism, and it's incredibly simple. By tightening the nipple, you pull part of the rim toward the spoke's exit. But the spoke pulls both laterally and vertically. Therefore, when we tighten one spoke, we must loosen another to correct the wheel in only one plane and maintain the same total tension.

Let's take our time - lacing bicycle wheels is not a race

We'll start with centricity. What does that mean? The idea is for the rim to be positioned exactly in the center of the hub, between the axle and frame contact points. Otherwise, your bike will be a two-wheeler, and the wheel assembly will end in failure. A special centricity gauge is helpful in the workshop, but at home, a little creativity will come in handy—for example, the aforementioned zip ties on the frame. As long as they're even and evenly attached! This is the simplest part—simply tighten all the spokes on one side of the wheel. By adding tension from the right or left side, we pull the rim until it's perfectly centered. At the same time, we're getting closer to the target tension. From the point where we need to apply even a little force, we turn the nipple no more than half a turn at a time. To eliminate lateral wobble, we need to target specific areas. Rotating the wheel will easily reveal any undulations or bulges. If the wobble is to the right, tighten the left spokes while simultaneously loosening those on the right. This will maintain the same tension along the wheel's vertical axis and prevent it from centering upwards or downwards. We work progressively – applying the most force to the center of the wobble, and turning the nipples less towards the edges. It's important to gradually smooth out all the curves around the wheel's circumference, rather than fighting a single one. The wheel works as a unit, so it'll be faster and more effective. Periodically, you should decompress the wheel. Simply rest the hub axle on the floor and support your body weight on the rim. Repeat this process at several points and on both sides of the wheel. The characteristic popping of the spokes will leave no doubt that you've done it right. After this operation, the wheel will likely look worse than the front wheel—it's unpleasant, but necessary to allow the spokes to settle into their proper positions. To eliminate top-bottom runout, proceed in a similar manner, tightening or loosening the nipples with equal force on the left and right sides to avoid centering the wheel sideways. That's it. The trick is to "feel" how the rim is behaving and continuously monitor the side-to-side, top-to-bottom, and center runout until you achieve a satisfactory result and the point where expansion no longer significantly impacts your performance.

Is braiding rings difficult?

No. However, it requires imagination and patience. You also need to know when to let go, when you've reached the limits of your abilities and those of your components. Experienced mechanics do it quickly and confidently, but they still sometimes make mistakes – routine and self-confidence can be fatal. If you're doing it for the first time, take your time and have a guide handy. It's also worth watching a video on the subject – sometimes it's easier to show than to describe. We do it almost every day. We braid almost all the wheels on our bikes in our Warsaw workshop. This means we can vouch for our bikes 100%, and users will enjoy strong, straight wheels for years to come.