# Laced My First Wheel!



## srfndoc (Aug 9, 2020)

Complete newbie when it comes to lacing rims.  Had two original triple drop rims from my 36 Colson that I wanted to maintain the patina on the hoop but be able to tru them adequately (many spokes were rusted/non-functional).  Ended up removing all the spokes (saving all but a handful) and soaking them in CLR which cleaned them up really well.  Then followed a few videos from youtube and after two attempts, got it laced correctly. My wife/kids were not sufficiently impressed by this feat so thought I would post it here.  I'm going to do my donor wheel next when I get some additional spokes.


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## stezell (Aug 9, 2020)

Good deal man, I have yet to build up a set of wheels, but plan on it. Bicycle related things have the same effect on my wife, lol!

Sean


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## 1817cent (Aug 9, 2020)

Congratulations!  I have built and trued some wheels too.  Nice when it gets done as you saved money and learned a new skill.  Next try a high low hub.  I did one successfully but only because of help i got here on the cabe.


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## catfish (Aug 9, 2020)

I don't do this enough. I've built a lot of wheels, but everything I do it,I need a refresher course. After I get one done, I can keep going. But if I don't do it for a long time....


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## srfndoc (Aug 9, 2020)

catfish said:


> I don't do this enough. I've built a lot of wheels, but everything I do it,I need a refresher course. After I get one done, I can keep going. But if I don't do it for a long time....



That's the problem with some of this stuff.  If you don't do it all the time you forget all the tricks.  I'm doing my spare wheel as practice so hopefully it sticks.


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## Freqman1 (Aug 9, 2020)

The first one is the toughest--except for maybe a Schwinn Hi-lo brake hub! After you do a few it gets a whole lot easier. V/r Shawn


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## crankman3 (Aug 9, 2020)

Hello, Just a friendly note here, I notice on the last picture of the wheel the spokes are laced 
over, over, and over, it should be over, over, and under. then on the other side of the wheel
it should be under, under, and over. that would make stronger wheel.
                Just trying to help, that's all


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## srfndoc (Aug 9, 2020)

Thanks for the tip.  I looked at my two reference wheels as well as wheels from my 57 Evans Colson Sonic Scout and my wife's 57 JC Higgins Jet Flow and they all have it over/over/over.  I did notice the rims on some of our more modern beach cruisers have it like you describe (over/over/under).


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## rustjunkie (Aug 9, 2020)

crankman3 said:


> Hello, Just a friendly note here, I notice on the last picture of the wheel the spokes are laced
> over, over, and over, it should be over, over, and under. then on the other side of the wheel
> it should be under, under, and over. that would make stronger wheel.
> Just trying to help, that's all


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## 49autocycledeluxe (Aug 9, 2020)

yeah I remember when I did my first wheel. I've done 3 now. on the third one I swapped out a Morrow hub for a New Departure skip tooth and used the same spokes. I laced it up 3 times 3 cross when it needed to be 4, or the other way around, I forget. very frustrating, because the spokes were all too long!! I knew they did not stretch. 

the bike shop wanted $75.00 plus spokes per wheel. that was all the incentive I needed.


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## the tinker (Aug 9, 2020)

It's fun to learn something new, and provides a sense of achievement. I'm with Catfish, I forget after a while. When I do lace up some wheels, it ends up being several, one right after another. Then none for at least a year. I had the same feeling when I learned to re-cover saddles. I look for old rims and saddles at swaps. A pile of crummy looking wheels can be found at any swap, cheap. Their aren't many in our hobby that can lace wheels and few give them a second look. Look closely, there's always some gems that are nice and straight. I've bought bargain wheels for a buck each to salvage spokes, hubs and the longer brass nipples. It's nice to have a supply of re-furbished wheels and saddles for the next bare-bones frame you find. Don't get discouraged if you come out wrong or get messed up. Just pull it all apart and start over. My friend, the late Eddie Boros's wife used to lace wheels for Schwinn. It was piece work. Lois got paid 25 cents per wheel!


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## mymikesbikes (Aug 9, 2020)

srfndoc said:


> Complete newbie when it comes to lacing rims.  Had two original triple drop rims from my 36 Colson that I wanted to maintain the patina on the hoop but be able to tru them adequately (many spokes were rusted/non-functional).  Ended up removing all the spokes (saving all but a handful) and soaking them in CLR which cleaned them up really well.  Then followed a few videos from youtube and after two attempts, got it laced correctly. My wife/kids were not sufficiently impressed by this feat so thought I would post it here.  I'm going to do my donor wheel next when I get some additional spokes.
> View attachment 1244810
> 
> View attachment 1244811
> ...



I worked in a bike shop for years and only built wheels twice.  To say it's tricky is an understatement.  Good job and on your first try.  Outstanding


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## Balloonoob (Aug 10, 2020)

I enjoyed lacing a wheel a while back. It was not as difficult as I thought it would be with the help of youtube. I just went to the local bike shop with the hub and rim and they told me the length of spokes i needed which I then bought through Amazon as they were much cheaper. Congrats on getting it done. We are sufficiently impressed.


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## Boris (Aug 10, 2020)

First one frustrated the heck out of me. Done a bunch since and now love lacing them up. Truing is a completely different story however, and I just can't seem to get the hang of it. Fortunately, I have a friend who doesn't charge an arm and a leg for just truing.
For reference, I keep a copy of pages 11-16 from this site: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html


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## srfndoc (Aug 10, 2020)

Balloonoob said:


> I enjoyed lacing a wheel a while back. It was not as difficult as I thought it would be with the help of youtube. I just went to the local bike shop with the hub and rim and they told me the length of spokes i needed which I then bought through Amazon as they were much cheaper. Congrats on getting it done. We are sufficiently impressed.




Hah. Youtube is awesome, exactly how I learned to rebuild a new departure model d hub. 


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## srfndoc (Aug 10, 2020)

Boris said:


> First one frustrated the heck out of me. Done a bunch since and now love lacing them up. Truing is a completely different story however, and I just can't seem to get the hang of it. Fortunately, I have a friend who doesn't charge an arm and a leg for just truing.
> For reference, I keep a copy of pages 11-16 from this site: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html




Totally agree truing a rim is black magic. 


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## SKPC (Aug 10, 2020)

Lacing and then truing a wheel, while connected are very different.  One is a basic mechanical assembly, and the other is a required visual geometry lesson with a push-pull example.   Lacing all spokes loosely 1st will usually result in a true wheel in minutes, but only if your rim is already true and the new wheel is sitting in a good truing stand with the same amount of spoke threads left showing above the nipple. Now spin the rim and you will see it move all over the place.   It is very important that at this point you simply finger-tighten (or loosen) the nips one by one_* equally *_as you spin the rim 360 degrees in the stand centering the rim as you go.  Tighten or loosen the nips only with your fingers.  Go around* once *to roughly center the rim in the stand. Do this *two or three times *using only your fingers.  Then adjust the up/down, or "hops" in the rim the same way. Tighten or loosen in the high or low spots until visually spinning ok.  Continue to use your fingers only!  There will be times you will physically push on the rim while you do this to help tighten the nipple.   Your goal wheelmen, is to get the rim as clean and hop-free as possible in the stand while using your fingers to tighten the nips. If you went the wrong way, go the other way until it is all finger tight and spinning relatively clean and hop-free.
     At this point, you have tensioned every nip to the maximum with your finger tips.  Now time for the wrench. Tighten each nipple 1/2 turn once around and check the spin. Still Look ok? Then one more 1/2 turn all around. Then go to 1/4 turns.  If there are adjusts to make, they will be small, so make them as you do these 1/4 turns.  Obsessing over a perfect spin may take a bit more time, but when you get perfection, it is very rewarding. Very small turns to the nips at this point make big differences.


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## 49autocycledeluxe (Aug 10, 2020)

srfndoc said:


> Hah. Youtube is awesome, exactly how I learned to rebuild a new departure model d hub




I figure anyone who has rebuilt a hub and re-spoked a wheel should get some sort of Vintage Bike Mechanic patch for their jacket. everything else is simple.


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## Shawn Michael (Aug 10, 2020)

49autocycledeluxe said:


> I figure anyone who has rebuilt a hub and re-spoked a wheel should get some sort of Vintage Bike Mechanic patch for their jacket. everything else is simple.



I like that idea. Merritt badges for Cabe members. Maybe it would give me some incentive.


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## srfndoc (Aug 10, 2020)

49autocycledeluxe said:


> I figure anyone who has rebuilt a hub and re-spoked a wheel should get some sort of Vintage Bike Mechanic patch for their jacket. everything else is simple.




Seriously, right. [emoji2]


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## redline1968 (Aug 10, 2020)

I love lacing  and truing them up.. very relaxing.. i remember my first set.  Cost me 150. Lol... never again.. try doing wood rims.. youll lose hair on truing themm..:0...


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## SKPC (Aug 11, 2020)

Yes it is relaxing.  As mentioned above,  when working on and with old damaged rims, the process is totally different. If you do not have experience with wheels to begin with, you will struggle and give up quickly!  When dealing with old bent or twisted rims, it is best to remove them from their current twisted bondage and then attempt to straighten the rim 1st by eye before trying to lace it and true it again..... Damaged rims out of round will be almost impossible to bring back unless you get the dents and bends out first.....nearly impossible but it can be done.  Problem is, the spoke tensions will be all over the place if you don't get the rim itself fairly straight to begin with before attempting to get it true...


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## srfndoc (Aug 11, 2020)

That’s exactly what I found with this rim.  It was pretty tweaked prior to breaking it down but is a bit better now.


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## srfndoc (Aug 17, 2020)

So I finally got my replacement spokes (stainless 14g) and relaced my spare rear wheel I stole all the original spokes from to do the first rear wheel. This go around was quicker but still had to go back and redo the last set of spokes (the cross) as I forgot to rotate the hub backwards first. Stock guys may want to look away with the non-original ss spokes:











I also laced these with the over/over/under pattern on the cross since I was using new/modern spokes. 


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## Sven (Aug 20, 2020)

Great job. I find lacing and truing satisfying. I find wheel building very satisfying. Truing does take time, patience and practice. I find baby steps , for me,  is the key. Lateral, radial, dish, pre-stress...over and over. As well as  correct  spoke tension is achieved at the end. Also there are times I have to walk away, come back later


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## srfndoc (Aug 20, 2020)

Thanks.  I feel pretty good about the lacing part but truing the wheel is still a challenge.  I also don't have a spoke tension gauge so just going by feel/ring of the spoke and going slowly.


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## 49autocycledeluxe (Aug 20, 2020)

""My wife/kids were not sufficiently impressed by this feat so thought I would post it here. ""

the common folk simply do not understand the satisfaction of building a wheel. it is different than other things in life. I recently installed a new toilet... never did it before, it was minimally satisfying, and only then because I saved a couple hundred bucks doing it myself.


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## bobbystillz (Aug 23, 2020)

Congrats! Recently finished my first as well. Great job!


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## srfndoc (Aug 23, 2020)

I’ve laced two rear 36 hole ND rims now and both came out great. I’m now attempting the front but am ending up with many spokes too long (sticking out of nipple). I’ve double checked my pattern and it’s correct (3 cross) and the original spokes measure 269mm which is a mm smaller than the rears. Are the front spokes usually shorter than the rears on 26” rims? 









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## rustjunkie (Aug 23, 2020)

srfndoc said:


> I’ve laced two rear 36 hole ND rims now and both came out great. I’m now attempting the front but am ending up with many spokes too long (sticking out of nipple). I’ve double checked my pattern and it’s correct (3 cross) and the original spokes measure 269mm which is a mm smaller than the rears. Are the front spokes usually shorter than the rears on 26” rims?
> 
> View attachment 1253405
> View attachment 1253406
> ...




should be 4x


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## 49autocycledeluxe (Aug 23, 2020)

rustjunkie said:


> should be 4x



 I have found no matter how many times you lace 3 cross when you should be lacing four cross it never comes out right


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## srfndoc (Aug 23, 2020)

rustjunkie said:


> should be 4x




I thought that as well but swear the photos I took before show it as being a 3 cross. Here’s the best photo I have from before:







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## SKPC (Aug 23, 2020)




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## bloo (Aug 23, 2020)

Thats cross four in the pic.


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## srfndoc (Aug 23, 2020)

SKPC said:


> View attachment 1253824




That would explain it. Is it as simple as one more cross and do you still skip a hole after that for 4 cross or completely different all together?


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## bloo (Aug 23, 2020)

Do everything exactly the same. When you put the first spoke in the opposite direction, just count 4 spokes when you cross. Everything else will follow.

There is one rim hole between the last spoke you crossed, and the opposite direction spoke you are putting in.


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## srfndoc (Aug 25, 2020)

Thank you to everyone that mentioned four cross. That fixed the issue and I was able to get the rim ready to go finally. Not sure why but it took me longer to get the four cross pattern n my head. 






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## SKPC (Aug 25, 2020)

Very nice job!   Feels good eh?  How does it spin?


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## srfndoc (Aug 25, 2020)

It spins fairly true. Close enough for me anyways. 


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## Sven (Aug 27, 2020)

srfndoc said:


> It spins fairly true. Close enough for me anyways.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



If its close enough for you , than that is good enough. I was told by the wheel guru at the LBS that old experience wheels have character.  Wheels with character have a different definition of true.

Some say a human made wheel is considered true at 0.5mm ( 0.01968 inch), some say up to 2mm (0.07812) is acceptable. But you are talking about brand new , out of the box,  virgin components. Machine made wheels are supposedly set true at O.001mm.

I've never done a cross four pattern wheel, might have to try it one day.

Congratulations and great job.


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## ChiknCoop (Nov 26, 2020)

how difficult is this to do? I'm building a 70 coaster Krate, and sourced a S2 rim, and a Red Band Bendix  for the rear. I've never built a wheel before.


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## srfndoc (Nov 26, 2020)

It's not difficult, just takes a few times to get it.  Check out the youtube videos as they were a great source of information.  You will no doubt mess it up the first time but its easy enough to take it apart and do it over.  Take pictures of how its setup originally so you have something to go off of.


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## Swampthing (Nov 26, 2020)

Congrats!
I have yet to lace or true a wheel. I’ve done just about everything else. I bet it’s very satisfying to ride!
the only family member I have that would be even slightly impressed is my daughter, and she lives 3,000 miles away. Her only form of transportation is a 1981 Schwinn World Tour, and she is doing her own maintenance. My son just likes to ride. If I built a nice set of wheels, My wife would be equally impressed if I told her I dropped a rock and it hit the ground.


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## ChiknCoop (Nov 27, 2020)

srfndoc said:


> It's not difficult, just takes a few times to get it.  Check out the youtube videos as they were a great source of information.  You will no doubt mess it up the first time but its easy enough to take it apart and do it over.  Take pictures of how its setup originally so you have something to go off of.



Ive looked at videos, but they seems to be for 36 spoke wheels, the Krate is a 28 spoke wheel, I havent found anything that's specific to a 28 spoke yet. I think if  I had something that was already assembled and I could photograph before doing it I might be a bit more confident about it, but these things are pretty hard to come by for something that's vintage I've found so I had to source the hub and rim seperate. I'm still trying to figure out what spoke length to get for it.


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## bloo (Nov 27, 2020)

Just do the same thing as 36 spoke, and stop when you run out of holes in each direction. The only difference is you might cross over less, because with less spokes the angle might be too severe. If you could count the cross pattern on an original wheel that would help.


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## guzziworksman (Nov 28, 2020)

I've done maybe 5 sets of wheels. The first, was maddening and took a half-dozen tries. The last, about 15 minutes and one try. it's so simple that it's difficult. Once you get the first spoke of the second set in the proper place on the hub...it's nearly impossible to mess up. Anyways, that's always the key to my being able to do it.


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## Rivnut (Nov 28, 2020)

Bought a set of S7 wheels and the rear hub was rusted solid. Got the spokes out, cleaned them and the rim then went to bed.  Lay there and thought about it.  Got up the next day, did my honey-dos then sat down with everything.  I had a Bendix Red band hub on the shelf. Did it correct the first time, no video, no other wheel to match, no guides.  This is the 5th or 6th wheel and finally it all came together in my mind. Makes me wonder why it was so difficult the first times.  Went to the kitchen and poured myself a self congratulatory glass of wine and watched K-State lose in the last seconds of the game.  Went back to the shop and did the best I could at truing it.  Kind of tough when the rim has been curbed a few times.  Finally gave up trying to gauge the sides of the rim and set a marker and used the line running through the center of the rim.  The wheel runs true on that line but feels quite bumpy on the sides.  Pretty satisfying doing it all by memory.


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## FICHT 150 (Jan 19, 2021)

Building wheels separates the bike mechanics from the tinkers. Congrats. My advice is you don’t tell any of your bike club buddies you can do it.

Don’t ask me how I know.

Ted


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## SJ_BIKER (Jan 21, 2021)

Thanks for sharing. Zen like feat. It's tough but we're tougher.


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## guzziworksman (Jan 21, 2021)

Actually - spoking works out to be easy and pleasurable. The first one can be a nightmare, because our human nature makes us rush towards complication. It's a simple, repetitive exercise. Just a few things I know for sure. IF you're relacing two wheels: leave one in original form for reference purposes. The first hole on the second set of 9 spokes (for me) is the secret to success. You gotta have it right. The rest is child's play. And look up that youtube video done by that English lady (something like "Without all the bulls##t. How to lace a 36 hole rim). It's by far the best piece of instruction I've found.


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