Re-Building Spoked Wheels

New Wheels Just Like Magic

Re-Building a Spoke Wheel with Confidence By Texas Joe
Rebuilding spoke wheels is one of the rights of
passage in the custovation of an old bike! That
convoluted three-di"ensional pu##le with an
alloy hub at the center of a spider web of steel$
wrapped in a rubber donut$ is not as inti"idating
as so"e think!
% ad"it$ "y first ti"e was full of anxiety! Taking
the wheel apart was a no-brainer but putting it
back together caused "e to wonder if %&d taken
on a pro'ect too big for "y abilities!
(ow do you keep all the details straight) (ow
does the hub get centered in two planes) What is
run-out) What if wheel wobbles and breaks apart at speed)
Certainly a lot to think about and acco"plish when building a wheel! (owever$ the 'ob is not
i"possible and you don&t have to be *lbert +instein or an idiot savant! *ll you need is a bit of ti"e$ a
ca"era$ a spoke wrench and a ruler! ,acing a wheel is like a good "agic trick! -enuine "otorcycle
slight-of-hand -- you know how to do it and everyone else is "ystified! .ow that&s worth the effort and
you&ll talk about it for years!
%n this exa"ple$ the wheel du 'our is off a /012 3elorex sidecar! %t4s part of a custovation pro'ect
involving a /015 B6W R78$ the driving force for the sidecar rig! The point is that spoke wheels are
very si"ilar to each other9 so"e have :7 spokes$ so"e 52 and all have a hole in the hub! The axle and
bearings live inside the hub to allow the wheel to spin with ease!
% learned a while back that replacing the plain steel and plated spokes with stainless spokes and nipples
is the way to go! While cost is a bit higher$ labor is the sa"e and the conversion will last a lifeti"e!
Starting
*fter the Schrader valve is re"oved fro" the tube$ break the tire bead fro" the ri"! * "allet "ay be
needed help the separation$ especially if there&s rust showing ;+ditor4s .ote< See our =el Cheapo Bead
Breaker= article>!
6ix up a s"all a"ount of water and li?uid dishwashing soap and s"ear it in and around the beads$ both
sides! Continue to re"ove the tire and tube! Re"oval should be easy$ however$ one ti"e % had a wheel
pro'ect with a tire that was so dry and inflexible9 % had to cut it off with a hacksaw!
Measuring and Photos
The next steps are the "ost i"portant! Be sure to take photographs of the spoke layout on both sides of
the wheel and "easure the offset!
Spoke layout is obvious upon close inspection!
@n a :7 spoke wheel there are 0 groups of
four$ while a 52 spoke wheel has /2 groups of
four! .ote that each nipple sits in a do"e that
alternates in align"ent around the inside of the
ri"!
+ach do"e has a hole and its place"ent aligns
with a hole in the hub! The spoke connects the
hub hole to the wheel hole$ so each spoke in
the wheel has a corresponding "ate in the hub!
The good news is that the pattern is repeated$
so all you need to do is get the first one started
in the correct location and the re"aining :8$ in this case$ can only be installed one way! -et the starting
point wrong and you&ll be disappointed!
This wheel has all :7 spokes the sa"e length and end bend! So"e wheels have different length spokes
for the brake-side co"pared to the opposite side9 no worry$ 'ust keep the" "arked$ separated and
photographed!
.ot all hubs are centered on the wheel! Aepending on the type of hub$ the hub "ay extend a little or a
lot beyond the edge of the wheel! To "easure offset$ use a stiff piece of "etal ;yardstick here> to span
the brake-side center radial!
Bse a s"all "achinist scale to "easure the offset the brake-side of the hub! Check the "easure"ent in
four ?uadrants and record the average "easure"ent! 6easure the offset on the opposite side too!
.ow the hub can be re"oved fro" the wheel! So"eti"es it&s easy and the nipples unscrew without a
proble"$ but occasionally they are rusted on and cutting is the only solution! Be sure to get at least one
unda"aged spoke fro" the four positions$ keeping track of their original location! Brake-side inner and
outer and opposite side inner and outer!
%f your wheel is not a popular "ake$ like a
.orton or old Triu"ph$ you&ll need to work
with a spoke "aker and they will "ake a set
for you!
Sounds like a big deal but it isn4t9 you can
either "ail so"e spoke sa"ples to the
"anufacturer or copy and fax the shape to
the"! The "ain di"ension points are
dia"eter$ length and bend! Cost is usually no
different than a stock ite" and turn around
ti"e is a few days!
Getting Ready
With the hub re"oved$ clean and polish the wheel and hub and replace the bearings! Since bearings are
cheap and the old ones are C2 plus years old$ % usually replace the" with sealed units! The cost
difference is pennies but they should last :2 years!
Dolishing the stainless spokes and nipples pays off in bling and long-ter" good looks$ while also
helping to retard the onset of tarnish! Just be careful$ always wear eye protection on the buffing wheel
and don&t let a spoke slip out of your hands! % did that one bal"y evening and it took two people an
hour on their hands and knees scouring the grass on the side of the house before the spoke showed upE
With polished spokes and photo$ align the fresh hub with the wheel! Start with the inner spoke hooked
into the hub and aligned with its wheel hole-"ate! Count four holes and lace another one until all inners
are "ounted!
,ube each spoke thread with the oil supplied -- this is very i"portant to prevent galling and ensure that
you&ll get proper tension when tightening! Start each nipple with only C or : threads! Day attention to
this because gradual and even tightening will speed the overall align"ent process!

*fter the inners$ "ount the sa"e-side outers! By this ti"e the lace pattern is obvious! Then flip the
wheel$ "ount the inners$ then outers$ lubing and "aintaining that C to : thread start!
.ow is the ti"e for a stogie and a beer! While puffing and sipping$ "ark your starting spoke and work
your way around all the spokes$ tightening each the sa"e a"ount with a wide-blade short handle
screwdriver9 say about C turns each!
This "ethod takes a bit longer but draws the spokes evenly$ keeping the hub on center! *bout half-way
to the "id-thread point$ "easure the offset like before to see how close you are to the proper
di"ension! Fou "ay have to push on the wheel ri" to help seat the spokes!
Geroing in on the final offset can be acco"plished a couple of ways! Hirst "ethod is to cut wood
spacers the thickness of the opposite-side offset and position the" under the wheel! That way the wheel
is suspended the proper distance and the brake-side offset can easily be checked! This works
particularly well for large offset hubs!
The second "ethod is no spacers9 'ust proceed unifor"ly around the wheel fre?uently checking the
brake side offset!
The wheel will snug up and you&ll see that either "ost or all of the spoke thread is covered by the
nipple! The spokes should feel tight! Truing is next!
ruing
Fou&ll need so"e for" of a truing stand to hold the
wheel$ although the bike can be used instead by placing
the front wheel in-between the forks or rear wheel in
the swing-ar"!
@r you can "ake a ho"e"ade stand out of wood or
"etal! Hor this pro'ect$ the sidecar axle is fixed to a
large bracket that "ounts to the sidecar fra"e! .ot
having the luxury of a separate shaft axle$ % "ounted
the bracket I axle on the bench!








Bse a spoke wrench to tighten the spokes$ anything else
will ruin the nipples and achieving proper tension will be
a proble"!
Set up two guides$ one to indicate vertical run-out and
the other hori#ontal run-out! % use copper wire held by a
convenient cla"p!
Hor this kind of wheel$ no"inal accuracy is fine$ no"inal being /I/7 of an inch each for run-out
deviation! Slowly spin the wheel a few ti"es looking at the vertical high-spot and hori#ontal high-spot
and "ark the high vertical spot with tape
Jeep in "ind the truing process is a co"bination of ad'ust"ents that are opposite to the desired
outco"e! Ao vertical align"ent first$ hori#ontal will then be a snap!
!ertical "lign#ent
To "ove the ri" fro" botto" to top$ tighten spokes on top and loosen those on the opposite side! 6ake
s"all ad'ust"ents at a ti"e using the spoke wrench!
Jeep rotating the wheel slowly$ watching the pointer and the change to the tape reference point! Rotate
the wheel looking for a new high spot! *d'ust as you go until the wheel spins true in the vertical plane
to no "ore than /I/7 inch variation!
$ori%ontal "lign#ent
,ook at the diagra" to see how to re"ove the hori#ontal wobble! Hind the hori#ontal high-spot and
"ark with tape! Watching the pointer and ri"$ ad'ust the spokes looking for a new high spot and less
than /I/7 wobble!
Spoke ightening
Recheck the offset and if necessary "ake ad'ust"ents using the hori#ontal techni?ue but this ti"e$
evenly all around the wheel!
With the offset correct go back the truing stand! 6ark a starting spot with tape$ slowly rotate the wheel
and tap the spokes with a long round-shaft screwdriver!
The ob'ect is to get the spokes tight with all having the sa"e approxi"ate tension! (ow tight is
enough) @ne expert convinced "e to listen to the pitch of an e"pty wine glass when tapped with a
fork! * tight spoke will "ake a ping sound!
* loose spoke will sound dead with no
noticeable ping! * tighter spoke has a higher
ping-note$ so tighten the spokes to sound
si"ilar! Tap and listen as you go around the
wheel and ad'ust as needed! Recheck vertical
and hori#ontal align"ent and offset one last
ti"e! Aon&t forget to cover the spoke nipple
tops with a rubber band or tape!
Satis&action
So now you have your rebuilt wheels cleaned$
polished and glea"ing with stainless spokesE