How To Rebuild a Cycle Wheel

Because a bicycle's wheels are so important, it is common for cyclists to overhaul them from time to time. It is fairly easy to take a wheel apart, but putting it back together may have you stumped. Luckily, rebuilding a bicycle wheel is not something that requires extensive mechanical know-how; all you need are the necessary parts and tools.

Things You'll Need

  • Spoke wrench
  • Truing stand
  • (Electric) screwdriver with an appropriate bit for spokes
  • Bike hub
  • spokes
  • spoke nipples
  • wheel rim
  • tube
  • tire
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Instructions

    • 1

      Lay your rim on a flat, level surface.

    • 2

      Place your hub in the middle of your rim. If you are rebuilding your back wheel, then put the cassette side up.

    • 3

      Lace one of your shorter spokes through the the flange of your hub. Get the other end of this spoke as close as possible to the hole for the tube's air valve in the top of the rim, and fasten the spoke with a nipple.

    • 4

      Place seven more spokes into your wheel hub -- eight if your rim has 36 holes -- one at a time. Put these spokes into your rim, making sure that they are four holes apart. After doing this, eight -- or 9, if your rim has 36 holes -- spokes should be in your wheel.

    • 5

      Fasten all of the installed spokes to the rim with spoke nipples. Use four turns to tighten these nipples. This will lock the spokes in place.

    • 6

      Twist your hub to move your spokes into place. Twist your hub to the right if the spoke that is closest to the hole in the rim for the air valve is on this hole's right; otherwise, twist your hub to the left.

    • 7

      Insert the remaining seven or eight spokes for this side through the hub flange and into your wheel rim. Spokes that are "head-out," or run over top of the flange, go under the first two spokes that they cross, and over the third. "Head-in" spokes that run under the top of the flange, on the other hand, need to go over the first two spokes that they cross and under the third.

    • 8

      Tighten all of the nipples from the outside of the rim, using no more than four complete turns. This will stabilize your hub and rim.

    • 9

      Tap the spokes that are "head-out" with your hand to ensure that they are properly set.

    • 10

      Hold up your wheel with the hole for the air valve at the top. Hang a spoke from the hole nearest the hole for the air valve by a nipple so that the spoke naturally points to where the first spoke on the empty side of the hub needs to go. Lace a spoke through the appropriate hole in the hub flange and then thread this spoke through whatever spokes are in its way and into the rim after removing the hanging spoke. Secure this spoke with a nipple.

    • 11

      Place the remaining spokes into the hub and then into the rim. Secure them all with nipples.

    The Finishing Touches

    • 12

      Spin your wheel while it is in a truing stand to check if it wobbles. Adjust the appropriate spoke nipples until there is very little to no wobble.

    • 13

      Adjust the tension in your spokes so that they are equally tight.

    • 14

      Pump up your tube with enough air to make it take shape. Fit this over your rim with the air valve going through the hole.

    • 15

      Fit your tire over your tube so that it is tucked between the rim and the tube.