How to Build a Bike Wheel With 32 Spokes

There is no better way to learn about how a bicycle wheel is built than to build one yourself. Aside from learning about the process, building your own wheel allows you to fine-tune every part of the system, including what type of spokes, hub, and rim to use. For instance, you could try to build the worlds lightest 32-spoke wheel, or perhaps the strongest, but either way you'll be able to tell your friends that you built it yourself. You may even be inspired to build wheels for them too.

Things You'll Need

  • 32-hole hub
  • 32-hole rim
  • 32 spokes
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Instructions

    • 1

      Lay out all of your parts and make sure you have everything you need. You should have 32 spokes, a 32-hole rim, a 32-hole hub, a flat-head screwdriver, 32 spoke nipples, and a spoke wrench. If you are building a dished rear wheel, you should have 16 spokes of one length and 16 of another. It may be a good idea to take your parts to the local bike shop to verify that the spoke length you have will work to build a 32-spoke wheel. Spoke sizing is an incredibly precise part of wheel building.

    • 2

      "Pre load" the drive side of the hub with eight spokes, one in every other hole of the drive-side flange. These spokes should face outward, and you should be able to see the bend of each of these spokes from the outside of the hub flange. Choose a spoke to start with and grab your rim.

    • 3

      Insert the first spoke in the drive-side spoke hole closest to the valve hole on the rim and attach a spoke nipple to its end. Insert the remaining spokes in every fourth hole in the rim in the same fashion, until each pair of spokes has three empty rim holes between them.

    • 4

      Pre-load the non-drive side flange of the hub with eight spokes facing outward just as you did the drive-side flange. Look through one of the holes on the drive side of the hub carefully and determine whether the holes on the drive side sit just to the right, or just to the left of the holes in the non-drive side flange. This will determine where you attach the spokes to the rim.

    • 5

      If the holes in the non-drive side flange sit to the right of the drive-side holes, attach these spokes to the rim holes immediately to the right of each spoke already attached to the rim. If the holes in the non-drive side flange sit to the left of those on the drive-side flange, attach these spokes to the rim holes immediately to the left of the spokes already attached. Attach a spoke nipple to each of these spokes to secure them in place.

    • 6

      Insert a drive-side spoke into each of the remaining holes in the drive-side flange of the hub from the outside. You should be able to see the butt of each of these spokes on the outside of the drive-side hub flange. Choose a spoke and cross it over two of the spokes already attached on the drive side of the hub and rim. Cross it under a third spoke. This three-cross pattern is what gives a bicycle wheel its strength. Insert the spoke into the drive-side rim hole just past the third spoke and attach a spoke nipple to it.

    • 7

      Cross the remaining spokes in the drive-side flange over two spokes and under one spoke in the same manner. Attach each using a spoke nipple just as you did with the first. When you are finished, you should have only eight empty rim and hub holes (on the non-drive side) and your wheel should be starting to take form.

    • 8

      Insert the remaining eight non-drive side spokes into the empty holes on the non-drive side of the hub from the outside. Just as before, you should be able to see the butt of each spoke on the outside of the flange. Attach these spokes to the eight remaining rim holes using the previous three-cross procedure, securing each with a spoke nipple as you work your way around the wheel. You should now have every spoke attached to every hole on the hub and rim.

    • 9

      Tighten the spoke nipple of each spoke until you can no longer see the spoke threads sticking out of the nipple. This effectively evens the tension between each of the spokes so that the wheel will be true and round when you are finished. To finalize the wheel, start with the first spoke closest to the valve hole. Tighten the spoke nipple one half turn, then move to the next spoke and tighten it the same degree. Continue tighten each spoke evenly around the wheel until you can move the spokes only a few millimeters by hand.