Wheel Lacing

by Lynn Bennett

I have written on this subject before in great detail but some of you might not have access to that article (I can provided it on request). This article will be a briefer overview.

Most wheels are laced with 40, 36 or 32 spokes in patterns of four; i.e., 10, 9 and 8 groups of four. The pattern starts adjacent to the tube fill hole in the rim. Each set of four adjacent spokes has a pattern that is repeated around the rim. Note that each of the four spokes has a different angularity to the rim and the holes in the rim reflect that. The angularity is dictated by the hub. If the hub flange is a large diameter like on the brake drum side then the angularity is high and the spoke short. If the flange on the other side is small then the angularity is less and the spoke long. For this reason the rim must be drilled for the specific hub you have. Spoke patterns can be done in various ways called cross patterns. The patterns can be designed so that more than one spoke is crossed by a spoke on its way from the hub to the rim. Common patterns are cross one, two, three and four. The more crosses the stronger the wheel. But the pattern also dictates the rim hole drilling angles. Bargain rims at a swap meet are no bargain unless you know for sure that they are drilled for your hub and cross pattern. When you buy new rims from Buchannans, for instances, they look up your combination and drill the hub for your exact application as well as provide spokes of the correct length and end bends to match your hub. For normal street use it is asking for a frustrating experience if you upgrade to a thicker spoke (larger gauge) or change the cross pattern from the original. Nothing is to be gained for street operation so don ' t go for the  93heavy duty 94 spokes or an increase cross pattern unless you are willing to drill out the hub to accept them (ask for the recommended drill size). Rims are available in chrome plated steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. Spokes are available in galvanized steel (stock), stainless steel, and highly polished stainless steel. Spokes can be a single size (gauge) or can be extra thick in the bend area on the end and for about an inch down the spoke. Spoke nipples are available in a plated variety or stainless. Go for the stainless single gauge spokes and stainless nipples, especially the nipples as the plating tends to crack, and peel off from the high forces necessary to tighten them. Go for nipples of stainless and of the largest size that will fit your rim (as measured across the flats) as the smaller ones tend to crush under the forces required to get the spokes tight enough.

To start you need to document you existing wheel as to the lacing pattern and the amount the rim is offset from the centerline of the hub. I select a set of master spokes (four adjacent spokes) mark them with a masking tape flag (1,2,3 and 4) and mark the current rim and hub with a center punch to match the designations on the spokes. You can mark the hub on its flange and the rim on the inside where the rim tape goes. You need only mark for this one set of four. Also mark on the rim which side is the brake side. Measure the offset using the brake drum flange or some other machined surface as a reference to the center of the rim (don ' t use the edge of the rim as the rim width of the new rim may be slightly different especially if you are going from steel to aluminum rims. A photo of each side of the wheel is extremely valuable when you are lacing up the wheel. You can now disassemble the wheel. Keep the four marked master spokes in tacked but all others are most easily removed by cutting them with a die grinder or bolt cutters somewhere in the center of their travel between the hub and the rim. Take the old rim, hub and the four master spokes with you when you order the rim. Have Buchannans verify the length, end bend of the spokes while you watch (I have gotten the wrong spokes on more than one occasion). Compare the drillings of your rim to the new one and make sure they have marked the brake side on the new rim. Do this before leaving their facility! Also ask for their offset data and compare it to your measurement. If the rim has ever been changed out it may have the wrong offset. Buchannans ' database is huge and accurate so defer to their numbers if there is a discrepancy but verify their measurement references (drum edge, sprocket surface, etc.), as it may be different from yours.

I use a 24 in square piece of 1/2 inch plywood with a hole for the axle as a table for assembly of the wheel. I put the axle in my bench vise and drop the plywood table on to it, followed by the hub. Start lacing but do the short spoke side first and only catch a few threads on each spoke. You will have to lift and lower the rim and push it to one side or the other to hook up all the spokes. Exactly match the lacing pattern including which spoke is to the outside and which is to the inside using the photos as a guide. It is generally easiest (and in some cases only possible) to hook up the inside spokes before the outside spokes. Coat each spokes thread with the lube (anti-seize) provided by Buchanans as stainless on stainless galls and will give you false  93readings 94 of the correct spoke tension to say nothing of causing the spoke to break during tightening from the high friction of two galled surface running against each other. A drop of oil should be put into the hole in the rim for each spoke to lubricate the nipple during the tightening process.

Truing the wheel is where the frustration begins. It is necessary that the wheel be true both up and down and it must runs true on it ' s center line. Tighten the spokes so that all spokes are just barely snug and make the truing measurement keeping in mind the offset dimensions. Whenever you tighten a spoke on one side of the wheel you must loosen the spokes on the opposite side. When you are done truing all spokes should be equally tight and just tight enough to just tension all spokes. Pulling the rim to one side or another with unequal tension should not be done. The wheel must be true with equal tension on all spokes. The specification is + or -  1/32 inch for both vertical and horizontal truing. Better accuracy is possible but not by me. Now for the spoke tightening process.

This is the number one frustration point as you can start with a trued wheel and the tightening process can pull it off. The trick is to tighten the spokes a little at a time skipping adjacent spokes in a pattern of tightening. The accepted way is to tighten the spokes in stages (two flats at a time, for instances) by upping the tension of every third spoke. This requires a marker to know when you have returned to the starting point and no distractions so you can keep track of where you are. I need to stress that the tightening process will take may complete revolutions of the wheel. How much tension? Buchannans says that unless you are using a 10 inch or longer wrench you cannot get to the correct tension. They sell the correct wrench for the spoke size you choose. The universal 3 inch long ones won ' t do it. The numbers are 60 in-pounds for vintage hubs and 80 in-pounds for modern hubs. Fasst and others make torque wrenches. When this tight you can only move crossing points of two spokes less than a millimeter when squeezing them together. That ' s tight! A word of warning: Vintage hubs are old and can be brittle. Vintage hubs in a corroded state or otherwise damaged can break under this tension level. Now reverify that the wheel is still true. If not, then loosen all spokes and start over (Frustrating, ain ' t it!) The final step is to grind off any spokes ends that protrude through the ends of the spoke nipples so that they do not puncture the tube.

To avoid the frustration of wheel truing and spoke tightening I lace the wheel and take it to a wheel builder I have found and pay him to do the hard part. I make him show me he has the offset correct before leaving his facility. You may want to do this too. Buchannans gets a lot of money for wheel lacing, and the components but they are the only game in town as they supply the components to most of the independents. They do good work if you check their work. You have to be the quality control by refusing anything that is wrong. Don ' t wait till you get home, as they are less helpful after they have your money.