For those who are curious, this method worked perfectly for building a 28-hole wheel. The instructions are absolutely perfect. It made it a much easier process than I expected. Follow the instructions exactly and the valve stem will have perfect, 2 parallel spoke clearance when complete. Excellent video.
Thanks a tonne. I got my first wheel in life laced successfully using your video. It was like attaining Nirvana when it finally happened. I had to undo the lacing some 7/8 times and start from zero all over again before getting everything right. The key thing to know is - turn the nipples just one or two turns initially. You mention it but I didn't realise it was so critically important. Of course I was working with spokes that were a tad smaller than the officially calculated size. Many thanks. Once one successfully laces a wheel one realises what a complicated piece of engineering this apparently simple looking wheel is. Now is the next step of dishing and truing it. I used a 32 hole hub/rim. But had no problem following your video.
I have ordered all the necessary hardware to build a wheel, which I have never attempted before. This has got to be the best, and most simplistic to understand, video tutorial on building a wheel, hands down. Chris is the best teacher I have ever seen, and I've watched dozens of videos on the subject, from Park Tool videos to dozens of others. I seem to get very confused with all the others when it comes to lacing the rim. The others always seemed more complicated for some reason, but that's just me. I understand Chris' approach with no complicated issues whatsoever. He's a great tutor. Great job Chris. I wish I could take a picture of the wheel I'm building just to show you what a good teacher you are. Thanx brother...
Very nicely done. I had just laced my first wheel and struggled through the second round of spokes on each side. I took the wheel all back apart and followed your method. Worked much better. Good instruction.
Stumbled across this in my research for a Touring build. One word, superb. Nicely done. Torn between Salsa Marrakesh and Surly LHT. The Salsa can swallow a larger tire in the 700c size. Glad I found your channel.
Hi Chris, this video along with the other Tightening and Truing one were perfect for helping me through my first two wheel builds. It took a bunch of searching to find instruction that I was able to work with and follow easily. Just wanted to say thanks and cheers from Austin.
Hi Chris, Would You advice against radial lacing old 32H hub? It's shimano 105 1055, I have short spokes from old wheel and thought I could try it but heard the flanges might break, have You got any experiences with such configuration?
I have built wheels previously working at a bike shop, this method was like a light bulb moment. It's so much easier then other ways I have been shown and exactly what he said, prevents scratches to rims.
I had a 32 spoke but used your same method and I have to say, the orientation of finding where on the other side of the flange you place the first spoke of the second set, was perfect.
Love Chris' videos. Some wheel-builders prefer to install heads in/out in the reverse direction as shown in this lesson, but no hard test data exists that shows one way is significantly better than the other. Just wanted to mention for the viewers, so they know heads in/out philosophy may vary....depending on the wheel-builder.
Wow this is a great video. I watched another video and ended up with spokes sticking out and clearly something being wrong. I ripped it apart and followed yours and PERFECT. Thanks a lot!
Used this video to build 5 wheels now, 3 Off center, 3 cross and 2 cross. Just keep in mind for 2cross you still leave 3 empty spoke holes before you add another spoke from the same side. You do this because there are still 2 sides, and two spoke orientations (in/out). With 2 cross you just go over right away and then under instead of over over under of 3 cross.
I just laced my first set of wheels and this was the video that was most helpful in showing me how to do it. There are, however, two things that were not commented on: 1. You said you would say something about spoke prep, but never did (I used linseed oil) and 2. It may be obvious, but you didn't comment that rims often have holes drilled in an offset manner, i.e. not right in the center.
you are right. and I'm afraid he just mixed it - look at 4:54 .. you can see spokes from right flange (drive side) go to "left" holes in the rim ... which is weird and wrong (imho)
Thank you.. Very nice and understandable introduction. I used it to lace my first selfmade wheel. However the lacing pattern presented here gives you the trailing / pulling spokes on the outside of the flange. Sheldon Brown in contrary recommends to have the trailing / pulling spokes to run on the inside of the flange.
lacing both sides with the spokes that run up on the inside of the hub flange makes it so much easier. i have always laced one side fully at a time, but i wish I'd watched this yesterday before laced 2 wheels. A good note for next time. thanks for sharing.
thank you, best spoking instruction. I have had trouble with spoking one side at a time with small wheels on a tadpole. doing the spokes from both sides, inserting from the outside first, eliminates the excessive spoke bending required to lace small diameter wheels,
very helpful video. interestingly, the wheel I am rebuilding has witness marks indicating that the second set of spokes threaded weren't in the same holes, i.e. threaded inside out instead of outside in. I don't think this matters though as the wheel looks fine
for your method at the beginning do you make sure that the logo on the hub of the front or rear wheel is in the right place in order to see the logo clearly. is that important?
Arent holes in rims offset sorta of like a very slight zigzag pattern like if you played join to dots with them the line would be a very slight wavy line ..isnt this a consideration when deciding your first spoke 🤔
Did you use Wheelsmith spoke prep? I am building my first wheel and think it will take a few days. Would linseed oil be a better thing to use given my time line? Thanks!
vey nice video, however I have one question. Does it matter which direction you twist the hub in terms of what type of brakes you use? For example when you use a disc brakes? Many Thanks
Great video interesting how the guy on another video on building a wheel did it. in about 20 minutes, he must have done a few wheels and practiced a few times
Thank you. I have some questions. How do you decide the spoke length? I will have a HUB with two different flansh diameters. So this will hard to decide...
Hello Chris! I have a Deore T610 hub (rim brake version) and as i calculated the spoke sizes I have got there is 2mm difference between the drive side and the non-drive side... Is that possible, or I made an error during the calculation?
On the third set of spokes should it be pass one hole and put the spokeit on the next holes? 10:26 ...I watch some of the video they pass one hole after 3cross pattern.
Excellent video my friend! I have my wheel all apart and am fixing to start lacing it. I followed you pretty good till you got to the part of inserting the spokes from the inside out (I believe it's Step 3) maybe? Anyhow, it's the part where your saying over, over and then under. At this point I'm just a little bit confused, not because of your tutorial, totally on my part of not understanding. When I'm going over, over, are you meaning that I count each spoke or are you meaning the spoke head and spoke? It's hard to tell exactly from the angle of the video. I wish you would of done a close up shot of this. Perhaps you could do a video of this step up close maybe? Other than that, this is a very excellent video on wheel lacing that I have seen. Any help and information would be greatly appreciated! I thank you in advance my friend! Best Regards!
(If you're still taking questions) Does this pattern automatically work on a 28-hole wheel? I'll be tackling a wheel build next week with an oddball 28 hole wheel (and hub) and your video looks like one of the better guides out there.
Not sure if this build is correct. As far as I can see the rim has "offseted" holes - not in the center, but some are on right, some left. Then spokes through left holes should go to left flange and spokes from right holes to right (drive) flange. But it seems he ignored this and did the just opposite (probably by coincidence). Look at 4:54 .. you can see spokes from right flange (drive side) go to "left" holes in the rim which is wrong, I'm afraid ...
i am new to this wheel lacing, why go over, over, under? Why not go over, over and over and get a straight spoke which would surely make the wheel more rigid?
When weaving 2 over and 1 under I end up stretching the spoke to try and reach the next available hole. This process doesn’t work.. and can be seen happening to Chris earlier in the video
it is a good wheel lacing for rim braking. But for disc braking it is not recommended. On the disc brake side I thread the spokes that pull the rim, from the inside of the hub flange. The spokes that pull the rim on the side opposite the disc brake I thread them from the outside. I do this because of the disc brake fixed on the left side of the hub and when braking the wheel deforms less increasing the life of the spokes 🚴♂👌
so if you call it 4 sets of spokes , why not do the 3rd and 4th set whilebin a true stand . and im sure im gonna be at this forever because im gonna mess up something lol .
This video is well-made and very descriptive. However, as posted by Jim Langley, the recommended lacing for front wheel versus rear wheel for disk brakes differs (refer to ua-cam.com/video/gfWd7_avr1s/v-deo.html). The recommended pattern for front wheels is that leading spokes on both sides are heads-in. On a rear wheel, on the drive side, trailing spokes are heads-in, but on the non-drive side, leading spokes are heads-in (just like the front wheel). This video is better suited then for a rear wheel with disk brakes, but if you are lacing a front wheel, you might want to lace it symmetrically (leading spokes on both sides being heads-in).
For those who are curious, this method worked perfectly for building a 28-hole wheel. The instructions are absolutely perfect. It made it a much easier process than I expected. Follow the instructions exactly and the valve stem will have perfect, 2 parallel spoke clearance when complete. Excellent video.
After watching a ton of these wheel lacing videos, this one clicked for me and got my wheel built! Thanks for posting!
Thanks a tonne. I got my first wheel in life laced successfully using your video. It was like attaining Nirvana when it finally happened. I had to undo the lacing some 7/8 times and start from zero all over again before getting everything right. The key thing to know is - turn the nipples just one or two turns initially. You mention it but I didn't realise it was so critically important. Of course I was working with spokes that were a tad smaller than the officially calculated size. Many thanks. Once one successfully laces a wheel one realises what a complicated piece of engineering this apparently simple looking wheel is. Now is the next step of dishing and truing it. I used a 32 hole hub/rim. But had no problem following your video.
Replaced my three speed hub. Your video made the lacing process for a novice a success! Thanks for the great video. My bike is like new again.
After 5 attempts, I came upon this video. Thank you for the easy to follow video good sir.
Thank you for this video Chris! You explained it very clearly and i was able to follow along and lace a wheel without much difficulty. Great job!!!
I have ordered all the necessary hardware to build a wheel, which I have never attempted before. This has got to be the best, and most simplistic to understand, video tutorial on building a wheel, hands down. Chris is the best teacher I have ever seen, and I've watched dozens of videos on the subject, from Park Tool videos to dozens of others. I seem to get very confused with all the others when it comes to lacing the rim. The others always seemed more complicated for some reason, but that's just me. I understand Chris' approach with no complicated issues whatsoever. He's a great tutor. Great job Chris. I wish I could take a picture of the wheel I'm building just to show you what a good teacher you are. Thanx brother...
Thanks this is the best video on UA-cam for building wheels in my opinion.
Very nicely done. I had just laced my first wheel and struggled through the second round of spokes on each side. I took the wheel all back apart and followed your method. Worked much better. Good instruction.
Thank you for showing me how to do this yet again! This has to be the best instructional video on UA-cam!
Stumbled across this in my research for a Touring build. One word, superb. Nicely done. Torn between Salsa Marrakesh and Surly LHT. The Salsa can swallow a larger tire in the 700c size. Glad I found your channel.
Best video for lacing. I watched a few and this was the most clear. You made it easy for my first wheel!
Thank you! This is one of the very few videos which is actually easy to follow, makes sense and explained clearly!
Hi Chris, this video along with the other Tightening and Truing one were perfect for helping me through my first two wheel builds. It took a bunch of searching to find instruction that I was able to work with and follow easily. Just wanted to say thanks and cheers from Austin.
+Scott Fife
Thanks Scott, hope your build went well.
-chris
Hi Chris, Would You advice against radial lacing old 32H hub? It's shimano 105 1055, I have short spokes from old wheel and thought I could try it but heard the flanges might break, have You got any experiences with such configuration?
Fantastic tuition , very happy with the result, thank you Chris !
I have built wheels previously working at a bike shop, this method was like a light bulb moment. It's so much easier then other ways I have been shown and exactly what he said, prevents scratches to rims.
I had a 32 spoke but used your same method and I have to say, the orientation of finding where on the other side of the flange you place the first spoke of the second set, was perfect.
laced up my first wheel today. Thanks for giving me the confidence that I can do it.
Love Chris' videos. Some wheel-builders prefer to install heads in/out in the reverse direction as shown in this lesson, but no hard test data exists that shows one way is significantly better than the other. Just wanted to mention for the viewers, so they know heads in/out philosophy may vary....depending on the wheel-builder.
This is the best video on bike building and quite possibly the best video ever on UA-cam in general
Wow this is a great video. I watched another video and ended up with spokes sticking out and clearly something being wrong. I ripped it apart and followed yours and PERFECT. Thanks a lot!
thank you very much Chris for that wonderful tutorial. made my first hub change alot easier. Thanks from Papua New Guinea
love this video, you helped me a lot on my first wheel build, now i realised wheel building isn't that hard and stressful after all.
By far the best video
I have already laced two wheels by watching this. In fact I laced a wheel a couple hours ago, lol.
Used this video to build 5 wheels now, 3 Off center, 3 cross and 2 cross. Just keep in mind for 2cross you still leave 3 empty spoke holes before you add another spoke from the same side. You do this because there are still 2 sides, and two spoke orientations (in/out). With 2 cross you just go over right away and then under instead of over over under of 3 cross.
Very clear explanation of the process, at and easy to follow pace. Thank you!
I just laced my first set of wheels and this was the video that was most helpful in showing me how to do it. There are, however, two things that were not commented on: 1. You said you would say something about spoke prep, but never did (I used linseed oil) and 2. It may be obvious, but you didn't comment that rims often have holes drilled in an offset manner, i.e. not right in the center.
Randall Plant
you are right. and I'm afraid he just mixed it - look at 4:54 .. you can see spokes from right flange (drive side) go to "left" holes in the rim ... which is weird and wrong (imho)
One of the best resources on the net for lacing a rim. Thank you.
Thankyou for the extremely helpful video Chris , very well explained.
Thanks Chris I have built my own wheels thanks to your easy to follow video👍
Thank you.. Very nice and understandable introduction. I used it to lace my first selfmade wheel.
However the lacing pattern presented here gives you the trailing / pulling spokes on the outside of the flange. Sheldon Brown in contrary recommends to have the trailing / pulling spokes to run on the inside of the flange.
O
Thank you Captain Picard for being so verbose and yet still succint in your explanation.
lacing both sides with the spokes that run up on the inside of the hub flange makes it so much easier. i have always laced one side fully at a time, but i wish I'd watched this yesterday before laced 2 wheels. A good note for next time. thanks for sharing.
Excellent video - very clear and precise instructions.
Доброго вечора. Дякую за дуже інформативне відео. Лайк та підписка! Слава Україні! Ми з України!
Chris - great video, I like the camera angles and you are a great teacher as well. Happy riding!
thank you, best spoking instruction. I have had trouble with spoking one side at a time with small wheels on a tadpole. doing the spokes from both sides, inserting from the outside first, eliminates the excessive spoke bending required to lace small diameter wheels,
Your explanations are just beautiful ❤️
If you enjoy the video, please leave me comments or suggestions.
Also visit www.longhaultruckerbuild.com for more information.
Thanks,
-chris
This is a well made video. For more lacing patterns, you may be interested in my app, that I present in a video on my channel.
Great video, tried a few others and failed before finding this one which worked first try for me cheers!
Excellent ! Much better to explain im detail than the parktool video.Better method too at starting on the right of the valve hole .Thank you
Absolutely wonderful video. I am inspired to build my first wheel!
very helpful video. interestingly, the wheel I am rebuilding has witness marks indicating that the second set of spokes threaded weren't in the same holes, i.e. threaded inside out instead of outside in. I don't think this matters though as the wheel looks fine
I am still waiting for "speaking on the prep of the spoke threads"...
I also would like to know how you are 'conditioning' your spokes. It looks like you are using blue locktite?
Wicked, you should mention that shorter spokes goes to drive side and longer to non-drive side. Overall great video!
for your method at the beginning do you make sure that the logo on the hub of the front or rear wheel is in the right place in order to see the logo clearly. is that important?
Nice but you didn't mention that some rims have non central/offset holes which are specific to the side you are working on.
Arent holes in rims offset sorta of like a very slight zigzag pattern like if you played join to dots with them the line would be a very slight wavy line ..isnt this a consideration when deciding your first spoke 🤔
Good job in explaining the lacing pattern.
Did you use Wheelsmith spoke prep? I am building my first wheel and think it will take a few days. Would linseed oil be a better thing to use given my time line? Thanks!
Such a great tutorial! THANK YOU!
vey nice video, however I have one question. Does it matter which direction you twist the hub in terms of what type of brakes you use? For example when you use a disc brakes? Many Thanks
Thanks a lot for your help! I have a possible dumb question: the same method works for the front wheel too?
Great video interesting how the guy on another video on building a wheel did it. in about 20 minutes, he must have done a few wheels and practiced a few times
Thank you. I have some questions. How do you decide the spoke length? I will have a HUB with two different flansh diameters. So this will hard to decide...
nice video thanks...what obaut spokes lenghts? Are they equal?
Ecellent! A slight play on Sesame Street's Grover, "Over, Over, Under and Through!" LOL
This is a great tutorial. I looked at others, but they were hard to follow. You explained it well. Thanks!
thanks agent 47, that really helped me !
Great Video Chris! A big Thanks ! ! !
I have 156 and 158mm spokes supposedly rt side & lt side but which? 529 ERD Shimano 475 Hub sized to the mm.
Hello Chris! I have a Deore T610 hub (rim brake version) and as i calculated the spoke sizes I have got there is 2mm difference between the drive side and the non-drive side... Is that possible, or I made an error during the calculation?
On the third set of spokes should it be pass one hole and put the spokeit on the next holes? 10:26 ...I watch some of the video they pass one hole after 3cross pattern.
Excellent video my friend! I have my wheel all apart and am fixing to start lacing it. I followed you pretty good till you got to the part of inserting the spokes from the inside out (I believe it's Step 3) maybe? Anyhow, it's the part where your saying over, over and then under. At this point I'm just a little bit confused, not because of your tutorial, totally on my part of not understanding. When I'm going over, over, are you meaning that I count each spoke or are you meaning the spoke head and spoke? It's hard to tell exactly from the angle of the video. I wish you would of done a close up shot of this. Perhaps you could do a video of this step up close maybe? Other than that, this is a very excellent video on wheel lacing that I have seen. Any help and information would be greatly appreciated! I thank you in advance my friend! Best Regards!
Lace on average 1 wheel per year. Keep referring to this as a forget how to do it. Many thanks Chris.
thank you ... the best tutorial ... greetings from Serbia :)
Thank you so much the best on YT!
Perfect instructions. Thanks so much!!
Thank you, Best video out there
hi Cris doe sit matter if i start with the j -hook from the inside out .
the spoke patter looks the same ???
(If you're still taking questions) Does this pattern automatically work on a 28-hole wheel? I'll be tackling a wheel build next week with an oddball 28 hole wheel (and hub) and your video looks like one of the better guides out there.
Not sure if this build is correct. As far as I can see the rim has "offseted" holes - not in the center, but some are on right, some left. Then spokes through left holes should go to left flange and spokes from right holes to right (drive) flange. But it seems he ignored this and did the just opposite (probably by coincidence). Look at 4:54 .. you can see spokes from right flange (drive side) go to "left" holes in the rim which is wrong, I'm afraid ...
With the setup you have you'll want to go over, over, under, skip one and next hole
i am new to this wheel lacing, why go over, over, under? Why not go over, over and over and get a straight spoke which would surely make the wheel more rigid?
Does it matter whether it is reverse "over-over-under" laced?
This tutorial is so useful. Thanks
Good job mate! Congrats!
When weaving 2 over and 1 under I end up stretching the spoke to try and reach the next available hole. This process doesn’t work.. and can be seen happening to Chris earlier in the video
What is hanging on the wall over your right shoulder? I can't figure it out.
The bike trailer?
hey chris are the spokes all the same size .?
Works in 2024, thanks so much 🙏
it is a good wheel lacing for rim braking.
But for disc braking it is not recommended.
On the disc brake side I thread the spokes that pull the rim, from the inside of the hub flange. The spokes that pull the rim on the side opposite the disc brake I thread them from the outside. I do this because of the disc brake fixed on the left side of the hub and when braking the wheel deforms less increasing the life of the spokes 🚴♂👌
Thank you, I saved on repairing my wheel during a trip through Peru. (UA-cam: Cycling South America Stan Jaslo)
Thank you so much for the helpful tips.
Help. I have bought a pair of 700c rims with 4x9 lacing pattern but can’t find a vid on how to lace them
ok.. but i was given different size spokes, and this isnt covered here. Flanges are the same diameter.
I am lacing a wheel and so far I am at the drive side and did you tightened the nipples already? Cuz my wheel is all floppy and yours looks tight?
Great! thanks for that video!
Super helpful!
Thanks for posting this.
so if you call it 4 sets of spokes , why not do the 3rd and 4th set whilebin a true stand . and im sure im gonna be at this forever because im gonna mess up something lol .
How long are the spoke lengths? Anybody who watches? 1:20 into the video, no length stated.
Allow me to learn here master...
Thanks so much❤
This video is well-made and very descriptive. However, as posted by Jim Langley, the recommended lacing for front wheel versus rear wheel for disk brakes differs (refer to ua-cam.com/video/gfWd7_avr1s/v-deo.html). The recommended pattern for front wheels is that leading spokes on both sides are heads-in. On a rear wheel, on the drive side, trailing spokes are heads-in, but on the non-drive side, leading spokes are heads-in (just like the front wheel). This video is better suited then for a rear wheel with disk brakes, but if you are lacing a front wheel, you might want to lace it symmetrically (leading spokes on both sides being heads-in).
(Beavis and Butthead laugh), HE SAID "TIT" .....:)))
best job
That didn't look right! On the 2nd set of spokes; it's :over - over - under, skip the 1st hole
That looks like a cross 4 lacing! Each spoke of the second set is crossing the paths of four other spokes rather than three.
Good 👍
thx for the help