@TechShop Menlo Park: building a bicycle wheel

I worked in bike shops through high school and college. In that time I learned to build bicycle wheels. Some people find the idea of building a wheel intimidating but it isn't that hard. I'm going to show you how to build a wheel that has a radial pattern on one side and a more standard crossing pattern on the other side.

The most important thing is to be certain that your spokes are the correct length for your hub and rim.

I did this at TechShop in Menlo park with regular tools, no special bicycle tools were necessary.

Step 1: Lay out the parts

I laid out my parts and tools on the table so I could decide how I was going to approach this build. Since the one side is radial laced and the flange is smaller it is the best side to start with.

Comments

[audreyobscura]

Wow. Thank you for an excellent post. I look forward to your post on wheel truing.