Hi everyone my name is Sam and I'm an avid mountain biker and a aspiring mechanic, and today I'd like to show you how to build the rear wheel for a 32 hole hub and rim

Step 1: Step 1: Make Sure You’ve Got What You Need

The only absolutely necessary tool that you need is a spoke wrench, which is the small meatal

ring you’ll see in the picture above.

Tools that could be helpful, but are no necessary are a truing stand and a torque spoke wrench. These would be, much more expensive and slightly more precise tools to use, but are by no means do the only way to get the job done.

The parts that you will need

One 32 hole rim

One 32 hole hub

Thirty two spokes

Thirty two spoke nipples

And rim tape

Step 2: Step 2: Preparation

To start off lay everything out on one surface

Make sure you organize your spokes, for the rear wheel half of your spokes should be shorter than the other half in order to compensate for the cassette. The shorter spokes will go on the cassette side of the rim, if missed and the shorter spoke went on the wrong side the wheel would be ovular.

Step 3: Step 3: Lacing the First Spoke

First grab a seat this is much easier while sitting down.

Grab a shorter spoke

Looking down with the cassette side of the hub facing up place the rim around it with the valve hole facing your belly button. (The valve hole is the biggest hole on the rim, we will not be putting a spoke here) Next run the spoke through the front of the hole on the hub and fasten it to a nipple in the first hole right of the Valve hole.

The nipple is inserted on the outside of the rim and the spoke attaches to the section that sticks through the hole

Tighten all spokes exactly 4 turns on instillation so that it is easier to true the wheel later

Last turn the hub until the spoke is on the right side of the hub and is almost perpendicular to the rim, this will allow you to have room to pump your tires.

Keep track of your first spoke it will be referenced later

Step 4: Step 4: the Second Group of Spokes

Still looking at the same side of the hub skip one hole to

the right of the first spoke then run the next spoke through the top of that hole and fasten 4 holes to the right of where the first spoke connected to the rim. (There should be 3 empty holes in-between) do this a round the entire rim.

Step 5: Step 5: the Third Group of Spokes

Now flip the wheel cassette

side down

Use the Longer of the two spokes

The first spoke should now be on the left side of the hub. Take your next spoke and run it through the hole in the hub almost on top of it, but slightly more to the left. Then fasten it to the nipple one hole left of where your first spoke attached into the rim. (If done right the two should not cross) do this around the entire rim with reference to the spokes you placed in the second group of spokes as reference instead of your first one.

Step 6: Step 6: the Fourth Group of Spokes

Flip the wheel so

that the cassette side is facing you again

Twist the hub clockwise as far as it can go without pushing it

Use the shorter spokes again

Now on the hub find the hole that is seven holes (6 empty spaces) clockwise from the first spoke and run the spoke through the bottom of that hole and thread it into the nipple two to the first available hole to the right. (Right next to the spoke from the third group) You know you’ve done this right if it looks like the first spoke was reflected over. Do this around the rim with the spokes from the second group as your new reference.

Step 7: Step 7: the Last Group of Spokes

Flip the wheel cassette

side down

Use the longer spokes

With the last holes available run the spokes through the bottom of the hole and thread in to the nipples one to the right of where the fourth group spokes attached to the rim. Do this around the entire rim

Step 8: Step 8: Truing the Wheel

Now that you have all of the spokes connected to the hub and

rim all that is left is the fine tuning.

This is the point where if you had access to a truing stand it would be convenient, but I’ll continue on with the less expensive method of truing the wheel

For this go ahead and put your wheel back on your bike flip it upside down and put it on a surface that you can easily access the lowest point on the wheel. Spin it around a few times and figure out which directions the rim is leaning towards. (Taping a house hold item to your fork at the same level as the rim can be very helpful)

If the rim is leaning to one side loosen the spokes that attach to the hub on the same side and tighten the spokes that attach to the hub on the other side.

Tighten or loosen a spoke a ¼ turn if needed for the first couple of passes, then 1/8 turn intervals as the wheel becomes closer to being trued. Go ahead and pick a place on the rim to start on then pick the spoke that attaches to that point. Then adjust that spoke and then move to the next one.

Step 9: Step 9: Rim Tape

Now you are pretty much done with your new wheel, now you

just need to put rim tap on the inside of the rim so that the nipples don’t puncture to tube, or so that you can make your rim air tight for Tubeless tires.

For the rim tape do just as the name implies. Tape the inside of your rims and cover up the back side of the nipples. The only trick is to make sure you don’t cover up the valve hole.