Which spoke pattern

No spoke crosses any other spoke and is connected directly, straight to the rim. This is fine for front wheels on rim-brake bikes. This uses the shortest and lightest possible spokes.

Each spoke crosses 2 other spokes on its way to the rim. This is typical for hole rims and hubs. The most common and popular spoke lacing pattern. My favorite inexpensive spoke wrench is a plastic one with a metal bit, called a "Spokey". You will also need a small flat-bladed screwdriver; and optionally, a truing stand and a dish stick. The truing stand and dish stick are by far the most expensive of these tools. Improvised tools or the bicycle itself can substitute.

If you are on a tight budget, read the section of this article on truing , so you know the technical terms, and then check out the section near the end of this article on improvised tools. Besides the essential tools, a spoke tensiometer picture, right and an electric screwdriver with an appropriate bit are helpful. My preferred bit is a worn-out Phillips bit, on which I have ground off two of the four fins. This leaves a pointed flat blade.

The point pokes into the hole in the middle of the spoke nipple, and helps keep the driver from sliding off. Better hubs have thick flanges and spoke holes flared like the bell of a trumpet, to support the elbows of the spokes, though this is not essential -- aluminum is softer than steel, and the spokes will bed themselves into it. But if the flanges are not thick enough to pull the elbows against them, then you may need to use washers under the spoke heads.

If you are buying new hubs, the best value for the money, in most cases, is Shimano. If you want the very best, cost no object, in many applications, this is Phil Wood. The leading brands of spokes available in the U. Carbon fiber spokes turned out to be brittle and dangerous. If you bend one, it breaks like uncooked spaghetti!

The exception was super-fancy special-purpose racing wheels, which might have 32 spokes front and rear. The Great Spoke Scam: In the early '80s a clever marketeer hit upon the idea of using only 32 spokes in wheels for production bikes.

Because of the association of spoke wheels with exotic, high-performance bikes, the manufacturers were able to cut corners and save money while presenting it as an "upgrade! Since then, this practice has been carried to an extreme, with , , even spoke wheels being offered, and presented as it they were somehow an "upgrade.

Actually, such wheels normally are not an upgrade in practice. When the spokes are farther apart on the rim, it is necessary to use a heavier rim to compensate, so there isn't usually even a weight benefit from these newer wheels! This type of wheel requires unusually high spoke tension, since the load is carried by fewer spokes. If a spoke does break, the wheel generally becomes instantly unridable. More, thinner spokes make a stronger wheel than fewer, thicker ones.

Some wheels being sold these days defy engineering principles: The hub may break too; see John Allen's article. If you want highest performance, it is generally best to have more spokes in the rear wheel than the front. People very rarely have trouble with front wheels:.

The diameter of spokes is sometimes expressed in terms of wire gauges. There are several different national systems of gauge sizes, and this has been a great cause of confusion. A particular problem is that French gauge numbers get smaller for thinner wires, while the U.

The crossover point is right in the popular range of sizes used for bicycle spokes:. Newer I. Spokes come in straight-gauge or swaged butted styles. Straight-gauge spokes have the same thickness all along their length from the threads to the heads. Double-butted spokes do more than save weight.

The thick ends make them as strong in the highly-stressed areas as straight-gauge spokes of the same thickness, but the thinner middle sections make the spokes effectively more elastic, allowing them to stretch temporarily more than thicker spokes. As a result, when the wheel is subjected to sharp localized stresses, the most heavily-stressed spokes can elongate enough to shift some of the stress to adjoining spokes. This is particularly desirable when the limiting factor is how much stress the rim can withstand without cracking around the spoke holes.

Single- and triple-butted spokes solve one of the great problems of wheel design: Since spokes use rolled, not cut threads, the outside diameter of the threads is larger than the base diameter of the spoke wire.

Since the holes in the hub flanges must be large enough for the threads to fit through, the holes, in turn, are larger than the wire requires. This is undesirable, because a tight match between the spoke diameter at the elbow and the diameter of the flange hole is crucial to resisting fatigue -related breakage. Since single- and triple-butted spokes are thicker at the head end than at the thread end, they may be used with hubs that have holes just large enough to pass the thick wire at the head end.

There was a fad in the early '90s for Hoshi "blades" which had a double bend instead of a conventional head. The double bend allowed the spokes to be inserted "head first" into the hub flange, so that they could be used with normal hubs.

Unfortunately, they turned out to be prone to breakage, and I can't recommend them. I recommend thicker spokes for the right side of a dished rear wheel a wheel used with a multi-sprocket cluster than the left side, because the left-side spokes are under lower tension. The thinner spokes on the left side will be working more nearly at the tension for which they are designed, and so they will be stretched more and less likely to go slack. For more details, see my article on spoke tension.

The preferable ratio of spoke cross-sectional area depends entirely on the ratio of lateral distances between the centerline of spoke holes in the rim and the hub flanges. With derailer-equipped bicycles, this is often as high as 2 to 1. In that case, the thickness of the spoke shafts, with round spokes, is ideally 1. Measuring gets more complicated with oval or bladed spokes, but usually there is a section you can measure at the end.

With a different type wheel, such as one with a disc brake, the tension ratio may be different. The spoke gauges should reflect the flange location and offset of spoke holes in the rim if there is an offset.

Also to be considered is how high a tension the rim can withstand. There is an ideal tension for a spoke, based on the strength of the steel and the spoke gauge. Spokes on the more highly-tensioned side, or both sides if lateral spacing is equal should be at that tension to produce the most reliable wheel.

But also, the rim must withstand that tension. If spokes are too light for a rim, the wheel could be stronger with thicker spokes. If spokes are too heavy and at their ideal tension, the rim is likely to fail. Complicating this problem is that spokes with 2mm shafts and larger ends are generally a special-order item. But most rims can't benefit from butted spokes with ends larger than 2mm anyway. A spoke nipple made for a thicker spoke may thread onto a thinner one, but then the threading will be weak.

A correct spoke nipple will be nearly snug on the spoke: it will not rock. Check nipple fit before inserting spokes into the rim: you may not notice looseness when inserting a nipple through the rim. For light-weight, high-performance wheels, aluminum nipples are available. Aluminum nipples do save a small amount of weight, and they can be quite reliable if used properly. Most modern rims are made of extruded aluminum, that is, the semi-molten aluminum is squeezed out of specially-shaped openings which determine the cross section of the rim.

The extrusions are formed into hoops, then joined either by welding or by the insertion of a filler piece into the hollows of each end of the rim.

A single-wall rim has a simple U shape with a a single layer of metal across the bottom where the spokes attach. The spokes then attach at the lower layer, closer to the hub, and the upper layer has holes large enough to allow insertion of the nipple heads or a screwdriver.

Many good quality rims have " eyelets " or "ferrules" to reinforce the spoke holes. Moderately deep-section rims are spoked like any others. Extremely deep-section rims can work with somewhat fewer spokes than conventional rims. Extremely deep-section rims are excessively stiff, and must be very true as supplied, without coaxing from the fewer spokes. If the tire bottoms out on a rock or other obstacle, such a rim does not provide a "crush zone" to the same extent as a conventional rim.

There is more likelihood of damage to the bicycle's fork and frame. The rim will probably crumple and be unrepairable. These rims are heavier, too, all other things being equal. Some rims nowadays are made partly or entirely of carbon fiber. A carbon fiber rim must have reinforcement around the spoke holes to withstand spoke tension.

Many carbon fiber rims have aluminum braking surfaces. These may be used with ordinary rim brakes. Carbon fiber rims without aluminum braking surfaces must be used with hub brakes or with special brake shoes, but in that case are prone to rapid wear.

Carbon fiber rims also are expensive. They are very true as supplied but non-repairable if damaged. The strength of the traditional wheel design is in the spokes, not the rim. T riathletes and HPV racers have used wheels with fairings for many years. The hidebound rules of the U.

Pro racers put up with all this because any tiny speed advantage could win a race, and because the team pays for their equipment. Even less practical than wheels with very deep sections are wheels with unevenly-spaced spokes, or with spokes which attach to the rim and hub in unconventional ways and locations.

Rims for tubeless tires may not have spoke holes which extend all the way through. Some of these wheels provide a real advantage to racers; others only a placebo effect.

These wheels tend to be very expensive, and a real headache to repair or rebuild, because of the special parts and tools needed.

Do you need to relace the wheel with new spokes? An impact with a pothole edge, rock, etc. Rim brakes slowly wear down the sidewalls of aluminum rims, especially in wet-sandy conditions.

Eventually, the air pressure in the tire can bulge a weakaned sidewall out, causing a blowout. You'll want to replace the rim before this happens! You can usually just transfer the old spokes to a new rim -- see Jobst Brandt's article. Flange thicknesses vary, but the spoke's elbow should be snug against the flange. If it is not, the spoke's tension will try to bend the spoke at the elbow -- a frequent cause of spoke breakage.

You solve this problem by sliding a small washer onto each spoke before inserting it into the hub. Most spokes other than bladed spokes will accept a 2 mm metric bolt size or 2 US bolt size washer.

Brass washers are best. These are not commonly available through bicycle parts suppliers, but they can be purchased over the Internet, for example here , or at a hobby shop. Other combinations need washers only on the spokes that run from the inside of the flanges, or need two washers on inside spokes and one on outside spokes.

Spoke nipple heads or access holes in the bottom of the rim must be covered with a rim tape, so they can't puncture the inner tube. Rim tape must be thick and strong enough to smooth out any sharp edges, and to withstand pressure from the inner tube if the rim has recessed or socketed spoke holes. Some rim tapes are simple hoops of rubber, similar to the rubber of the inner tube, with a hole for the valve.

These rim tapes are adequate for use in wider rims without recessed spoke holes, but must be stretched over the rim when installed.

Narrow rubber rim tapes often break at the valve hole. Better rim tape is an adhesive-backed strip, sold in a roll like handlebar tape, and has a hole near one end which fits over the valve hole of the rim. Placing a valve temporarily in the hole will prevent the tape from slipping during installation.

The tape is laid down all the way around in the bottom of the rim, and the other end is trimmed just short of the valve hole. Duct tape or glass-fiber reinforced strapping tape can be torn lengthwise to the needed width and works too. Use three or four layers. If adhesive-backed tape can't be wide enough to get past the valve, it can just stop at either side.

The rim tape must be just wide enough to fit the bottom of the rim. Too narrow, and it doesn't cover what it needs to. Too wide, and it rides up on a bead seat of the rim as shown in the photo below, preventing the tire from seating correctly. The tire will sit too far out where it rides on the rim tape, and too far in at another place. It will give a bumpy ride, and there is a risk of a blowout.

Rim tape too wide. Spoke length is measured from the inside of the elbow to the very end of the threads, most usually in millimeters. When you buy spokes to match the rim, hub and pattern you will use, your dealer should be able to determine the correct length s for you. Most dealers these days use a computer program called "Spokemaster" which comes bundled with a wholesale database called "Bike-alog on disc".

If you need to do your own calculations, there are several spoke-length utilities available on the Web, including:. This site includes a page on how to measure the hub and rim to get the numbers you need to enter into a spoke-length calculator. Sutherland's Handbook for Bicycle Mechanics , 6th Edition, has charts and tables by which you can calculate spoke lengths. Alternatively, you can measure an existing wheel of the same lacing pattern and get reasonably close.

Most spoke calculators give results to the tenth of a mm, but spokes are usually sold in 1 mm size increments some brands only in 2 mm increments. Generally, I round upward to the nearest available larger size. The length is not super-critical, but it is worse to have spokes a bit too long than a bit too short.

If spokes are too long, they prevent you from using the screwdriver. Unless a rim has recessed spoke holes, you will have to file off protruding spoke ends to avoid their puncturing the inner tube. The right-side spokes of a dished rear wheel are ideally 1 or 2 mm shorter than the left-side spokes. Spoke threads and spoke holes in the rim should generally be lubricated with light grease or oil to allow the nipples to turn freely enough to get the spokes really tight.

This is less important than it used to be due to the higher quality of modern spokes, nipples and rims, but it is still a good practice.

In the case of derailer rear wheels, only the right-side spokes and spoke holes need to be lubricated. Spoke threads are easily lubricated by holding the spokes together in a bunch, tapping it on the workbench to get them even with each other, and dipping them into a gob of grease which you have spread out on a paper plate or other surface.

Spoke holes in rims may be lubricated using a spoke to carry the grease. The left-side spokes will be loose enough that it will not be hard to turn the nipples even dry, and if you grease them they may loosen up of their own accord on the road.

In fact, it is often a good idea to use a thread adhesive such as Wheelsmith Spoke Prep on the left-side spokes to make sure they stay put. This is only necessary on a rim with recessed spoke holes. On other rims, the rim tape and pressure from the inner tube will prevent the nipples from turning, at least with a high-pressure tire.

If you are transferring spokes to a new rim, you lubricate the threads without removing the spokes from the hub. Follow the instructions in Jobst Brandt's article and skip the steps about lacing here. If you are cutting the spokes to take apart a wheel, be sure to remove a thread-on sprocket, freewheel or brake drum first. You often can't get new spokes past thread-on parts. This is good advice even if you are only transferring spokes, because you might find that you have to replace one or more of them.

In case any spokes or nipples are damaged, it can be helpful to have a few spares on hand, and Vise-Grip pliers to loosen rounded nipples. Lacing is most easily done sitting down, holding the rim on edge in your lap. Looking at a hub from the side, the holes on the flanges are not aligned. Rather, they overlap by a half. Like the first group of spokes, it will also be a leading spoke. Once you finish up with first two spoke groups, drive and non-drive side, both heads out, you can again turn the wheel to the drive side notice valve hole position and start inserting the next round of spokes.

From now on, all the spokes will be fitted from the inside of the hub pointing towards the locknuts, meaning they will be heads in. And since we have already installed leading spokes, only trailing spokes remain on both sides of the wheel. The spokes that we are inserting now will cross the same side spokes, inserted in the first step. In our example, since we are installing trailing spokes marked with no.

You will have to bend this leading spoke to get it around the last trailing spoke on the correct side. The outer spoke will go on the inside and the inner spoke will cross it on the outer side. With any cross number, only the outermost crossing is "laced" so the spokes go behind one another. We are just one step away from finishing with fitting the spokes. All that is missing are 6 heads in, non-drive, spokes. Crossing is done in the same manner as in the step 3. Note how the two spokes around valve hole are completely parallel and do not interfere with the valve in any way.

There is enough gap for pumping the tire. Once the wheel is laced, adjust all of the nipples so that each is screwed equally far onto its spoke. This will make it far easier for truing the wheel later on.

Note: As mentioned before, following this method you will have trailing spokes with heads in while leading spokes being heads out. Following the theory about trailing and leading spokes, we can now further refine my typical way of building a wheel that should be even more durable. In this other way of spoking a wheel, leading spokes should be on the outside of the flange, meaning they have heads in, and trailing spokes, quite the opposite, having heads out.

Again, the first hole clockwise from the valve is drilled for a nipple to seat and be pointing towards non-drive side — this is our limitation and prevents us from starting there. After turning the wheel around, we twist the hub counter-clockwise and insert our first non-drive side spoke in the hole behind our key spoke and right next to the valve hole. Note how we are again twisting our spokes away from the valve hole.

This will later on create a gap between two parallel spokes that surround the valve for pumping the tire. Again, first two groups of spokes will be heads out as they are easier to fit at the beginning of lacing the wheel. In this step as the heading suggests, we are inserting our first group of leading spokes heads in , on the drive side first. Note that one of them is just behind the valve hole, but since it is a head in spoke, it would be impractical to start with it as the key spoke in the first place.

Again, crossing is done in the same manner as before. At the outermost cross, two spokes crossing are laced one under another. Just like before, we are left with just one group of spokes, non-drive, heads in and also leading spokes see the direction of wheel turn at the same time. This method, like I said before, takes into account that leading spokes should be outer spokes while trailing spokes should be kept on the inside of the hub flange. Now that you have mastered cross lacing patterns, radial spoking should come easy for you.

In radial spoking, spoke run directly from the hub to the rim, so therefore we do not have trailing nor leading spokes. In that way our original four groups of spokes reduce to just two step process. Start inserting all the holes on the one flange of the hub with your spokes.