Replacing a Rim

While working at bike shops in the 90’s and early 2000’s, I learned a lot about wheel building. I was able to put that knowledge to good use when I recently cracked a carbon rim on a ride.

Since most wheels use steel spokes, the spokes are often much stronger than the hubs and rims. They can often be re-used, avoiding the complicated and complex job of measuring and re-lacing the wheel.

The process consists primarily of a series of simple steps:

  • Remove wheel
  • Remove tire, valve, and rim strip
  • Loosen spokes
  • Strap new rim to old rim (line up valve holes)
  • Migrate the spokes over one by one, starting with the one next to the valve hole
  • Re-tension the new rim
  • True, dish, and round
  • Profit!

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