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I have built a number of wheelsets and always struggle to get the hub logotype "upwards" and faces the valve hole in my rim, so that it aligns with the tire logo.

Instead of getting it right the first time, I end up lacing a whole bunch of spokes and then moving them one at a time until everything looks as intended.

How do I do it?

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  • I'm just thankful when I don't end up with an Escher wheel. (Probably the simplest approach would be to look at an already-laced wheel with the same spoke configuration and match that.) – Daniel R Hicks Sep 9 '13 at 15:38
  • What is the purpose of this? Does it allow you to more easily find the valve stem? Some alternate solutions might be brightly coloured valve caps, or adding your own decal/tape/paint to the hub to identify which part faces the valve hole after everything is assembled. – Kibbee Sep 9 '13 at 15:50
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    It's just tradition. It shows you bothered to take the time to do it. sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html#key "It is customary to orient the rim so that the label is readable from the bicycle's right side. If the hub has a label running along the barrel, it should be located so that it can be read through the valve hole. These things will not affect the performance of the wheel, but good wheelbuilders pay attention to these things as a matter of pride and esthetics." – armb Sep 9 '13 at 15:59
  • @armb Is there a case where the manufacturer of the hub doesn't line up the logo and spoke holes properly to make this possible. If you lace the wheel radially, and align the label to the center of the spoke hole, you pretty much end up making this impossible. – Kibbee Sep 9 '13 at 16:25
  • Sorry, I've got no idea how careful manufacturers are. It wouldn't surprise me if hubs expected to be used in machine built wheels have labels at random locations. I think that "can be read through the valve hole" allows for less than perfect alignment. A customer who cares should be able to see that the builder did the best they could. – armb Sep 10 '13 at 16:25
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Place a single leading spoke and a single trailing spoke- both on the same side of the hub- to get your placement correct. That way you only have to unthread two spokes if you're off. Once you've got it right, unthread the leading spoke if you're planning on lacing trailing first or vice versa and proceed as normal with lacing.

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