Insert spokes into every other hole in the hub flange — 9 spokes on a 36-spoke hub. The spoke heads should alternate: first spoke head-in, then head-out (or all one way, depending on your lacing pattern). For a 3-cross pattern, the first spoke goes through the valve hole area and crosses 3 spokes.

Find the valve hole in the rim. The "key spoke" is the first drive-side spoke that goes into the rim hole just to the right of the valve hole. Screw a nipple on two turns. This sets the orientation for every other spoke — don't skip this step or you'll need to relace.

Work every 4th rim hole, threading each spoke and crossing 3 other spokes (for 3-cross). Screw each nipple on 2 turns. When done, all drive-side spokes should be in, with every other rim hole occupied.

Insert the remaining hub spokes. These will cross the already-laced spokes from the other flange. Thread them into the remaining empty rim holes. Pay attention to the direction of the cross — the non-drive spokes should cross over the drive-side spokes at the final cross (closest to the rim).

Using a nipple driver or screwdriver, turn every nipple until you can just barely see the slot of the spoke through the nipple hole. This gives you equal starting depth for all spokes before you begin tightening.

Go around the entire wheel, tightening each spoke the same amount (3 full turns). Repeat 2–3 times until spokes feel snug but not tight. The wheel will still be wobbly — that's fine. You're just establishing a baseline even tension.

Spin the wheel in the truing stand. Where the rim moves left, tighten the spokes coming from the right flange. Where it moves right, tighten spokes from the left flange. Work in small increments — ¼ to ½ turn at a time — and work on the center of the wobble, not the edges.

High spots (where the rim bulges outward) need spokes on both sides to be tightened together. Low spots need loosening on both sides. Radial truing is harder than lateral — be conservative and check frequently. A perfectly round rim makes radial truing easier.

Use a dishing tool to confirm the rim sits equidistant between the two dropout faces. A rear wheel with a cassette will have tighter drive-side spokes to offset the flange asymmetry. If the wheel is off-center, tighten all spokes on one side and loosen the other by equal amounts.

Using a spoke tension meter, bring all spokes to within the target range (see the Spoke Tension calculator). Drive-side rear spokes are typically 110–130 kgf. Non-drive side will naturally be lower due to wheel dish. Alternate between tensioning and checking lateral true — they affect each other.

Stand the wheel vertically. Grip two spokes near the flange and squeeze firmly — you'll hear clicks and pings as nipples seat and spokes unwind. Work your way around the entire wheel, squeezing each group of 2–4 spokes. The wheel will go temporarily out of true. Re-true it. Repeat the flex-and-true cycle 3–4 times until the wheel stops going out of true after flexing. This is critical — a wheel that hasn't been stress-relieved will loosen and go out of true within a few rides.

Do a final tension check and true. Spin the wheel in the stand and confirm lateral wobble is under 0.5mm (ideally 0.3mm or less) and radial wobble is under 1mm. If spoke ends protrude past the nipple inside the rim, file them flush or use rim tape to prevent punctures.