rear wheel building-HELP I'm stuck

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Hello fellow cycling fanatics. I am trying to rebuild a rear wheel I received as a replacement. The rim is an offbrand (probably Chinese) Freedom RLX 2.0 deep V rim. It does not appear to me that the spoke hole drillings are offset. All appear to be centerline even when looked at from the 'inside'. I have built many rear wheels and use the offset characteristics of the spoke holes as a reference point for hub orientation and where to place the first spoke. Maybe the holes are offset and it is a sign of my advancing age that I cannot discern this but I don't think so. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

I am trying to rebuild a rear wheel I received as a replacement. The rim is an offbrand (probably Chinese) Freedom RLX 2.0 deep V rim. It does not appear to me that the spoke hole drillings are offset. All appear to be centerline even when looked at from the 'inside'. I have built many rear wheels and use the offset characteristics of the spoke holes as a reference point for hub orientation and where to place the first spoke. Maybe the holes are offset and it is a sign of my advancing age that I cannot discern this but I don't think so. Any help would be appreciated. ThanksThe spoke holes in most "aero" rims (those early Shimano, paired spoke rims where the spokes emerged from the aero poriton of the rim are the obvious exception) will be along the rim's centerline ...

So, just use the valve hole as your reference point ... AND/OR, you can orient the rim to the hub based on the decals.

BTW. This is possibly stating the obvious, but if the rim has a different E.R.D. than your old rim, you will need to recalculate the spoke length -- that is, the spoke length will probably be about 5mm shorter, but maybe not -- it depends on the inner wall of the rim.

yeah, just use the valve hole as the reference.

I'm just a 'backyard' wheel builder (i've built about 20 wheels), and the way I do it is standard and pretty easy: starting on the drive side, put the first leading spoke (points forward as the wheel turns) in the first spoke hole behind the valve hole, with the spoke's end facing outward on the hub flange, then go from there.

Why don't you get a permanent marker and number them?

Hello fellow cycling fanatics. I am trying to rebuild a rear wheel I received as a replacement. The rim is an offbrand (probably Chinese) Freedom RLX 2.0 deep V rim. It does not appear to me that the spoke hole drillings are offset. All appear to be centerline even when looked at from the 'inside'. I have built many rear wheels and use the offset characteristics of the spoke holes as a reference point for hub orientation and where to place the first spoke. Maybe the holes are offset and it is a sign of my advancing age that I cannot discern this but I don't think so. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

Look at the oitside of the rim and if the hole in the outer wall is offset, then the hole is offset the opposite way. In other words, the tool to drill the holes is tilted one way or another..so if the hole on the outer wall is offset to the right, the hole in the inside of the rim is offset to the left. If not , the holes are not offset at all(some are not), so just lace and build normally.

The spoke holes in most "aero" rims (those early Shimano, paired spoke rims where the spokes emerged from the aero poriton of the rim are the obvious exception) will be along the rim's centerline ...

So, just use the valve hole as your reference point ... AND/OR, you can orient the rim to the hub based on the decals.

BTW. This is possibly stating the obvious, but if the rim has a different E.R.D. than your old rim, you will need to recalculate the spoke length -- that is, the spoke length will probably be about 5mm shorter, but maybe not -- it depends on the inner wall of the rim.
Thanks for the reply. The E.R.D. is identical. I just did as you said and using the valve hole as a reference built the wheel. It's coming along fine. Just dealing with the low quality rim and spokes is a pain. Thanks for your help.

BV

yeah, just use the valve hole as the reference.

I'm just a 'backyard' wheel builder (i've built about 20 wheels), and the way I do it is standard and pretty easy: starting on the drive side, put the first leading spoke (points forward as the wheel turns) in the first spoke hole behind the valve hole, with the spoke's end facing outward on the hub flange, then go from there.
Yup, that's what I did and it worked. Thanks.

BV