Wheel lacing 101 - it LOOKS so easy

Rlauchard

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Trying to lace a wheel....no clue how.

Using fong brothers how to at http://www.xs650chopper.com/2009/12/how-to-lace-a-wheel-from-scratch/.

I can't see a longer head, or shorter head, but rather a different angle. In the pic
ZoebeWb.jpg
, I'm using the one on the left as the inner...or the first part of the how to.

When I get to the last side, or 9 spokes...I can't get them in the hole they line up with because there's not enough clearance.

Thoughts? 18 in rear wheel drum with part number 190060 from mikes. http://www.mikesxs.net/product/19-0060.html
 
In the pic it's easy to see the length difference. Look from the bend to the head of the spoke. The one one the right has a longer length. The Clymer book has a very good section on lacing wheels.
Leo
 
So, I went out this morning and did the front wheel exactly as I did the rear (at least I think I did), it turned out awesome! Easy!

Is was a spray painted, beat up rim and hub...I think it looks awesome!

O9K9bl7.jpg


Now, I'm going to start over on the rear wheel...hopefully it was just a dumb mistake due to the first try.
 
The left spoke (with the shorter head, or more angled head as I like to call it) is the one that you start with. This is the one that goes from the outside in and are the first 18. The longer head goes from inside out and are the last 18 (on a 36 spoke wheel).
 
Big thanks! I just bookmarked this thread for future reference. I have 2 19 inch rims,ss spokes from mikes to do for my tracker. Thanks again. :cheers:
 
I've been fighting with my rear wheel now all morning and last night. I just couldn't understand...the front...easy, the back...totally not easy and the spokes are too long to fit the wheel.

I ordered part http://www.mikesxs.net/product/19-0060.html. Looking at it again, I now realize that I've made a mistake. I would say I'm an idiot, but this being my first time at this stuff...a mistake was bound to happen.

Part 19-0060 is for a 1.85x18 rear wheel with drum. When I measured, my front, the 1.85 looks to be the measurement from just inside one rim edge to the other.

The rear wheel I have is measuring just over 2" which I'm assuming is the 2.15x18 rim which means I should have ordered http://www.mikesxs.net/product/19-0064.html. While that part doesn't state that it's for a 2.15", it says that it fits the mikes rim of http://www.mikesxs.net/product/34-1906.html which has a measurement of 2.15"x18.

So, is that right? I need to actually order the 48 spoke set and only use 36 of the spokes? Anyone know if that is sound logic?
 
No, you got the right spoke set. If you re-read the description, it says it's for the O.E.M. stock rim as well, which is a 2.15 as you've deduced. I just got a set of those same spokes and compared them to the originals I took out. They are the same so should work fine (I haven't installed them yet). I've used a set before and they were fine. I've also used several sets of the cad spokes and they all fit fine too. You must have something off in your pattern or something. Post up some pics of the rear wheel and maybe we can see where you went wrong.
 
And I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your front is laced incorrectly as well. An inner and outer, side by side on the same flange, should cross about at the flange outer edge and be 6 holes apart on the rim. Yours cross a good inch away from the flange and are only 2 holes apart on the rim .....

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Since the rear hubs are so much bigger than the front disc ones, the spokes lay over at a bigger angle than on the front. I'm thinking that may be your problem .....

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Well....shit. Haha...ok...since ur willing to assist with pics....

1st step: put in 18 short head spokes every other hole...
I0QZ8Qm.jpg


2nd step: the bottoms going in clockwise direction...start at first hole just to the right of the valve stem (at the 6:35 position), put on a nipple just barely...every fourth hole from there, do the same for the bottom spokes.
JQePXCU.jpg


PLANNED NEXT STEP: the first top spoke goes counter clockwise 3 spots to the right of the first bottom spoke put in place (just to the right of the valve stem). Then every 4th position do the same thus ending with the last short head spoke on the top side just to the left of the valve stem.

Can u confirm?
 
IDIOT ALERT!!!

Don't want to jinx the rear, but I think I just got the front, and what a shit head mistake. You all deserve to know my dumbness, but I'll hold as I do the back.

How's this?

W5UFsOW.jpg
 
Now you're confusing me, lol. First off, let's get our terminology straight. Spokes are classified as "inners" and "outers", not "tops" and "bottoms". The "inners" insert from the outside and run or lay against the inside of the hub flange. The "outers" insert from the inside and lay against the outside of the flange.

The holes in each flange do not align exactly with each other across the hub, they're offset a little. Because of this, you have to know exactly which holes get "outers" and which take "inners" or the pattern won't work out correctly. I determine this by observing the marks left on the hub by the old spokes .....

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Now, if you've polished your hubs to the point that you removed all these old spoke marks, all is not lost. The inner spokes, while they don't lay against the flange, will dimple the hole a little. You can see this in the pic above, second hole from the right on the lower flange. All you need do is find one marked hole on each flange and you're good to go. You know the spokes alternate (inner, outer, inner, outer, etc.) from there.

Yes, start with all the inners. The spoke on each side of the valve stem hole will be an inner like so .....

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Start with those. Connect one and then all the rest of the inners on that flange, then do the ones from the other flange. From my 1st pic a couple posts up, the same type of spokes (inners or outers) one hole apart on the same flange will be 4 holes apart on the rim. Once the inners are all connected, install one side of outers, then the other. Insert one outer, cross the inner next to it, and install 6 holes apart from that inner in the rim.

You'll note that the rim holes are angled both towards each other in pairs but also towards one hub flange or the other. This can help indicate whether you've got the spokes in right.
 
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Yes, that looks better. I'm assuming you got the spokes to fit on the rear now?
 
In his last two pics he has them right, each spoke crosses over four spokes. In his first pic of the front wheel he had them crossing over just two spokes.
Leo
 
I'll let you in on my first bigges, dumbest move.

In reading (note that I didn't say following) the how to...it said, before putting the second set of inners on the hub to start at the 6:28 in relation to the inner on the other side being at the 6:30 mark.

I started the second set of inners on the 6:32 thinking that was the 6:28. I was doomed from the beginning, but 5twins...you pointing out that my front was wrong was very helpful in getting me on track.

Thanks for the help!!!!
 
Yes, I need to get a good pic of the 6:30-6:28 starting relationship for the inner spokes. That's pretty much the key to the whole operation. Start wrong and you're doomed. It just so happens I have the perfect pic. Let me get it labeled, cropped, etc. and I'll add it in here .....

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..... and one more identifying the different spoke types .....

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