StreetCowboy Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 A few years back I twisted the rim of my front wheel in a mishap. The shops could not fix it, so I ended up having to get a new wheel built. Then last year I noticed - "Hang about - those spokes are not laced symmetrically" You can see just clockwise of the 9 o' clock position a particularly large gap. Is that a cause for concern? I went back to the shop, but could not get the chap there (not the mechanic, who may have left the shop) to understand the problem. Regardless of whether its a problem, it looks definitely not right SC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChouDoufu Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 probably an optical delusion. take a look at sheldon brown's wheelbuilding guide. scroll down to the bit marked "key spoke" and go from there. the illustrations will explain what your lacing should look like. you should be able to track each group of spokes. https://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chomper Higgot Posted April 7, 2020 Share Posted April 7, 2020 If your spokes aren't symmetrical then the integrity of the wheel is at risk. Find someone who can build wheels to strip and rebuild them for you. If you can't find a bicycle shop to do this try a small motorcycle shop, they often repair and build wheels - 'Wheel Rims for sale' is a good clue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StreetCowboy Posted April 8, 2020 Author Share Posted April 8, 2020 On 4/7/2020 at 12:49 PM, Chomper Higgot said: If your spokes aren't symmetrical then the integrity of the wheel is at risk. Find someone who can build wheels to strip and rebuild them for you. If you can't find a bicycle shop to do this try a small motorcycle shop, they often repair and build wheels - 'Wheel Rims for sale' is a good clue. I've cascaded the suspect wheel to my friend, who is riding my old mountain bike - she is significantly lighter than me (much more so than the mountain bike is heavier) and it has front suspension; she also rides less than me, and only on proper roads, so the wheel will get less stress. From a perfunctory inspection, I was able to convince myself that ChouDouFou may be right - it was a function of viewing angle, rather than an error in the lacing, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el jefe Posted April 11, 2020 Share Posted April 11, 2020 If you think of the spokes as 8 groups of 4 spokes, the lacing is totally symmetrical. Every 4th spoke is in an identical pattern instead of every 2nd spoke. This pattern does create a "gap" between each group of 4 spokes. The gap that you noticed at 9:00pm in your photo exists in 7 other places too. No optical illusion. it's intended to be that way. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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