That's great they have such good customer service. If you could, when you get the spokes, make some measurements so we all can know what the specs are for a good set of spokes.

I'm looking forward to your and Dave’s success in lacing the front wheels. Maybe the spoke people will make a standard kit of parts for this application.

Right now, I have a garage full of parts. Front wheel off, waiting to be relaced, can't put tire on yet. Rear wheel off, had to cut the tire off. Have to disassemble it, paint the rim then respoke and put new tire on. Went to shorten the forks and found out the seals are bad. Had to put the original pull back bars on to provide anchor points for tie down straps. Extra gas tank all cut up needs some welding.  Lots of fun, hope I can remember where everything goes.

I'm going to weigh the parts I took off and see how much flab is on the stock bike. Chain guard, fenders, big belt pulley, heavy steel rims, etc. Must be at least 50 pounds that won’t be returning.

John in Kalifornia

thought you were up north somewhere, buchanan's across the river from me.  you coulda said hi.

most likely.

Let's see if I can make this simple.

For the sake of clarity here are some definitions. Others nay have different terminology.

The right side of the rim is away from the brake. Left side is brake side.
The spokes with the shorter bend go next to the hub. I'll call these the outer spokes.
The inner spokes are the ones that cross over and lay on top of the outer spokes. They have a longer "leg" of bend so They can cross over the outer spokes on the way to to rim.

Put the rim and hub flat on the bench. Start with one outer spoke. Notice that it goes through a hole farthest away from the center of the hub. So it is not only an outer in the "towards the side of the bike" but is also on an outer hole circle diameter on the hub itself.

Install an outer spoke. It should be obvious where the spoke goes on the rim because of the angle of the nipple hole. Skip 3 holes and install the next one. On the hub you only skip one hole. There are 36 holes in the rim but only 18 holes on each side of the hub.

After you get one side done then flip the wheel over and install the outer spokes on the other side of the hub. If you twist or rotate the hub to make the spokes tight you can see where the spokes go.

The secret, if there is any is to install all the outer spokes first. Then twist the wheel hub in the direction so as to tighten the spokes. You can thread in an inner spoke and figure out where it will need to go. If you need to loosen some spokes and rotate them out of the way you can do so without getting too confused as you have all the other spokes installed for a reference. Everything repeats in a pattern of 4.

Main idea is that at the inner tube filler hole the spokes on either side angle away from the valve so you can get an air hose on the Schrader valve.

This should get you started.

John in Kalifornia

]

I DID IT!!
I was right; it's al in the wiggle... and that last set of inside spokes is really hard until I figured out the right sequence of slide the spoke through, loosen the one to the right of it, and fold it over, then pass the new spoke through, re-attach the one I loosened, then loosen the next one over, and pass the new one past that; re-attach it, then attach the new spoke into position.... times 9...
Tomorrow I'll give it to Scott to true it up and get the tire mounted, and then on to other messes!!

I couldn't have done this without you, sir. I am deeply grateful.
Cheers!

THANKS JOHN!
All things considered, I know I could true the wheel myself; that's something I've done with Bicycles before, but Scott owes me more than a few favors, so I don't have to pay him. All I need to do is sit back and watch.
He's going to be helping me with the revival of my Roadster build. This front wheel has been the albatross around my neck that has really held up the progress. I'm VERY excited to be moving forward again! By next week I should be on two wheels!!

Jiggyfly wrote on 02/23/13 at 03:36:55:


Shucks; Took some digging, but I found it!
The front I think is 2.15, and 2.5 in the rear. Pretty sure that's right.

2.15 X 18" - 36 holes.

If you're looking at vintage rims, you have to be very careful about checking to see the angle that the holes are drilled at. Most of the old rims are from dirt bikes that had drum brakes; so the holes are drilled at a steeper angle. That works fine on the rear, but the front disc brake hub is much smaller, and the spokes will go into it at a straighter angle.

Honestly, when I bought the second rim for the front, I just guessed at the angles by looking at the photos on Ebay; the guy listing it had good close-up shots, and it worked out.

The rim that the guy originally used on the rear should have been laced to the front. I will be taking that off and mounting my other rim in a little bit, but I am waiting for $ to order the spokes.

That will leave me with a left over rim that is the right size and fit for the front wheel. These are not cheap, but I could sell it for $200 and ship it to you as long as you are in the continental US. If you're interested in these exact rims that is...

Just let me know!