Wheel Lacing

[Chakka]

I just finished lacing an Akront rim onto a straight hub for my Six Day. What a nightmare. I have new respect for the people at KTM that had that job. Oh well, battered and bloody I still won the fight and all I have to do now is true it up. Anybody have a technique they would like to share on trueing and final tightening?

Chris

[wildman]

Lacing a wheel shouldn't be that big of a job. Did you install the inner spokes first then the outside? In any case, tighten all the spokes so about the same amount of thread shows at all nipples, then count turns or half-turns until they are all just snug. Did you oil the threads? Now a truing stand is nice but you can use an axel and vise to hold the wheel, and rig up some kind of pointer.
Start by truing up the side to side wobble first by tightening the "out" side, only a half or turn at a time. Don't try to take it all up on one spoke. You will see where the rim starts to run out, start tightening progressively to the worst wobble. If too much tightening on one side. loosen up the other side. After getting the side to side close, do the radial truing, same way. Go back and forth from side to radial and gradually tighten spokes until all are tight. Tapping on the spokes, they will ring if tight and thud if loose. A spoke torque wrench is nice but I never used one in years of wheel lacing. A dial indicator will get you very close for runout but eyeball is usually close enough for dirt work. Hope this helps, Wildman

1975 250 Cross Country, 1974 175 Jackpiner, 1975 125

[Doug Wilford]

Chris;
There are alot of different methods and personal preferences on how to true a wheel.   #1 you need some kind of a wheel jig, even putting it back on the bike, or the axel verticle in a vise.    What you need is something solid that you can  measure from.   After all the nipples are started, I take up on the nipples equally around the whole wheel, the first time maybe leaving 4 threads showing, the second time take up equally leaving 1 thread showing.    Here is the kicker:  What year is the Penton you are doing the wheel for?  There are some of the CMF 72-up that wheel is offset 1/2/-5/8"   Keeping your tightening sequence the same, now counting turns, until all the nipples are snug.   You will have a few nipples that will need more turns to bring to snug.   Check the out of round as you are now ready to start aligning,  as you check the out of round also be checking the wiggle back and forth, etc etc, etc, You may have to loosen the low parts and tighten the high or visa versa.   Stay calm and have fun.

[Chakka]

Thanks for the pointers guys.
Wildman, I did oil the spokes when reassembling, I didn't realize about inner and outer spokes until about the third try at my "jigsaw puzzle". Once that dawned on me...and I am slow, it bacame just one after the other and wasn't too hard. Im going to build a jig for trueing today.

Doug the hub is off a 1973 Six Day and it is slated to go in the 74' frame I have along with the motor you just rebuilt. I didn't notice an offset on the hub. It seems like this is a project where patience is required so I will put the wheel in a jig, relax and start spinning.

Chris

[Rocket]

Chakka
Now that you have the full-width hub mastered, go for the conicalrear hub!!
Rocket

[firstturn]

Rocket,
  I can remember the first one I tackled...I think it was a Maico.

Ron Carbaugh

[john durrill]

Chris,
 You can make up a wheel jig from 2 pieces of wood. we used 2x2 inch stock. cut the same length. Cut a v notch on one end of each for the axel to rest in, We bolted ours to a work bench. Then used some cable ties that will clamp around a marker pen. Wrapped them around the pen an used a wood screw to bolt it in place. You can slide them in and out for different wheel sizes. Its worked for us for many years. The first wheel I did , I use two kitchen chairs and some coat hangar's. Chuckle chuckle!!!!. It took a long time but it did work.
Just be patient and dont over tighten .
 Hope this helps ,
John & Peter D.

[Merlin]

..........axel is not correct,axle is............conical rear to lace,short side first................

[john durrill]

Merlin,
 Could you go in to a little more detail in your post? I have only done 2 conical wheels . Both were Triumph rears. I did measure any offset befor we removed the old spokes. Put the new rim and spokes back on and used the 2x2 jig. I had no trouble trueing the wheel. I must be missing something in your post chuckle chuckle.
 Thanks,
John D.

[Chakka]

Thanks to all for the excellent input and advice. Im going to build a jig tomorrow night. I spent this evening removing tank stripe decals. Rocket, I am happy to say I have only one conical wheeled Penton and it's already laced nicely. I do on the other hand have 3 more straight hubs that will eventually need to get done....yuck ! I definitely like the fiberglass work and painting much better.

Chris

[john durrill]

Chris,
 Remember what Doug said about some fronts have an offset to one side.
 He told me about that just as I had completed a new rim for a 35 mm set of forks. The wheel came off a 32 mm front fork set up.  Their was about 3/8 of an inch offset to one side i had missed .  It was simple for me to fix with a turn or so on on one side( looseing) and the same amount tightning on the opposite side but i could have saved a lot of time if i had known it up front.
John D.

[Rain Man]

Chris, I welded a steel plate unto a cut down swing arm and made a truing stand with that, utilizing the bikes haxzel.
 Anybody know what the final specs are suppose to be ??

Raymond
 Down East Pentons

[Rain Man]

Chris, I welded a steel plate unto a cut down swing arm and made a truing stand with that, utilizing the bikes haxzel.
 Anybody know what the final specs are suppose to be ??

Raymond
 Down East Pentons

[Rain Man]

Chris, I welded a steel plate unto a cut down old swing arm and utilize the bikes haxzel.
    anyone know what the tolerances should be??

Raymond
 Down East Pentons

[OUCWBOY]

Raymond,
You can say that again!

Donny Smith