Subject: Re: Twist lacing and other exotic patterns Posted by: Keith Frey on May 19, 2006 at 14:45:50: In Reply to: Re: Twist lacing and other exotic patterns posted by Steve J on December 17, 2003 at 13:01:46:

Message: >>does anyone know how to twist lace a bmx wheel with 36 holes, hub and wheel? >I saw a twist-laced wheel at the class with Ric Hjertberg. Definately looks neat, but I don't know of any advantages. On a 700c wheel there is enough spoke to work with. On a BMX wheel there would be quite a bit less spoke length and usually the spokes are thicker. >My limited wheel building experience would say that you would have to really make sure the spoke head is "set" in the hub flange before tensioning. Depending on the spoke length and guage, you may need some smooth jaw pliers to make the twists. >Calculating spoke length should prove interesting. I don't know of any spoke programs that figure in twisted pairs. >I would also be curious to know what tension the twisted spoke pairs should run. >Good luck & have fun with it. > I built over 100 twist lace wheels. You add 4mm to the lenth. The twisting is easy, you just double twist them where they would cross. It works best with 26" wheels. I build them on my 24" ctuisers as well. I have built 700c wheels for fixed gear guys. It does make a much stiffer wheel, because you are cutting the spoke lenth in half, much like tie and solder.