# Flightliner wheel rebuild question



## mtnbikinbryno (Dec 6, 2009)

Hi all, new to the forum and I'd appreciate some help!

I'm rebuilding a wheel from a JC Higgins Flightliner. I pulled the spokes (without looking at the pattern first  ), went to the LBS, and got some new spokes that are very close in size to the original spokes - very slightly longer. 

I'm rebuilding the wheel with a 3-cross pattern and running into a problem with the new spokes being too long -  long enough that if I leave it as-is, I'll have to dremel the tops of the threads off or I will pop a tube, even with spoke tape on top. The spokes aren't even tightened up yet and I'm already sticking out from the top of the nipples a 16th of an inch. 

Here's a picture of the wheel when I first got it - I colored in some of the drive-side spokes; green are trailing and red are leading. This does look like a regular 3-cross pattern, right?  






Another picture of the wheel but not edited: 




And a picture of the wheel with the new spokes installed in a 3-cross: 




Any other ideas of what I might be doing wrong?  I've checked and checked and I'm 99% sure I reinstalled the spokes correctly for a 3 cross. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!


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## HIGGINSFOREVER (Dec 6, 2009)

Are you going three over then one under every forth hole?there is something wrong with your wheel,pattern just dont look right.check sheldon browns site for wheel building.i just did a set for a roll fast that was a four cross and the spokes were 10and5/8'.The spokes cant be very close to the right size,get the right length and start over.If the spokes are to long you may use up all the threads trying to true the wheel.


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## mtnbikinbryno (Dec 6, 2009)

HIGGINSFOREVER said:


> Are you going three over then one under every forth hole?there is something wrong with your wheel,pattern just dont look right.check sheldon browns site for wheel building.i just did a set for a roll fast that was a four cross and the spokes were 10and5/8'.The spokes cant be very close to the right size,get the right length and start over.If the spokes are to long you may use up all the threads trying to true the wheel.




I'm going over two trailing spokes, then crossing the third and going into every fourth hole. I did reference the Sheldon Brown write up while I was building them. I dunno, when I compare the build to other existing wheels, it looks right (I agree, it's hard to interpret and it looks odd in the picture... but in person, it looks right). Which is why I was wondering if it was originally a different pattern, or if I did something wrong while building them. 

Did any original wheelsets have spoke tape between the rim itself and the nipple flange, that would add some length? As I said, the spokes are very close to the length of the spokes that came off the wheel... maybe a 16th of an inch longer.


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## Gordon (Dec 6, 2009)

*spokes*

I haven't built many wheels, but is it possible you are off one hole? If you move each spoke one hole will the spoke length then be closer to correct?


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## Beaverdam (Dec 7, 2009)

That's a 4 cross pattern. There's a cross at the hub flange you're not counting.


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## mtnbikinbryno (Dec 7, 2009)

Beaverdam said:


> That's a 4 cross pattern. There's a cross at the hub flange you're not counting.









Yes, it is, thanks. I tore apart the last build and the 4-cross works out great.


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