# Whizzer Spokes, Interlace Or Not.



## hoser1 (May 18, 2016)

I'm trying to build wheels for my Whizzer using 11 Ga. spokes using 4 cross. Is it necessary to interlace the fourth spoke? The spokes are thick and look like they are bending some. Thanks for any comments.


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## bairdco (May 19, 2016)

Interlacing makes a more rigid wheel, but isn't really necessary, especially with 11 or 12g spokes.

Most new wheelsets I've seen don't even do it anymore, no matter what the spoke guage. 

I've built many wheels for motorized bikes that exceed 50mph, and sometimes I interlace them, sometimes I don't. Hasn't made a difference. 

Also, depending on how exact your spoke length is, sometimes the interlaced spokes end up a tiny bit shorter, which can make them not thread to the end of the nipple, which can cause them to snap.

Vice versa, if your spokes are a hair too long, interlacing can take up an extra few millimeters so you don't have to grind the tips off.

And a final note, interlaced spokes can cause your wheel to creak, as the spokes rub together as they flex. I call it the "cricket effect." 

I've even seen old, heavy duty wheels where the spokes are flat-spotted from rubbing together after many years of not being trued and tensioned once in a while.


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## rustjunkie (May 19, 2016)

No, and while there are a few tests showing that interlacing adds zero strength to a wheel, I've never seen a test that showed it did.


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## bairdco (May 19, 2016)

I've found wheels I've interlaced on alloy rims are noticeably stiffer. This was on klunkers and 26" bmx cruisers, and without any preconceived notions of it being better one way or the other. 

But not enough that it mattered to me, or the wheel.

You'll find a thousand arguments about lacing techniques if you care to look, even between the top engineers (jobst brandt and zinn,) but none of it really matters.

I've built wheels with 70 year old, used and rusted parts, and they stayed true, even after drunken curb smashes. Usually.


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## hoser1 (May 19, 2016)

Thanks for the replies.


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