BMX - Building Rims

Hey!!!!! Last night i built my first rim and it was in perfect trueishness, except that it hops like up and down, like when i spin it, it make my arms go slightly up and down. well, yeah. and how much do your spokes usually stick out after you them all in but not tightened yet, right before you start goin around the rim tightening them one by one

Your spokes should never stick out above the top of the spoke nipples - ever. As long as you have things tightened evenly (most important thing!) then your wheel shouldn't hop and when things are tight your spokes should just about reach the top of the nipple, but never protrude above it.

oops!!!! cuz all the spokes stick out of the nipples. what did i do? theyre all perfectly even and stuff? oh well........

hey, is it cuz i need bigger nipples, cuz i have the bfr's, arent those deep dished rims? & what if i dont and just leave them like that? will it pop my innertube?

Yes, it will pop your tube.

When you build a wheelset you must have the right length spokes for the rim and the crossing pattern you are using to build your wheel and the hub you are using.

You find this out by asking your bike shop where you buy your spokes at.

So, if you had normal rims before and switched to a deeper rim then you need new spokes as well. The spoke nipples have nothing to do with it. Spokes come in hundreds of sizes and every rim/hub/crossing patterns requires a VERY specific length to work properly.

oh, cuz i used the crossing pattern you had up on your website, but mine isnt four cross so i just did whatever i could thing of. well, i guess i crossed them wrong then cuz i was noticing that, but theyre like all perfectly even and i dunno what do do. so i have to cross them a certain way?

It is covered on the site what a four cross pattern is. From where the spoke hits the hub to where it goes into the rim it should cross a total of four spokes if you are doing a four spoke cross pattern (4x). You don't HAVE to do it that way, but you have to have the right length spokes for whatever pattern you DO use.

If your new rims aren't identical to your old rims, but you are using your old spokes, then you may have done everything correctly, but your old spokes are to long to work with the new rims. Or new hubs if you got new hubs.

Rim + Hub + Lacing pattern = Length of spokes

Lacing pattern is either ZERO cross (radial), 1 cross (1x), 2 cross (2x), 3 cross (3x), or 4 cross (4x). Most riders use a 3x or a 4x pattern for strength. I have used both 4x and radial lace patterns and am going to stick with the 4x pattern which has worked well for me for years and is exactly what is shown on the site.

Here is the photo of it - you can count the 4 crosses. The first is before the spoke is even visible over the hub, the next two are easy to see and the last one the spoke is threaded behind the spoke from the other direction.

http://www.bmxtrix.com/how_to/tech_tips/wheel_images/wheel20.jpg

yeah, mines a three cross pattern, but i got this whole bike for free and when i took apart the rim, the spokes didnt stick out, so im pretty sure i did something wrong. but the rim is perfectly straight, i am lost. u know ne problems that might have occured?

Sounds like you should have used a 4x pattern. Time to relace. :(

i can use a 4x pattern on a 36 (i think it was, well somewhere around that number) spoke rim? cuz if i can, i might as well

bump!!!!!!

wat does bump mean?

i dunno, i guess its just to put my topic on the top of the page so someone can answer it?

Yeah, it 'bumps' it back to the top of the list.

I have not done a 36 hole 4x pattern, but it should be possible. I think my new rim/hub setup that I have is going to be 36h 4x.

ok, cool, ima try that out, and tell me how it ends up.

o ok, bump!!!!