Originally Posted by
mrrabbit
Shimagnolo, I've said this before way back in another thread - the nipple drawings you are using are INCORRECT. A standard profile nipple has approx 1/2mm of vertical downward thickness from the flat BEFORE it starts to curve in toward the rim seat.
Your drawing misleads people into thinking that coming up 1/2 to 1mm short of the flat is already too short - which is not the case.
So long as the spoke end penetrates the lower portion of the head AND the rim seat thickness - things are okay. Typically, this point is roughly 1mm below the flat.
OP, don't look too much at the threads showing on the nipple barrel side - look down instead into the top (head) of the nipple. If you came up more than a millimeter short of the flat - i.e., it appears to be 2-3mm below the flat - then YES, your spokes are too short.
=8-)
You're splitting hairs. Shimagnolo's point is that the spoke must engage the head of the nipple, which acts as a nut, vs. the shank which should be thought of as an extension stem for turning the nut from the outside. I do agree with you that there's a bit of fudge room in the gray area between correct and incorrect, but builders should be mindful of the concept.
My personal guideline is that the first full thread must reach 2mm up into the head from the base. As you note that can be well short of the slot depending on the nipple, but assuming there's enough thread, better long than short.