Originally Posted by
hamster
So what you're saying is that I want my spokes to extend all the way to the end of the nipple flange, which is 2 mm past the inner wall of the rim?
That is what I strive for when calculating spoke lengths. I have built wheels with spokes that were kind of short, like 2mm short of reaching the end of the nipple just before the screwdriver flat on the non-drive spokes. The wheel built up fine but has broken a couple nipples on the person riding it (friend who understood that the non-drive side spokes were a hair too short). Its because the nipples are designed to have the spoke extend all the way through it to provide full support.