Lacing pattern for vintage 40 spoke rear wheels (and front ones)

[Dr pepper]

Not that I'm Ott on restoring my vintage bicycle to original, however what would be a typical spoke lace for a 50's commuter.
I've done 3 and 4 cross enough times to be good at it.
The SA Gh6 that came with mine according to the previous owner was originally laced radial, surely that can be right can it.

 

[88robb]

Radial lacing on that Sturmey-Archer hub is correct and original.

For a strong, typical pattern:

Use Two-Cross (2x) lacing for both front and rear wheels. It's the standard for vintage commuters.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Radial spokes cannot transmit torque. Therefore not suitable on rear wheels or front wheels with disc brakes.

 

[Chris S]

If you're going for originality then Raleighs didn't have interlaced spokes until the 1960s. All the ones I've seen have had three cross lacing.

 

[Dr pepper]

I did 3x and it seems Ok to me.
Looking online I've seen some that are 3x on the large flange side and 2x on the other.
I dont know why Sa put slots between the spoke holes, sure doesnt help.
Shoving a spoke nipple in the hole kinda helps, I wonder if they laced up 2 neighbouring spokes together.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I did 3x and it seems Ok to me.
Looking online I've seen some that are 3x on the large flange side and 2x on the other.
I dont know why Sa put slots between the spoke holes, sure doesnt help.
Shoving a spoke nipple in the hole kinda helps, I wonder if they laced up 2 neighbouring spokes together.

You did just fine.

I don't know how large the flanges on your hub are, but typically fewer crosses in spokes is what's needed for large flange hubs, deep section rims or a combination of the two. The smaller the flange and shallower the rim, the more crosses you can build with.

3X is just fine. If a spoke doesn't cross another spoke's head at the hub flange, you are OK.

I can't picture the slots you talk about? Could we see a photo please?

 

[atb1983]

If it’s a 50s commuter with a Sturmey Archer GH6, the usual pattern was 3-cross rear and 3-cross front. Radial was rare on those because the torque from the hub generator would stress the flanges too much.

 

[Dr pepper]

Yep here goes, the tooling and manufacturing process of the hub would have been simpler and quicker with the slots.
I read somewhere when they first came out people where building them into wheels radial style as they didnt know how to lace properly, not sure if theres any truth in that, I dont they spose they had the luxury of the net in those days.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Yep here goes, the tooling and manufacturing process of the hub would have been simpler and quicker with the slots.
I read somewhere when they first came out people where building them into wheels radial style as they didnt know how to lace properly, not sure if theres any truth in that, I dont they spose they had the luxury of the net in those days.
View attachment 790018

thanks, now I understand. It seems this would make it possible to put the spoke head through the hole withouth threading it through. New to me.

 

[Ian H]

thanks, now I understand. It seems this would make it possible to put the spoke head through the hole withouth threading it through. New to me.

It's used where there are unequal flanges, the larger one making it difficult to thread the spokes through the smaller flange. It's more usually a simple keyhole shape.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

It's used where there are unequal flanges, the larger one making it difficult to thread the spokes through the smaller flange. It's more usually a simple keyhole shape.

That makes sense. Nowadays all the flanges are more or less equal and you can squeeze the spoke past. These strange things predate my history with bikes.

 

[Dr pepper]

Yes I see now, you'd be bending the spokes past the larger flange to get them in straight round holes.
They are kinda keyhole shaped.