The Nimbus Dominator ll, aka, Stealth ll, has slightly staggered spoke holes, but the spoke hole directly left of the valve hole - which is where you would normally place your key spoke - is below the centerline, or just the reverse of most rims. So my question is, would the key spoke just go one more hole to the left? The only other option would be to insert it one hole to the right (which is also above centerline) of the valve hole, but I’m pretty sure that would be wrong.
For further clarification, the orientation would be with the rim placed on a flat surface with the valve hole farthest from you, at 12:00, holding the hub (non-disc in my case) in the center of the rim, top flange facing up, and dropping your first spoke through the hub, and attaching it to the corresponding correct top hole on the rim. I just need to know which hole, since I can’t use the first hole to the left of the valve hole. Also, 36 holes, 3x.
I just had a look at two Dominator-II rims/wheels I have – a 29" and a 32" and both of them, in the orientation you describe, have the hole to the left of the valve above/going-up, so your rim sounds a bit unusual as you say – it is as if the valve hole was drilled between the wrong spoke holes.
Anyhow, I don’t think that going an extra hole to the left is an option as it will probably end up reducing the spacing at the valve for getting the pump in, so I think you’ll have to go to the right and do everything in ‘reverse’ as it were. I don’t lace wheels often enough to keep the procedure in my head though.
As an aside, looking at my 32" just now I saw that the flange has broken out since it was last used, which was a bit unexpected – the 29" (which has a KH Moment aluminium hub) broke out on the flange as well a while back – so that is two wheels I’ll have to redo now, so that will maybe get lacing back technique in my head…
Holy cow, you are 100% correct! I had totally forgotten that I had drilled a smaller hole to fit a presta valve tube. And did indeed inadvertently drill between the wrong holes! Thanks for letting me know.
Yeah, I knew about the adapters but because the original Schrader valve hole was so huge, the adapters wouldn’t fit properly, and I just decided to drill a separate hole.
This site has an excellent write up on lacing up wheels that makes it very clear what the key spokes are depending on the orientation of the spoke hole drilling. Usually when I would lace up wheels I would watch a few different video guides to help me find the key spokes, though the guide I linked is probably my new favorite one to use.
Yeah, I’ve built several wheels based on one youtube video in particular. It skips the BS, as its title describes and is straight-forward and easy to follow. For a basic 36h, 3 cross, keyspoke into the spoke hole to left of valve hole, then working clockwise skipping 3 holes as you go. Then flip the wheel, inserting first spoke into hub hole (looking straight down through it) just to the right of keyspoke, and attaching to the first hole to right of each spoke, then repeating the pattern on the other side. When 1st and 2nd set are done, give hub a clockwise twist, and this time feed spokes so the heads are now inside of the hub. This 3rd set will shoot off in the opposite direction of first 2 sets. The pattern is over, over, under, and skip one hole. Follow this pattern for the final set after flipping. Then what I do is spin the nipples down just until threads disappear, then it’s off to the truing stand.
Ah, you always lace the disc brake rear wheel. The explanation is great. I couldn’t do it better. I laced my 29-inch Muni with 36 holes, 4-way cross spokes, and also laced the disc brake rear wheel. It works. I also laced the 24-inch with 48 holes, 4-way cross spokes, and laced the disc brake rear wheel. If you know how to lace, it’s easy.
– luckily I think I have a steel 125mm disc hub squirrelled away somewhere.
Usually when I would lace up wheels I would watch a few different video guides to help me find the key spokes, though the guide I linked is probably my new favorite one to use.