Spoke heads out only on this Chorus hub?

[smontanaro]

I mangled the rim on a front wheel (A23, Chorus hub). I got the replacement rim yesterday and started lacing it, then got to wondering... It had previously been built with spoke heads alternately inside and out, but the spoke holes on the hub are clearly countersunk only on the outside:



Was this hub meant to be laced with all spoke heads facing out? I can't use the rear hub as a reference, as none of the spoke holes are countersunk.

[Mark McM]

Those spoke head countersinks are just an aesthetic choice. If you tried to actually lace all the spokes heads-out there would be sharp bend in the spokes on top of the other spokes at the first crossing (near the flange spoke holes).

Some people have actually laced all the spokes with the heads on one side, but that's usually done by lacing the spokes all heads-in in order to increase the wheel's lateral stiffness (due to increasing the effective flange offset). Lacing the spokes all heads-out would decrease the wheel's lateral stiffness, possibly to the detriment of handling and stability.

[smontanaro]

Thanks. I'm lacing them as they were previously. I was mostly curious. I saw nothing about leaving them head in or out, but your explanation make sense.