Head In vs. Head Out Spoke Length?

[classtimesailer]

I just decommissioned a rear MTB wheel with a cracked flange: Bullseye hub, DT Champion, Saturae X22. And in saving the spokes for some future use I noticed that the head in spokes are 1mm longer. It kinda makes sense but who does that? NDS 275 and 274. DS 273 and 272.

[MikeD]

No, it doesn't make sense. All spokes on the same side should be the same length; head in or out doesn't matter.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by classtimesailer

I just decommissioned a rear MTB wheel with a cracked flange: Bullseye hub, DT Champion, Saturae X22. And in saving the spokes for some future use I noticed that the head in spokes are 1mm shorter. It kinda makes sense but who does that? NDS 275 and 274. DS 273 and 272.

That's quite odd. Even in the worst case (small diameter rim, wide flange offsets, thick flanges), the difference in the ideal length of the inside and outside spokes will be about 1/2 mm at most. In most cases, the difference in ideal length of the spokes will be a fraction of a millimeter, and given that spokes generally come in 1mm (or sometimes 2mm) increments, the difference is not enough to matter.

[classtimesailer]

It's gotta be less than a mm difference for the wrap around the outside of the flange but the builder of this wheel apparently accounted for it. There is a noticeable consistent bend in toward the rim on head in spokes. Ya, lots of folks get by with nearest even mm.

Misstyped in OP. Longer spokes are head in.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by classtimesailer

I just decommissioned a rear MTB wheel with a cracked flange: Bullseye hub, DT Champion, Saturae X22. And in saving the spokes for some future use I noticed that the head in spokes are 1mm longer. It kinda makes sense but who does that? NDS 275 and 274. DS 273 and 272.

Nope, head in or head out doesn't mean different length spokes. Poor calculation, didn't have enough same length, something...

And often, when buying spokes they are often + or - 1mm...for those bulk spokes cut on big machines..zillions at a time.

[dddd]

I read the OP's post as meaning some of the spoke nipples were installed head-in from the rim end, and which would warrant a considerable change in spoke length. Thinking about it for another five seconds, the rim would ideally also have different-sized holes in it, who does that lol.