Lacing a Bendix 2-Speed Hub to a 26" S5 Rim

[Buses-N-Bikes]

Like the title says, I wanted to see if anyone has ever tackled this kind of project before or maybe something similar. The hub flange on the Bendix looks to be about 3" in diameter (see pics); the hub that came on the S5 rim when I bought it is 2". I assume I will need to locate shorter spokes. Does anyone know what length spokes I would need? I've never laced a rim before so this will be a "trial by fire" project. If possible, I'd like to re-lace the Bendix hub in the same pattern as the smaller hub on the rim currently just to keep it simple. I've heard of "Cross 3 and Cross 4" spoke patterns but I'm not sure what to look for to know the difference. Any help will be hugely appreciated!

S5 rim and the Bendix 2-Speed I want to lace.


Flange on the hub is about 3 inches in diameter.


The raised center of the S5 rim. A consideration in choosing the correct spoke length?


Thanks in advance everyone!

 

[udallcustombikes]

Schwinn offered the kickback on several of their light weight bikes so it can be done. The three and four cross refers to the number of spokes any one spoke crosses. There are several spoke calculators online that can help you determine the length needed. My LBS has a program on their computer that has most all hubs and rims in it's database. He plugs in the hub (Bendix Automatic) and rim (Schwinn S5) and lacing pattern and it tells what length spokes are needed. As to the actual lacing of the wheel, there's some good videos on YouTube to show you how. Your first wheel will take you a while but once you get the hang of it you will get faster. Last pair I did took me about 45 minutes to lace and true up.

 

[cashman]

I've laced the Bendix Multispeed which has the same diameter as the kickback into the S-2 and other balloon rims and I just used the same 10 5/8" spokes that the ND and Bendix RB used. With the freewheel hub they might end up a little long but lace it up snug first and you might have to cut some excess off the top of the nipple.

 

[Bendix]

FWIW, if you're going to overhaul the hub lace the wheel while the guts are out. Lighter and much easier to handle. True and tension after reassembly... :wink:

 

[B607]

When you switch a single speed Bendix with a 2 speed kickback on 26" S-2's and S-7's you use spokes that are 1/2" shorter. I don't know if that holds true with an S-5 or not. Gary

 

[clamdigger]

B-N-B, Go for a cross-3 lacing. Tip- see in your photo how the valve stem is between 2 spokes that do not cross each other ? The other groups of 4 do. You want that! For spoke length calculation education read the United Bicycle Institute explanation under spoke calculator at http://www.bikeschool.com ( click on the question marks). The plug and play calculator at pro wheel builder does not have your rim or hub listed. For how to lace the wheel see http://www.bikewebsite.com/build.htm

 

[Jpromo]

Gary's 1/2" shorter spoke rule is legit. You won't be able to reuse the same spokes, especially if you're using a front wheel it appears. I've laced up a handful of high flange hubs and they've all been 4-cross.

 

[Buses-N-Bikes]

Wow! Very helpful answers so far! Thanks to everyone who has replied. I did some rough measuring last night and the old spokes currently on the S5 rim are 10 7/8" long. So that would mean I would need to find spokes at 10 3/8" in length; does that sound correct?. To clarify, the rim pictured that the Bendix will lace to is in fact a rear rim; it had a 5 cog freewheel on it when I bought the set. My LBS removed that for me for a minimal charge. 8)

I do have the front rim as well so I could use that as a pattern reference when I lace the back (as long as there isn't a difference between how a front and rear rim should be laced :mrgreen: )

 

[B607]

I did some rough measuring last night and the old spokes currently on the S5 rim are 10 7/8" long. So that would mean I would need to find spokes at 10 3/8" in length; does that sound correct?.

10 7/8 is also the length of S7 spokes laced to a Bendix single speed. 10 3/8 is the correct length for lacing a Bendix kickback to an S7. I'm betting your S5 is the same. 10 3/8"...go for it. Gary

 

[Buses-N-Bikes]

So I finally got time to take the rear S5 rim completely apart and do a more precise measurement of the spokes used with the smaller 2 inch hub that was on there. Turns out they are actually 11 inches in length from the elbow to the tip of the threads. So it looks like I will need to find 10 1/2 inch spokes, which might make my search a little easier (I hope). They are also .080 (2mm) in diameter (80 gauge?). I'll be hitting the monthly bike swap tomorrow morning so I'll be on the look out for a NOS box of 36. My hope is to start lacing the Bendix by tomorrow afternoon. Wish me luck!

 

[B607]

.080 spokes would be 12 gauge. 12 ga. spokes on an S-5 rim don't sound right. Should be 14 ga. spokes. Check the spoke holes in the old hub and in the kickback and see if they are the same size. You may have to drill the holes in the kickback to fit 12ga. spokes. Some kickbacks came with 12 ga. spokes like on tandems.
And...Good Luck! Gary

 

[Bendix]

I believe .080 is a 'normal' 2mm/14ga spoke and 12ga is actually .105.

No need to go to any great length searching for "NOS" (unless you want dull old Torringtons), any LBS can get you a box of basic 10 1/2" (266/267mm) spokes, they're not expensive.

 

[B607]

I believe .080 is a 'normal' 2mm/14ga spoke and 12ga is actually .105.

My bad. I looked at the American Wire Gauge chart instead of the spoke chart. In the AWG, .080 is 12ga.! Gary

 

[Buses-N-Bikes]

Again, I want to thank everyone who submitted advice to help me along with this project. Unfortunately, after spending the better part of an entire afternoon and into the evening wrestling with the all the issues I encountered, I came to the painful conclusion that I might have bit off more than I can chew by trying to tackle something of this magnitude as a first-timer. I won't get into all the scenarios I had to endure. :banghead: While at the bike swap last week, I was told of a LBS that specialized in custom lacing of vintage rim/hub combos, so I reluctantly decided to give them a call. Long story short, they did the job while I waited and it came out magnificent! The best part was their final price was so amazingly reasonable (including new spokes and nipples) that it made me wonder why I even considered tackling this on my own in the first place! Here are pics of the final results:



This doesn't mean I've given up on learning how to lace a rim. I will however start by practicing on a spare front wheel set first, and expand my knowledge from there. I think if I plan to stay in this hobby, it is a skill that will definitely pay dividends in the long run.

 

[B607]

We racked our brains for you and you end up farming out the job? HA! Doing a switch like you did and learning to lace at the same time probably was too much. Try this. Get two good condition wheels that match. Take all the spokes out of one, then put it back together using the other wheel to copy off of. That's how I learned. Enjoy that kickback! Gary

 

[Buses-N-Bikes]

Thanks Gary. Yeah, it was a pretty frustrating decision to have to make considering the whole idea of this build was to do all the work myself. It didn't help that I had put a deadline on myself to try and finish this project before all the holiday craziness got started, so time turned out to be a deciding factor as well. I do have an old unused matching wheel set sitting around that I can practice on. Big thanks again for all the help and advice! Soon as I get this bike finished up, I'll post up pics of it to share with you all.