Lacing rear wheel
 

This rear wheel is killing me. Took photos of it before I tore it apart and I am putting it back together exactly the same way, but the drive side spokes become too short to reach the nipples. Any advice? I swapped spoke sides and it works but the drive side was too long and the non drive was a bit short. It is a 24 spoke

Assuming flanges of roughly the same size and a normal crossed pattern on both, then the right spokes should have been about 2mm shorter. If my assumptions are correct, and your right spokes are more than 2mm shorter than the left recheck the calculation.

Otherwise odds are you made a lacing error, but you haven't furnished enough data or photos, so more specific advice is impossible at this stage.

Thanks for the reply. I know I have the correct spoke lengths because they are the same spokes that I tore down. The wheel was together before I took it apart. The non drive side is not a cross pattern. The drive side spokes are shorter but when lacing them up they become too short to reach the nipple

You laced it off my one hole on the hub-flange on one side. Take a look at this picture from Sheldon Brown:

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...ke1stCross.gif
http://sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html#lacing

1. Lay a small ruler or pen or big toothpick across the hub-flanges
2. note that one spoke on the left-flange and one spoke on the right-flange is ahead of and behind the toothpick?
3. these spokes correspond to the orange and red spoke-pairs leading up to the rim
4. the spoke that's behind on the flange should also be behind on the rim.

You got one of them off and the entire side is off on the hub-flange.

I suspect you might have relaced with one cross too many. Usually 28h wheels are laced 2x, and in some cases only 1x (but not laced over under).

If you've taken it apart, try lacing the right flange first. If 2x the crossing spokes have 2 holes between them -- one for the 1st crossing spoke, 1 for the spoke going the same way, and the 3rd for the 2nd crossing spoke.

Are you saying the NDS is radial laced? That side will then have the shorter spokes.

Yes the NDS it is radial laced. But when I put the longer spokes on the drive side, they are a bit too long and the NDS is a bit too short

Start by putting your city of residence in your profile. This will let a local know refer you to a good source near you.

Then, either post photos, or better yet, find a local co-op, where you can bring the partly laced wheel for a look see. Odds are there's something simple going on and with the wheel in hand someone can point it out in 3 seconds flat,rather than us here playing blind man's bluff with you.

Meanwhile, one last shot in the dark. Do you by any chance have an offset drilled rim (either zig zag, or all the spokes to one side) and if so are you sure you're going in the right direction. If all the spokes are offset to one side, than that side should usually be to the left,to reduce the effects of dish. Also, are you running the radial spokes elbow out vs. elbow in which calls for a longer spoke?