Shortening and re-threading spokes
After lacing up my 700c wheel with a 3-cross pattern, I've concluded the 296mm spokes are too long - actually my Park Tool spoke length gauge shows them to be around 294 - 295mm but they were ordered as 296. With the nipples all threaded to the point where the threads just disappear into the shaft of the nipple the spokes are still way too loose, the nipple heads aren't even seated onto the grommets and there's only another 3 mm or so before the unthreaded part of the spoke runs into the nipple threads - I feel like there needs to be some thread headroom to allow for truing and dishing. I imagine they could stand to be 2 - 3 mm shorter.
Rather than hunt down and pay for another set of these DT Swiss Alpine 3 spokes and have a bunch of spokes I can't use and maybe try to sell them on eBay for less than I paid, I'm looking at these Cyclo spoke threaders so I can use the spokes I have.
Do you see a problem with adding additional thread length to an already threaded spoke? As I understand it you roll the threads in stages with the threading head - so lets say I grind or cut 2 mm off a spoke, do you think it would be problematic to match it up to the portion of the threads that are already there and then add additional length to the threaded area?
Last edited by MyRedTrek; 10-08-21 at 05:38 AM.