Chigh59

Got a really good deal on Chris King R45D 28h front / 24h rear. Hubset was only $200 brand new, so while I'd rather have a higher spoke count on the rear (28/28), couldn't pass up the deal. Now, the question is, what spokes should I use for the rear? Will heavier duty/stiffer spokes would compensate for the lower spoke count, does it matter in terms of durability or comfort? Is 24 going to feel mushy regardless if I've been riding 32 on rear? Aside from possibly the looks is there anything else i should consider given this configuration? I'm not too heavy, avg power/technique. Building with alu hed rims. What would you recommend? Thanks

grumpus

Use top quality spokes and wind them up a bit tighter to compensate for the lower count, is what I'd try. Having said that I've never built 24s, 28s is as low as I'd dare go on my bikes (and I just don't like low count or radial so I avoid modern factory wheels). But 24s is only 15% less ...

FBinNY 

Yes, wheel stiffness depends on the combined spoke strength, so fewer thicker spokes is comparable to more thinner spokes. Depending on the dish, I'd consider using 14/13g single butt spokes on the right, matched with 14/16DB on the left.

Other than being good as bout the basics, my only suggestion is to use a stiff rim, preferably a deeper aero type. That added stiffness is needed to handle the longer spoke to spoke spans.

Don't forget that proper tension is proportional to spoke cross section, so you'll probably be going higher than you typically used with lighter spokes.

urbanknight

Deeper rear rim

base2 

28 front, 24 rear? Don't do it. The combination is nonsensical & just looking at it will eventually drive you nuts. Upon seeing the hideous monstrosity you created because you could, not because you should, Your grandmother is going to give you the stink-eye and conspicuously withdraw the nice plate of cookies on the coffee table while wondering where she went wrong raising you like that.

Any bike mechanic seeing a high-dollar hubs on a matched, custom wheel set with more spokes in the front is going to mark you as a gullible n00b with more money than sense. He may be polite, but you won't have his respect.

You ought to at least buy the matching 32 rear and or a 20 front (or both) for at least 1 complete and sensible wheel set. 28/32 & 20/24 are longstanding accepted combinations.

If you needed either individual wheel as a mismatched "repair" wheel that's a different story entirely. As that is totally understood normal occurrence. "Wrong" gets a free-pass because it's temporary & subordinate to riding at all. It's the full-on custom wheel set executed with premium components done "wrong" that is the status losing proposition. It screams desperation. People in your riding group will notice.

Do it right. The rear has more spokes because it carries the most load, does the propelling of the bicycle, has the greatest spoke tension differential on account of bracing angle and consequently is the most susceptible to damage. Intentionally going the wrong way round with fewer spokes in the rear flys in the face of reason.

Dean51 

^^^^. What base2 said. 'Could not agree more. It just looks wrong to me.

Dean

Black wallnut 

Huge chasm between can and should. +2 base2

FBinNY 

Since the OP clearly said he bought the hubs because they were a bargain he couldn't pass up, the question is "what now"?

Given that front wheels are easy, what matters is whether he can build a 24 spoke rear wheel suitable to his weight and riding needs.

If so, then there shouldn't be concerns about cosmetics or logic, since he already knows why. If the OP is the type who cares what people think, that's easily remedied with a good story, ie. "Oh that? I dented my rim, this is the front off my stage bike". or ..... borrowed the rear off my crit bike".