BlackPowder

Hey everyone,


Thought this would probably fit this sub forum best. Anyways, I found several spoke length calculators on the web, which one is the most accurate / most widely used / best one?


thanks,

SortaGrey

Calculators.. the one linked below works for me. All are dependent on the user imputing correct data
and understanding how the tool arrives at those figures.


https://lenni.info/edd/

jefscolnago

Thank you for that link!

Homebrew01

spocalc has worked for me. I've only built a few wheels recently and have not tried others.

mrrabbit 

All calculators basically use the same formula with minor differences.

1. SpokeCalc is a starter "edition" where YOU the user add to the database over time. Database-wise it is minimal and way behind the times. However it has the most detailed input and feedback form.

2. https://lenni.info/edd/ is web based, but contains many uncorrected hub specs due to high reliance on published manufacturer data where manufacturers either massage numbers or measure to wrong locations.

3. DT Swiss web based calculator works fine - especially when using their database. Once you go manual mode though - it can get hairy. You really need to play around with it to determine what it massages and what it doesn't massage during the calculation process such as adjustments made for nipple sizes.

4. https://www.mrrabbit.net/wheelsbyflemingapplications.php has SpokeChart 2.0 It is my own spreadsheet. It saves adjustments for hub spoke hole diameters for AFTER the initial calculation. An executable "spoke.exe" is also included to handle OCR and OSD rims...

While mine probably has the largest database of all - it is locked - i.e., end-user needs to check back in about every week for updates.

A lot of manufacturer "errors" are included - but they get corrected over time as I measure their products. Most recent examples were the XTR HB-950 and FH-950. Phil Wood's are another...

The continued addition of "tabs" are driven in part by the likes of AEO and others here on this forum due to paired, quad, and modified-triplet lacing arrangements that often come up.

=8-)

The most important thing to remember about all spoke length calculators is that you really need to play with each for awhile to understand what each does - and how they handle spoke hole diameters, OCR and OSD rims, and what they are really telling you on the output side of things.

Just hopping right into them for a first time wheel build can get you in trouble.

=8-)

BlackPowder

Thanks for the answers guys! I think Im gonna start with the DT spoke length calculator, it seems to be very detailed. One thing, it asks for the number of intersections (left and right) of the wheel. How do you determine those?

Or, if your you build a 36 hole cross 3 wheel, is 3 what you have to enter?

thanks,

mrrabbit 

Yep!

=8-)

BlackPowder

.. so by number of intersections dt swiss means the spoke pattern .. (36h cross 3) .. and not the actual number of intersections? cause those would be more than 3, if you have a 36 h cross 3 wheel.. ? .. just so I understand this perfectly right

FBinNY 

Yes, hey use the word intersection in lieu of cross, but it's the same meaning.

BTW- as mrrabbit said, first time use of a calculator can lead to spokes off size either way by up to 2mm or so. That's because of variations in how they measure or define inputs.

For example, spokes are measured from the inside of the elbow, while holes measured on center. With a 2mm spoke, that's a difference of 1mm in the location at the hub. Also, some may specify the rim's actual diameter at the nipples seat, while others add 2-3mm and spec the desired height of a spoke in the nipple when built. So there's a but f fudge, but IME, every calculator is 100% consistent (not counting spec. errors) so if you measure your own the same way, or if the specs are right, you'll know how to adjust the result, and that's be the same every time. A good reason to pick one calculator and stay with it.

tomacropod

Damon Rinard's Spocalc Excel file has been excellent for me, the database it comes with has many hundreds of hubs and spokes. I've had the same version of the file for the last 10 years, and have added a few hundreds entries of my own, for rims and hubs I tend to use more.

- Joel

3alarmer 

I've had good results with Roger Musson's @ https://www.wheelpro.co.uk/spokecalc/

Use the instructions at his link for measuring your rims and hubs.
As in all things of this nature, YMMV.

BlackPowder

OK where would I find Damon Rinards Spocalc Excel file?

thanks,

FBinNY 

There's a link to it on the Sheldon Brown site.

BTW- all calculators are comparably accurate, since it's a straightforward mathematical formula. The only difference is the correction factors such as allowance for spoke height in the nipple. So the key isn't which you use but that you stay with the same one so you get consistent results.

There may also be differences in the accuracy of the databases. I also use Spokecalc but I don't rely on any databases including theirs. I ensure reliable results by measuring everything myself, and maintain a log of those rims and hubs I use often.