psunami

can you get a heavier gauge spoke to replace the spokes in a 32 spoke wheel? and would this work to support the weight of fully loaded touring?

sstorkel

Depends on the gauge of your current spokes. What spokes do you have now?

Depends on what gauge spokes you end up with and how much you plan to carry; some people can be "fully loaded" in 30-40lbs, others want 60+lbs. It's certainly possible to make some very stout wheels with 32 spokes and the right rim. Without more info, it's impossible to know what you'll need.

Cyclesafe

If your wheel is not custom, it probably already has 14 gauge spokes. 13 guage are a specialty item, perhaps available from Wheelsmith...

https://www.wheelsmith.com/spokes_dh13.html

psunami

ive got weinmann double wall zac 19 rims, not sure what gauge spokes, they came with the bike. Not even sure if they need to be changed, i'm going to use my specialized hardrock to give touring a try and see how i like it. I've done some backpacking so i'll be using light gear, so maybe it'll be ok the way they are. I havent tried loading it down yet. I was just wondering if this might be a common upgrade.

psunami

and thanks for the info...appreciated.

hillsbreakme

I would just true the rear wheel and go if it is not that old. If the wheel has taken a beating maybe replace the spokes. Double butted spokes are supposed to increase the life of the wheel because they stretch more than straight spokes.

vik 

Get the wheels looked at by an expert wheel builder and have him check the tension. Unless he tells you there is a problem just go ride them.

I've been riding 32H 700c and 32H 26" wheels on my touring bikes with no issues. It's far more important that the wheel is tensioned properly than that you have a specific gauge of spokes.

NoReg

On the theory side going lighter as with the same size of butted spokes would actually be stronger. I don't really hold with that idea in general, but in this case there would be two likely failure modes of a 32 spoke vs. 36 or higher. One would be an unsupported bridge between the holes, that isn't anything spokes are going to help, but smoother running spokes sure won't hurt. The other would be excess loads at the holes so deep rim type deal without eyelet support and butted could help there. Once you have enough wheel then the straight spokes get to be an option because if the wheel is already strong enough then straight spokes are stronger still.

Other ways of improving things with lighter spokes are going to a lower gauge on the non-drive side, and going to the same spokes radial on the non-drive side.

Another option is straight spokes drive side, and butted radial side.

But in your case if you have any reason to worry about spokes the best upgrade is more of them.

You never really want to replace good spokes with a track record, they are proven and run in, they can go on for hundeds of thousands of miles and many rims.

Sixty Fiver

A 32 spoke mtb wheel that has been built properly will be plenty strong... my extrabike runs a 32 spoke rear wheel on a triple walled rim with a Shimano 105 hub (130 spacing).

It has been taking abuse for several years and I routinely haul as much as 100 pounds with this bike... have never touched the wheel with a spoke wrench.

NoReg

Yeah 32 spokes are fine on 26" rims. Unless you have some reason to believe otherwise as with folks who go with 40 or 48 spokes on 700c.

Rowan

Our tandem has 32 spokes front and rear. Neither of us are featherlight -- and I am certainly not lightweight. All-up weight is around 170kg/374lbs without the weight of the bike itself. The rims are Mavic A719s

There are several key factors. Rim extrusion, number of crosses in lacing the spokes (preferably 3x), and final tension.

psunami

"just true the wheel and go"

i like that one...we'll see how it goes. big thanks to everyone for the info. though, i'm sure i'll learn more as i go.

markf

If the spokes are evenly and sufficiently tensioned and the wheel is true, just go. If you feel the need to upgrade, butted spokes have better shock absorbing capacity than straight gauge, so they make a stronger wheel. DT and Sapim make excellent stainless steel butted spokes.

Proper wheel building technique is at least as important as the gauge and number of spokes. Good wheelbuilders will grease the spoke threads and use a tensiometer to ensure that the spoke tension is high enough and consistent through all the spokes.

If you want to learn more about building wheels, Jobst Brandt's book "The Bicycle Wheel" is a good place to start.

NoReg

That's good advice, and one of the things Jobst will tell you about is not to use 32 spoke wheels. On 700c of course.

https://yarchive.net/bike/spoke_count.html

cyccommute 

Yes, you can. 36 spokes or more would probably still be better depending on the load...including yourself...that the bike carries. The Alpines have a thicker head that fills the spoke hole at the hub making for a tighter fit (less movement per wheel cycle) and a stronger head that resists breakage. I've used them exclusively since around 2000 and have a mountain bike wheel that lasted for 10+ hard years until I loaned it to a gorilla that shifted the derailer into the wheel

If you are going to rebuild the wheels, I'd suggest building a 36 hole wheel since it's no more difficult to build a 36 than a 32.

fietsbob

No, not common to rebuild a wheel to replace spokes that have not broken ,
I too suggest , a wheel build, all new parts, since the lacing and truing
is most of the work anyhow..

or just buy spare spokes , pack them in the luggage,

and learn how to replace them and do wheel repairs on the road..

Rowan

I'm sure if you reread this, it's a bit confusing.

I think you probably meant to say that if the OP is going to rebuild his 32H wheels (just replacing his spokes), he might be better off getting some 36H rims and hubs and spokes and starting all over again. Which is going to cost him a small fortune, whcih he may or may not want to do.

The new 36H build might give him a sturdier wheel, but it might not (I've had 36H wheels that weren 't worth a pinch of the proverbial), and their longevity may depend on the actual all-up weight of the bike, him and his load; the type of touring he intends to do road versus gravel versus single track versus difficult mountain bike; and whether he intends to do a decade of touring, or just one or two.

As an aside, I've never bothered with butted spokes. They are somewhat more expensive than straight gauge, and need a certain additional dexterity in building to relieve twist.

About the only thing I have found useful in Brandt's book is the lacing method. Beyond that, it's just esoteric indulgence.

cyccommute 

If he is going to rebuild his existing wheels with new spokes, he won't save all that much over starting fresh...if he is sensible about his component choices. New spokes for his existing wheels and labor for deconstructing and rebuilding will cost him the same, regardless. Very good rims and hubs can be had for a song. Velocity Aero (a good rim for touring because of the shorter spoke) are around $40 ea and a set of Deore hubs will cost around $60. psunami's greatest cost will be the spokes...which he'd have to buy anyway.

I don't buy butted spokes for the middle section which is what most people buy them for. I buy the Alpines (Wheelsmith makes a similar product) for the reinforced head. I'm not after the weight savings nor the flexure of the middle section. The fact that the head fits tightly within the hub means that the head is subjected to less stress on each revolution of the wheel as the spoke is loaded and unloaded.