Half Radial lacing rear wheel
04-11-21, 10:22 PM
#26
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2020
Posts: 702
Bikes: '23 Poseidon Redwood, '07 Specialized Roubaix Comp Triple, '12 Gravity Fixie, '21 Liv Rove 4, '06? Giant EB Spirit
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 345 Post(s)
Liked 237 Times
in
151 Posts
Went to my LBS today and was surprised to find several half radial rear wheels from Giant.
04-12-21, 12:07 AM
#27
Senior Member
Most of these are laced 2:1 with 21 spokes.
Pretty hard to come up with a different NDS lacing pattern with 7 spokes.
Not sure why you are surprised though, plenty of manufacturers love radial lacing because it saves time.
Pretty hard to come up with a different NDS lacing pattern with 7 spokes.
Not sure why you are surprised though, plenty of manufacturers love radial lacing because it saves time.
Likes For Mackers:
04-12-21, 12:15 PM
#28
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Chapel Hill NC
Posts: 1,683
Bikes: 2000 Litespeed Vortex Chorus 10, 1995 DeBernardi Cromor S/S
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 645 Post(s)
Liked 797 Times
in
446 Posts
I got bit by the wheel lacing bug. I did a rim brake rear 28Hole with 3X lacing both sides and its great. Now I'm addicted to doing other patterns. I'm thinking of trying a radial non drive side pattern with 3X drive side. Other than the small weight savings due to the radial spokes, are there other benefits? According to Sheldon Brown it appears it will make the tension of the spokes more equal if the heads of the spokes go "out" for the radial spokes.
Also, I'm thinking of using butted spokes for weight, potentially more shock absorption (is this a myth?) and better fatigue life of the spokes. Again, this is for a RIM brake bike with 28 holes (mavic open pro) and Bitex RAR12 hub. Probably Sapim spokes and nipples (brass).
I'm NOT a racer but appreciate a high performance machine.
Thoughts?
Thanks for your insight
Also, I'm thinking of using butted spokes for weight, potentially more shock absorption (is this a myth?) and better fatigue life of the spokes. Again, this is for a RIM brake bike with 28 holes (mavic open pro) and Bitex RAR12 hub. Probably Sapim spokes and nipples (brass).
I'm NOT a racer but appreciate a high performance machine.
Thoughts?
Thanks for your insight
04-12-21, 06:59 PM
#30
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2020
Posts: 702
Bikes: '23 Poseidon Redwood, '07 Specialized Roubaix Comp Triple, '12 Gravity Fixie, '21 Liv Rove 4, '06? Giant EB Spirit
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 345 Post(s)
Liked 237 Times
in
151 Posts
Well I built it up. Pretty fun project. My initial impressions are: I really like butted spokes, it looks neat, not sure it is as laterally stiff as the 3 cross NDS, rides fine
I used Sapim Race double butted spokes, Sapim Polyax brass nipples, Mavic Open Pro and Bitex RAR12 hub (thanks bikehubstore.com for the equipment.
I used Sapim Race double butted spokes, Sapim Polyax brass nipples, Mavic Open Pro and Bitex RAR12 hub (thanks bikehubstore.com for the equipment.
04-12-21, 08:40 PM
#31
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: South Shore of Long Island
Posts: 2,799
Bikes: 2010 Carrera Volans, 2015 C-Dale Trail 2sl, 2017 Raleigh Rush Hour, 2017 Blue Proseccio, 1992 Giant Perigee, 80s Gitane Rallye Tandem
Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1088 Post(s)
Liked 1,022 Times
in
722 Posts
Cool, looks like you successfully made a wheel. As to the stiffness, you might be surprised. Although the base of the triangle that the spokes make is slightly smaller making it a slightly weaker build in that respect, the placement of the spokes to the inside does increase their tension and make them more effective in helping the wheel keep its shape. I'd guess the wheel is probably about the same stiffness but well built. Keep up the effort, the wheels build faster and better with practice. Personally, most seem to look down on alloy nipples but I like the ones put out by wheel fanatyk especially for the colors, helps to brighten up the wheels.
Likes For Russ Roth:
04-12-21, 09:15 PM
#32
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2020
Posts: 702
Bikes: '23 Poseidon Redwood, '07 Specialized Roubaix Comp Triple, '12 Gravity Fixie, '21 Liv Rove 4, '06? Giant EB Spirit
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 345 Post(s)
Liked 237 Times
in
151 Posts
Cool, looks like you successfully made a wheel. As to the stiffness, you might be surprised. Although the base of the triangle that the spokes make is slightly smaller making it a slightly weaker build in that respect, the placement of the spokes to the inside does increase their tension and make them more effective in helping the wheel keep its shape. I'd guess the wheel is probably about the same stiffness but well built. Keep up the effort, the wheels build faster and better with practice. Personally, most seem to look down on alloy nipples but I like the ones put out by wheel fanatyk especially for the colors, helps to brighten up the wheels.
Yes, this build was much faster than earlier attempts. Its a great feeling to ride on something "you built". Thanks to everyone for the help especially the late Jobst Brandt and Sheldon Brown for passing on invaluable knowledge.
I probably will stay away from alloy nipples as I've had bad experiences with seized/ rounded out nipples. Plus the weight difference would be lost on my performance level. I do like the color options though!
04-18-21, 07:22 PM
#33
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2020
Posts: 702
Bikes: '23 Poseidon Redwood, '07 Specialized Roubaix Comp Triple, '12 Gravity Fixie, '21 Liv Rove 4, '06? Giant EB Spirit
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 345 Post(s)
Liked 237 Times
in
151 Posts
its common after all
Looks like Shimano, Reynolds, Rolf, Roval, Cadex and Bontrager all build half radial rear wheels. Its much more prevalent than I expected in the aftermarket wheel category.
04-19-21, 02:48 AM
#34
Senior Member
Add Fulcrum to that list. I bought some Fulcrum Racing 6 wheels as a Christmas present to myself last year and also notice that the rear rim is asymmetric so as to effectively reduce the amount of dishing. Neat!
Likes For jgwilliams:
04-19-21, 09:58 AM
#35
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2020
Posts: 702
Bikes: '23 Poseidon Redwood, '07 Specialized Roubaix Comp Triple, '12 Gravity Fixie, '21 Liv Rove 4, '06? Giant EB Spirit
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 345 Post(s)
Liked 237 Times
in
151 Posts
It may mean it’s a good technique that so many aftermarket wheels are using half radial lacing for rear wheels. However, it’s probably also a good deal of marketing and buyers demanding something “special looking” for their upgrades. I can imagine the market for traditional 3x lacing isn’t as big when the cost of a wheel is as much as a low end bike. Just human nature I guess to want some bling when upgrading components. I know I’ve fallen into this trap before.
however I’ll trust Sheldon Brown’s explanation that half radial lacing on highly dished rear wheels truly can have technical advantages for durability.
