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Old 02-25-12, 05:18 PM
  #3  
FBinNY 
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: New Rochelle, NY
Posts: 38,716

Bikes: too many bikes from 1967 10s (5x2)Frejus to a Sumitomo Ti/Chorus aluminum 10s (10x2), plus one non-susp mtn bike I use as my commuter

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At 160#s you have lots of latitude in spoke and rim selection. As MechBgon said, true bladed spokes require slotted hubs, so you'll probably be happier with what they call Aero or Oval spokes whose blades are only 2.3mm wide to fit standard drilled holes. (2.3mm is the diameter of the thread of a 2mm spoke)

The typical oval spoke is usually comparable to a 1.8/1.5/1.8mm (or 1.8/1.6.1.8) DB spoke, which is fine for your needs. I only use butted spokes anyway, though if you tend to be a bit rough on your wheels you might want to go to 2/1.8/2 for the right side rear, and the oval on the other three flanges, but that's your judgement call.

Do not buy threadlocker nipples, since aero spokes tend to twist like crazy when tightening, and you don't want to encourage that. In any case I think threadlocking for spokes is plain dumb, and grease my spoke threads to minimize twist, and prevent corrosion later.

One thing you need to consider when mixing brands of spokes and nipples is the length of thread. I measure spokes so they'll reach the top of the nipple when tight. Therefore I always look for nipple/spoke combinations that have enough thread that the spoke can go beyond the top by 2-3mm before running out of thread. If you're spokes and nipples cannot do this, plan on a slightly shorter spoke to leave yourself some margin for error.

Lastly, if you're a hard sprinter, or strong hill climber, consider going to 3x on the rear to improve torsional stability, otherwise 2x or 3x doesn't really matter.

BTW- some people despise aero spokes because they're so twisty. I actually like them beacuse they don't twist that much worse than a light DB spoke, but have the advantage of making twist visible.
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