32h 36h straight pull hubs. why don't they exist?
08-09-23, 06:34 AM
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32h 36h straight pull hubs. why don't they exist?
Does anybody know why there are no 32 or 36 hole hubs available for straightpull?
I presume because they are already stronger by design?
I want to build a strong gravel/travel bike packing wheel with 36 spokes and because straightpull is easier to replace in the field I was looking for them but they don't seem to exist. I guess jbend it is.
I presume because they are already stronger by design?
I want to build a strong gravel/travel bike packing wheel with 36 spokes and because straightpull is easier to replace in the field I was looking for them but they don't seem to exist. I guess jbend it is.
08-09-23, 07:52 AM
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I think it’s simply that 32h and 36h builds are artifacts of a bygone era in wheelbuilding, from when rims were really flimsy and flexible. Modern rims are much stiffer and often in carbon fiber rather than aluminum, two factors which make drilling for 32 or 36 holes practically unnecessary. They just don’t need the extra stiffness, so wheel builders don’t want the added weight and complexity, and hub manufacturers don’t get the demand.
That said, I’ve no particular expertise in wheel building or the bike industry, so those are just some thoughts I’ve had as a heavier, Clyde rider who, over the many years, has been riding low spoke-count wheels when a whole lotta people thought it was impossible and I was crazy. The basic fact is that, today, wheel durability is a function of the design and build and component quality, not the number of spokes.
That said, I’ve no particular expertise in wheel building or the bike industry, so those are just some thoughts I’ve had as a heavier, Clyde rider who, over the many years, has been riding low spoke-count wheels when a whole lotta people thought it was impossible and I was crazy. The basic fact is that, today, wheel durability is a function of the design and build and component quality, not the number of spokes.
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08-09-23, 09:29 AM
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If access to the drive side rear is your concern, DT Swiss hubs allow for removing the cassette and body without tools. They also have straight pull if that is still an issue. I also agree that there is no need for 32 or 36-spoke wheels. I tour and do multi-day gravel rides with 28-spoke wheels with no problems.
08-09-23, 12:02 PM
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Just spit-balling here, but it's also perhaps the case that a hub is harder to make with that many places for straight pull spokes. I'm thinking of the type with little lugs for lack of a better term, blocks of material extending from the hub shell for spokes to go through in a tangential direction. I am picturing it in my head the best I can, and it seems there might be a lack of physical space for more than 12-14 spokes on each side. With J-bend spokes, all you need is holes drilled right through the flanges.
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08-09-23, 02:40 PM
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Thinking about this, I wonder if the spoke "blocks" (I don't know the right term either, so I borrowed Broctoon 's) would be too close together to let you load a spoke in. The next block over would be in the way.
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