High Wheeler

Hi Everyone,
First post so please be lenient if I am overly ignorant or ask stupid questions...well here is my first one ! ;-)) So I have a pair of beautiful high flange record hubs which i would like to lace to a pair of Mavic Open Pros (36H) .Advice on spoke lengths ? and spoke recommendations ? (planning double butted...weight comes second to durability.) and indeed any advice which could be relevant or helpful would be much appreciated please.

cxwrench

Find an online spoke calculator and figure it out. I don't have your rims nor your hubs in front of me so I don't know ERD or hub dimensions. Shoot for 3 cross.

cyccommute 

First you have to measure the hub and rim. This article from Park is a good article on the measurements you need. Then you need to put those values into a spoke calculator. My go to is the Pro Wheel Builder calculator . It has data for most current rims and hubs. It’s not that good for vintage stuff (greater than about 10 years). You might check Damon Rinard’s SpokeCalc for older components. SpokeCalc is dated but you can also add your own data to the list.

My preference for spokes to get maximum durability are DT Swiss Alpine III. They are butted with a thicker head which increases strength and durability.

Finally, for building, I prefer Ric Hjertberg’s method. It comes from an old series of articles in Bicycling magazine from 1986. The lacing and tensioning section are still relevant. A link to them is here.

Andrew R Stewart 

Back in the day I was told that Campy NR hubs were made for 15g (1.8mm) spoke elbows. While I agree that 15g spokes fit very well in the Campy hubs of that era I, and many others, have used 14g (2.0mm) spokes with only the slight added spoke bowing needing some "working out" (there's a recent thread on this). But I would want to test fit a 2.3mm spoke end in the actual hub before suggesting it's a best choice, for that hub.

BTW butted spokes generally weigh less then the same length of a straight gage spoke with the same elbow end diameter. The added spring like nature of a skinnier spoke central section means that LH side spokes will be less likely to completely loosen during stress cycles. Andy

High Wheeler

cxwrench
C stands for charme and X for exceptionale ? ;-)) Responses like yours are the reason I am hesitant to join forums. I didn't ask for you to do the job for me ! just advice as I am a novice at wheel building for example ERD ? not a clue. Next time you are feeling as they say in France "mal baise' "perhaps you could keep your 'advice' to yourself.My apologies if I misunderstood your 'English' ?

High Wheeler

cyccocommute
brilliant many thanks for all the info and taking time to answer me. People like yourself are the reason I joined Bikeforums.I am set to get on with it ! :-)

High Wheeler

As I immerse myself in the project I am sure what you have shared will become more clear to me. Many thanks Andy

ThermionicScott 

I would assume the hubs have already been laced into wheels. It's good practice to look at the hub flanges to see how they were laced up before, and follow that lacing with the new wheels. Doing otherwise can increase the risk of cracks: https://rayhosler.wordpress.com/2011...eath-of-a-hub/

Unca_Sam

I've used the method in the Park article with success, but it helps to have some spokes and nipples with a known length on hand, plus the digital calipers. You could use analog calipers since the spoke lengths will be rounded to the next closest size, but the digital calipers will prove more useful if you 'fall down the rabbit hole'.

Lacing a 3x 36 hole wheel is covered very well by the late Saint Sheldon and John Allen here. I found the instructions instrumental in getting my first wheels built. That said, there is an art to building a long lasting wheel, which you'll pick up on with some more reading. I think most of those that build their own wheels agree that having spokes very close in tension will result in a long-lasting wheel that doesn't go out of true quickly. Some of us count the turns of the spoke wrench, some of us use the tone the spokes make when plucked (like a harp) and some of us use a spoke tension gauge.

Andrew R Stewart 

HW- Take a chill pill. cwrench said nothing bad or about you. Good information, not personal attacks. Andy

cyccommute 

To be fair cxwrench could do some chilling as well. If you are going to take the time to respond, why not be helpful? Wheel building is a bit of a daunting task and saying “figure it out for yourself” isn’t helping to make it any less daunting.

To High Wheeler: It helps to develop a thick skin and to learn how to ignore unhelpful individuals. If you like, there is even an “ignore” feature on the User Control Panel (click your avatar)

ign1te

Pretty sure High Wheeler is a troll account.

cyccommute 

Based on what? A new member asking a fairly routine question about wheel building is not a “troll” post. It’s a simple question about a very unsimple topic.

Unca_Sam

This is what makes you one of the good ones!

curbtender

There are a few contributors here that ad a little snark along with advice. You really need to look through it and take out what you need. If this was my first attempt at wheel building I would read through a few googled articles and videos and then come here with more specific questions. My take on CX answer was that 3 cross on a 36 hole rim would be your preferred route. Good luck.

High Wheeler

Belch and fart i do a troll i am not ! Yes I will be less oversensitive.And thank you ALL for saving me from sifting through info on the net that i have no idea of its value and some useful pointers .I will come back to you with some photos when i have got some grease on my elbow.

High Wheeler

Ign1te