Re: The long, slow build for the Lil' Lady - Weightweenie Wheel?
my spokes were protruding the nipples by about 3mm. just ground the excess off...but slowly so not to much heat generated. no one will be looking under my rim tape!
...but a) not available in the size I need, and b) not already in my parts bin
But you make an interesting point. I'm trying to save weight but am struggling to get decent value butted spokes in the size I need. Tried a few outlets and choice is limited and pricey in this sort of size. I have resigned to straight spokes with the marginal weight penalty, without too much bother of any performance difference (remember, kids bike) as saving ~1g on 16 spokes is such a marginal gain.
Same with alloy vs brass nipples, you save ~0.5g per nipple so 8g per wheel? I'm not going to lose sleep over that considering brass nipples are basically free and alloy ones are surprisingly expensive in comparison. Fortunately I already have some alloy nipples I could use so options are there.
In other news, picked up a cheapo seatpost that's sub 200g for a smidgen over a fiver. Happy with that, plenty better than the nearly 400g one it came with.
Yes, the pretty colours get me every time, but against the green rim the only real options are black and white. Black spokes probably so likely black nipples too, white spokes and nipples are not really available. I have some black ones in the bin which should be enough for this and the makena project.