Wheel building - advice needed please

[Splatter Paint]

Okay, here goes: I need to re-lace a set of wheels from an Alpinestars Cro-Mega DX which are comprised of Ritchey Vantage Expert rims on DX hubs. I've removed a spoke from each side of the rear wheel and one from the front, the lengths are 264 / 266 mm and 268 mm respectively. However in each pair of spokes on the wheels, one spoke protrudes through the nipple and the other is way down inside - is this just a symptom of poor wheel building? My spoke measurements are from the threaded end to inside of the curve of the spoke elbow.

The cheapest place I've found for spokes is Chain Reaction Cycles, who sell DT stainless spokes for £9.99 for 36, including nipples. CRC sell 14 mm nipples but my wheels have 12 mm, do I need to order 2 mm SHORTER spokes than I have now to compensate for the longer nipples?

Being a cheapsake it is my intention to buy one set of 266 mm spokes for the front and a set of 264 mm for the rear – based on the longer nipple length. Could somebody please confirm that I’m ordering the right lengths?

Thanks all.

SP

 

[FluffyChicken]

When you mention your spoke length to CRC as it says, just tell them you need half one length and half the other. They happily do that for you.

You don't mention spoke number for the wheels.


Rear
Hub: Shimano Deore DX cassette, rear
Rim: Ritchey Vantage Expert

36 hole 3x
Spoke length left: 262.9 ( so 262 is best imho)
Spoke length right: 261.1 (so 260/261 is best imho)


32 hole 3x
Spoke length left: 265.6 (266 though 264 probably best if you cannot get 265's)
Spoke length right: 263.9 ( so 264 shold be fine)


Front 3x

32
266mm

36
264mm

iirc that 12mm nipples

 

[Xesh]

Rear
Hub: Shimano Deore DX cassette, rear
Rim: Ritchey Vantage Expert

36 hole 3x
Spoke length left: 262.9 ( so 262 is best imho)
Spoke length right: 261.1 (so 260/261 is best imho)


32 hole 3x
Spoke length left: 265.6 (266 though 264 probably best if you cannot get 265's)
Spoke length right: 263.9 ( so 264 shold be fine)

Looked up some of the wheels I built back then and I used 260/262 (261/263 if you want to go for the exact length as quoted) for the 36 hole wheel and 264/266 for the 32 hole (My boss wouldn't let me order in too many boxes of spokes so I had to settle for even numbers even though I wanted to use the exact length ).

 

[Splatter Paint]

Thanks for the replies, it's good to know the spokes I've measured are the correct length. Strange that the fronts are a bit longer than the calculated, though.

Where did you get the spoke length calcs? The wheels are 32 hole, with three cross. How much do the longer nipples make to spoke length or do I just order the 264 / 266?

Thanks

SP

 

[SStumpjump]

http://houseof3d.com/pete/applets/wheel/appwheel.html

Seems like a very easy to use spoke calculator.

Otherwise, DT Swiss is also a great tool: http://www.dtswiss.com

 

[FluffyChicken]

I always use when anyone asks (and add to the database)

EDD, and easy to use Spoke length calculator
http://lenni.info/edd/

Best I've used, has how to measure and is based on SpoCalc the only other one I like to use, but the web one is more convenient, easier and has a better database system

SpoCalc
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/rinard/spocalc.htm



There are others of course and you may prefer them, I don't
They're either to basic (I need to work out to much info before hand), to fancy (DT which seems mess up after a bit and you have to go through it all again :evil: ) or far to complicated (do I really need to take into account compression of the rim and stretching of the spoke at different temperatures when the wind is blowing west ?

 

[hamster]

I've got 32 266's DT db with nipples if you are interested. Very lightly used from my tourer.

 

[Xesh]

......How much do the longer nipples make to spoke length or do I just order the 264 / 266?

In my experience you can use the same spoke length with 12 or 14mm nipples but you have to use 2mm shorter spokes if using 16mm nipples.

 

[Splatter Paint]

Ah thanks for that Xesh, once the posties have stopped striking I'll order my spokes.

@ hamster, thanks for the offer, but at just a tenner for 36 spokes including nipples I'll go with new ones from CRC.

Cheers all.

 

[Wheelnut]

If you need any advice on how to build wheels properly, it's worth taking a look at Sheldon Brown's website:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html

Good luck.