Rebuilding 16 spoke rear wheel?

[lazycyclist]

Hi there, I'm new to forums, so be nice!

I've got an old campag Shamal rear wheel, 16 spoke, which I want to convert for a shimano set up?

I can't find a reasonably priced 16 hole rear hub, can I just lace the rim to a 32 hole hub, using alternate holes? Or is there any other way of running shimano compatable sprockets from the Campy hub?

Any help greatly appreciated.

 

[alfeng]

Hi there, I'm new to forums, so be nice!

I've got an old campag Shamal rear wheel, 16 spoke, which I want to convert for a shimano set up?

I can't find a reasonably priced 16 hole rear hub, can I just lace the rim to a 32 hole hub, using alternate holes? Or is there any other way of running shimano compatable sprockets from the Campy hub?

Any help greatly appreciated.

There ARE Shimano-compatible freehub bodies that are designed to fit on Campagnolo wheels/hubs. Contact COLORADO CYCLIST, or your local bike shop ...

FWIW. I think that you can theoretically use a 32h hub as you have suggested, but the spoke holes may not be suitable for the original spokes and/or the spoke length may not be correct regardless of the original wheel ... a lot of problems are introduced which will probably end up disasterously.

There is probably a JTEK shiftmate (my impression was that there is more than one "model" which implies that they are specific to the variation ... ) which will probably allow you to use your Campagnolo wheel & a Campagnolo cassette with a Shimano shifter & derailleur.

 

[kdelong]

As Alfeng said, it is theoretically possible but you would need custom spokes which are easily obtained at most LBS. The biggest problem is that the spoke tension in a 16 spoke wheel is usually much higher than on a 32 spoke wheel. Therefore, you have a much greater chance of flange failure than on a 16 spoke hub. It will also be kind of confusing as to which holes to skip. I would highly suggest that you do not try to use a 32 spoke hub with a 16 spoke rim.