"Selwonk" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:"Jonesy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...Quoted message said:J'm Sm'th <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...Quoted message said:Quoted message said:
Double-butted, feh. They cause me more problems when building than they are worth.Besides, straight-gauge is stronger.
[runs and ducks - thermonuclear war ain't for the faint-of-heart]
It is all perfectly strightforward - but not straight gauged! The various properties of spokes can
be found at: sheldonbrown.comwheelbuild.htmlOpen ↗
Yeah, I know. Read it, Jobst's book, Gerd Shraner's book and have built a couple of wheels with
straight-gauge spokes. Why? They were cheaper, and I didn't want to deal with wind-up when I was
first learning how to lace, and true and stress-relieve, etc, etc. Besides, Deore hubs and X-
223/221 wheels don't cry out for double-butted spokes with the way I ride. 32-spoke, 3X is plenty
good for now. But now that I have a tensiometer (Christmas gift) maybe I'll take some DB 14-15-
14's for a whirl.
The repetition of the "straight gauge is stronger" myth is always good for a few lobbed bombs. Want
another good one? Talk about a wheel standing on it's spokes. Hoo, boy - the r.b.tech folks go nuts
over that one. Or tying and soldering spokes. Or the frame materials and their various values for
"vertical compliance" and how it translates into ride quality. Crank design - holy crud, don't talk
about alternate crank designs! And now, disk brakes.
Really, if it weren't for Sheldon, Sorni and Carl Fogel, that group would be completely devoid of
humor. And Sorni's brand of lowbrow just doesn't make an impression on those folks.
Back to the topic - if I wanted the strongest wheel, I would have a pro build up a high-spoke count
wheel with good, proven starting materials. Like CK or Hugi hubs, and DT Swiss spokes (I think
Wheelsmith is good too - I'm not familiar with all the brands, not being a pro builder myself) with
brass nipples (uhh, Sorni, your cue.) In r.b.tech, I have also read that buying machine-built
wheels, then having them professionally finished (tension and stress-relieve) is a sort of "second
place" in the quality arena. But better than just buying the machine builts and then not doing
anything but slapping them on the bike.
Like anything else, when it comes to conventionally-made bicycle wheels, you get what you pay for.
The boutique ones, from all I have read, both in this forum and in r.b.tech, are more fashion
statement than anything else. But J'm's point is still well-made, and is exactly the reason I went
SG instead of DB when I built mine. Now, if I would have had them pro-built, I'd have let the pros
deal with the wind-up hassle.
--
Jonesy