Bicycle Mechanics - Wheel building questions

I was just reading some questions about wheel building and it brought up a question of my own. I'm getting a set of Mavic CXP 30 tubular rims (thanks dubteka) that i'm gonna try building up myself. the front is 28 hole and the rear is 36. i like the look of radial lacing but i'm not sure if i could do it on both the front and rear rims or if radial lacing would even be structurally sound enough. they'll be used as Fixed training/ track tires so strength may be an issue. Anyone have any advice on strength requirements, hubs to use, good spokes, etc.? Also... i know "The Omnipotent" Sheldon Brown has some stuff on his site about wheel building but it's all about 3x and not radial. anyone have any links to radial lacing info or other related onfo that may help?

much thanks

-wetjett

Crossed patterns are stronger and more durable than radial. Having said that you could do a 3 cross on the rear drive side and radial on the non-drive side and front. Be sure to use a spoke calculator when choosing spokes. I would recommend something like 14-15-14 at least for the drive side rear.

Al

Also you might want to consider this;
for all but a few hubs, your warranty is void if you radially lace.

Theres no advantage to radially lacing except hte look. I think spocalc said i would have saved 7 grams if i went 0 cross. Lacing the wheel is easy though, so i guess thats one advantage. But 3 cross is easy when you see the pattern which you will quickly pick up.
I would go 3 but thats just me

I was just reading some questions about wheel building and it brought up a question of my own. I'm getting a set of Mavic CXP 30 tubular rims (thanks dubteka) that i'm gonna try building up myself. the front is 28 hole and the rear is 36. i like the look of radial lacing but i'm not sure if i could do it on both the front and rear rims or if radial lacing would even be structurally sound enough. they'll be used as Fixed training/ track tires so strength may be an issue. Anyone have any advice on strength requirements, hubs to use, good spokes, etc.? Also... i know "The Omnipotent" Sheldon Brown has some stuff on his site about wheel building but it's all about 3x and not radial. anyone have any links to radial lacing info or other related onfo that may help?

I do cover this at http://sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html#radial.

Radial is dead easy to do, no special instructions required...the spokes just go straight out.

Radial is OK for front wheels that don't have hub brakes, but is not suitable for rear wheels or any wheel that has a hub brake.

Sheldon "http://sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuilding" Brown
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| The man who does not read good books has no advantage over |
| the man who can't read them. --Mark Twain |
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Awesome.. a reply from "The Man". i'll definitely check out the sight better. i might try radial on the front and see how i like it. keep the advice rollin' in. it's all good stuff

thanks again everyone

-wetjett

wow, how did he know to reply, does he monitor the site for references of his name? does he just know? that was cool.

...I'm getting a set of Mavic CXP 30 tubular rims (thanks dubteka)...

'Fraid not...the CXP30 is a clincher rim, not tubular.

I believe the only Mavic tubular rim in current production is the Reflex (not to be confused with the older "Reflex" clincher model, a predecessor of the Open Pro, my current fave clincher rim.)

Sheldon "No Longer A Tubular Fan" Brown

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| Always listen to the experts. |
| They'll tell you what can't be done, and why. |
| Then do it. --Robert A. Heinlein |
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Face = RED.... feel a little dumb but works out better in the long run. easier to do work on. either way i'm more than happy with them.

I did a little reading up on radial spoking vs. semi-tangent and the radial wheel is supposedly marginally stiffer than a crossed wheel (assuming it's built properly)...the problem is that when torque is applied to the hub, the flanges are stressed vertically (where they are weak) instead of laterally (where they are strong), resulting not in broken spokes but in self-destructing hubs. Take a look at wheelsets like the Ksyrium where half-radial spoking is used on the rear wheel...the hub is dramatically reinforced to withstand the stress.

Wheel-stiffness depends upon the direction of load as well. Vertically stiffer may be fine with radial, but you really want lateral stiffness. Which can really only happen with wider hubs. There's marginal benefits with radial. I'd say you'd be better off with straight-pull spokes and reducing their numbers by 1/2, laced either way. I'm actually a fan of crow's feet lacing. :)