Classic & Vintage - Wheel Building Questions

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AZORCH
11-07-10, 10:37 AM
So I'm going to try to tackle my first wheel build this winter and I've got a few questions for C&V folks who've been down this road before. I've got Campagnolo Nuovo Tip High Flange Hubs (36 hole) and Dolomiti rims, but no spokes to start off.

1. Spokes - those of you who build wheels, where are you buying your spokes? Who has the best pricing?

2. Spoke length - no original spokes for me to reference, so how do I go about figuring the correct length and gauge?

Thanks for any advice. I enjoy the challenge, but need a starting point!


Shimagnolo
11-07-10, 10:49 AM
1. http://www.lickbike.com/

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

nlerner
11-07-10, 11:10 AM
In my experience with Campy hubs (both Tipo and Record), I've found I needed to use 15 gauge spokes (or 15/17/15 DB) as the thick hub flanges make 14g spokes difficult to use.

Neal


Shimagnolo
11-07-10, 11:24 AM
BTW When pricing spokes, be very careful about whether the price includes nipples or not.
Lickton's include them, but many places sell the nipples as a separate item, so what initially looked like a better price may cost more once nipples are added.

unprintable
11-07-10, 11:50 AM
I bought spokes from Cambriabike a couple of years ago and, while it's pretty much the same price as Lick's if you buy them by the 20 when you factor in nipples (0.79 each for 14/15/14G DT Competition + 0.15 each for 14G brass nipples)... the fact you can buy them individually is pretty awesome. Who wants to buy 80 spokes when you're lacing up two 32-spoke wheels?, for instance. It's good to have a few extra but I like that you can customize the order. I would recommend going that path, especially as they also have many varieties of spokes if you decide to go with something other than DT Competition.

spokes (http://www.cambriabike.com/shopexd.asp?id=92139)
nipples (http://www.cambriabike.com/shopexd.asp?id=91828)

gaucho777
11-07-10, 12:38 PM
Here is a recent thread re buying spokes: LINK (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?689378-What-are-your-favorite-spokes-amp-where-do-you-get-em&highlight=what+spoke+where+get+%27em)