brians647

Hi all,

I just did a quick search, and did not find any other threads that asked this question. If it has been, please post a link to the older thread (I can't believe I'm the first person to ask this question).

I've got a set of D/A 7700 hubs that I'd like to build up. I bought them hoping to use some new spokes that I already have. When I calculated the measurements, the only way I can use those specific spokes is if I lace it radially. "No problem," I thought, as my 7800 front hub is laced radially now as well.

However, radial lacing violates the warranty on the hub. Is that warranty in place to cover Shimano's arse? Or are the flanges truly weak enough to fail in a radially-laced application?

Thanks in advance. - b.

HillRider

I would take Shimano at their word. They didn't put this restriction in their warranty for no reason. They are your hubs and you can try radial lacing if you wish but I don't see the value to it and why jeopardize some very fine hubs?

BTW, Campy has the exact same restriction on most of their hubs too. Radial lace them and your warranty is gone.

dabac

Experiences differ, as well as opinions about the frequency of occurrence. There's no doubt that some hub flanges do fail due to radial laces, but whether your build would fall in that category or not is impossible to say with any certainty.

Retro Grouch 

Sometimes 1 measurement is worth 1,000 guesses.

Measure the distance between the spoke holes and the outside diameter of your two hubs. If the distance is equal, I'd think that the unlaced hub will be as reliable as the radially laced hub. If the unlaced hub is smaller in that dimension, I think that I'd take the conservative approach and buy some longer spokes for a crossed build.

brians647

Good idea. I'll give that a shot, and if I'm not comfortable with the outcome, I'll just cough up the extra dough for longer spokes.

Thanks for the input everyone.

HillRider

I wonder if there is more to it than sheer mass of metal. If the newer hub is made of a stronger alloy, it may tolerate radial lacing while a hub with identical dimensions but made of a weaker alloy won't.

BTW, does Shimano approve of radial lacing on the 7800 series hubs or was it just done by ignoring their recommendations?

operator

Shimano approves radial lacing on their newest "10-speed" hubs. let me dig out the exact list of models compatible. You'll note that the hubs have especially think flanges to handle this.

Edit: **** I can't find it, going to down this bottl eof bushmils instead **** this

Edit: https://www.bike-components.de/bedien...7700_part2.pdf

brians647

Good find, Operator. Interesting how they'll allow radial lacing on the 7700's up to 24 hole, but nothing more. My first thought was that having 32 holes would spread the load out more, but then I realized that it's a matter of adding 8 more spokes loaded with tension.

Thanks for the help!

operator

It's not so much the tension as it is the reduced material between each hole - if one rips, it's likely to rip adjacent ones with it.