sportbiker

I'm looking to have a set of wheels built but I can't seem to get solid info on spoke count.

I weigh in the 160s, keep my cadence in the 90s, and am not particularly hard on equipment. I don't want to worry about taco-ing a wheel after hitting a bump or dip in the road while speeding downhill, and I want these wheels to last many years without spokes snapping and without the wheels requiring a monthly true.

For aesthetic, weight, and rotating mass reasons I don't want any more spokes than necessary. If we assume DT Competition spokes, how few spokes can I get away with for each wheel? Also, SuperComp spokes are much lighter in weight; if I were to use SuperComp spokes would it affect the spoke count?

I've sent this message as an email to three different wheelbuilders and not one has responded. Can someone here help?

timwat

Call Mike Garcia at 1-866-292-0124 in Florida between 10am-5pm Eastern time, Monday - Friday. He will spend a very long time with you discussing your particulars, riding style, preferences, etc. and suggest a spoke scheme that will work for you. I spoke with him this afternoon; I have a wheelset on order that should ship tomorrow.

His reputation here on BF is that he builds a quality product, is ridiculously inexpensive for the high quality and service you recieve, and I can personally vouch he is not out just trying to sell you.

The first time I called him, he suggested NOT buying a wheelset from him, and offered numerous ways I could keep working with the manufacturer of my existing wheels to get some resolution.

sportbiker

He's one of the ones who didn't respond.

timwat

Don't email him. Call him. He is so thorough on the phone and so busy building wheels, I'm not sure if he even checks his email.

But if you get him on the phone (keep trying, it's often busy) you'll be surprised how much personal attention he'll give you.

sportbiker

I'll see about calling (it seems like such an imposition since I'm not ready to buy), but in the meantime, is there someone here who can lend some guidance?

DannoXYZ 

Well, spokes handle the suspension-bridge tension in "hanging" the rim off the hub. Not sure what your question is getting at, but I suspect you're after either performance benefits or weight-savings. Those are best achieve with other techniques other than simply reducing spoke-count.

The performance benefits of spoke numbers is minimal, you won't measure much of a difference in a 100km time-trial with 36 vs. 18-spokes. What will make a difference though is using aero spokes. These are lenticular shaped spokes, not rolled-flatten ones.

As for weight-savings, double-butted spokes offer serious weight savings with very little lost is strength. A set of 1.8x1.5mm spokes can shave off about 1/4lb per wheel compared to straight 2.0mm spokes. Alloy nipples can save you an additional 1/10th lb off both wheels.

The spokes provide lateral and vertical support for the wheel. Vertical strength is easy as it's inline with the axis of the wheel and the aero shape of most wheels strengthens them vertically. However, it's the lateral strength that you have to worry about most. That's why we see wider 130-135mm rear-wheel dishing, it's to provide a wider support base for the spokes to hold the rim laterally. The larger number of spokes, the better lateral support and the stronger and longer-lasting the wheel.

FWIW, I've trained for over a year on a set of 12 & 18-spoke wheels. However, I never felt that 100% secure with them becasue I know my normal riding takes them closer to their limit than a more reasonable set of 28/32-spoke wheels. They finally crumpled on me when I tried to bunny-hop a shopping cart and landed with the bike tilted about 30-degrees. The angle pushed on the wheels just enough laterally to overcome their strength and they both crumpled on impact.

CPcyclist

Depends, How long do you want the wheels to last?

tribe3

I have velocity spartacus pro, 16 spokes front, 20 rear, 1100 miles still true, I weigh 170/173.
I think they are cheap also and not too bad weight.

https://velocityusa.com/wheels/road-spartacus-pro.php

sportbiker

As I said in my OP, I don't want to worry about taco-ing a wheel after hitting a bump or dip in the road while speeding downhill, and I want these wheels to last many years without spokes snapping and without the wheels requiring a monthly true.