View Single Post
Old 12-10-10, 11:02 AM
  #1  
avner
Fueled by Tigers Blood
 
avner's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Echo Park, California
Posts: 1,484
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Building my first wheel set.

Hi Mechanics Forum!

I'm currently purchasing parts, one by one for my first complete build which I am going to be doing myself at the Local Bike Co-Op. I'm going to be doing everything myself, including building the wheels, which im trying to build a pretty sweet set of, when you do bang to buck ratio.

It's going to be a fixed gear wheel set. I'm aiming for strong, yet light wheels and I was hoping you, wonderful knowledge people could give me input on what is risking too much in terms of strength vs weight.

I know which Rims I want to use. 32 rear, 28 front Kinlin XR 300 clinchers.
and either Formula Fixed/Fixed rear and Novatech front, or Formula front for symmetry.

My real concerns come down to the Spokes/nipples. I'd love to build up a very light set of wheels and use light parts IE thin, double/triple butted spokes and aluminum nipples however I don't know if they will provide the durability I need. This build is primarily meant to be a more aggressive alternative to my current bike which I want to turn into more of a commuter style build. It will not be ridden terribly hard but it will end up going off a curb occasionally and likely hitting some potholes if they cannot be avoided.

Could you suggest some combinations of light spokes/nipples that would be suitable for these needs?

I hoover around 200lbs depending on how devoted I am to eating healthy and how much i'm riding, so i do plan on a triple cross rear, but would Radial be safe up front?

Thanks in advance for all of your help!
avner is offline