Originally Posted by
avner
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.
I've ridden the same DT 2.0/1.5 Revolution front + rear non-drive side spokes and DT Competition 2.0/1.8 drive side with alloy nipples for 10-14 years. They're on the second front rim and second or third rear; I don't remember if I replaced the last slightly bent crashed rear rim or just decided that the tension and trueness were good enough. I did replace four twisted nipples on the front wheel when I put a new rim on this year which probably got damaged in an on-road repair. They work great in an arid environment with minimal road salt (in Colorado we figured that since god put the snow there he could take it back) in rims with sockets/eyelets provided that you use anti-seize on the threads and lubricate the spoke/rim interface. I have no clue how they hold up in more corrosive environments. The nipples seem harder to turn in my one non-eyeleted wheel built by someone else; I don't know if that's a lubrication problem or inherent and will use Sapim nipple washers when I build such a wheel.
In theory the Revolutions should work as well on the rear drive side - I build that to the same tension as the front so windup wouldn't be more of an issue, and the elbows are the same size as the Competition spokes so fatigue life should be the same.
1. If you don't have a good spoke wrench properly seated you will round off bad nipples and may twist good ones and/or turn them into non-square parallelograms.
2. Windup is much more of an issue. A piece of tape on a representative spoke in each group (front, drive-side, non-drive side) will show you how much windup you need to undo as tension goes up.
>Could you suggest some combinations of light spokes/nipples that would be suitable for these needs?
DT Revolutions. DT alloy nipples are not as soft as some.
DT Aerolites start life as a 2.0/1.5 butted spoke but are then formed into a more aerodynamic shape. Best price I've found was $3.15 a spoke versus $.70 for Revolutions and you need a holder. I'll try those for fun.
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?
It depends on the hub.