Originally Posted by
lazerzxr
Radial lace creates huge stress in hub flanges, expensive hubs are expected to be light. Limits exist so that the customer gets both. Like I said I cant tell the difference between riding with 65kgf or 90kgf, both feel good so why add weight to a hub to resist unnecessary stress? I think I will go back to 90kgf however as it sits better on my mind.
Tire inflation affects different rims to varying degrees, I didnt notice much change to tension with the tire on or off. Good wheel building practice is to tension with the tire off and not adjust for tire pressure.
All true in the cases you cite, but it ain't necessarily so. American Classic front Micro 58s are 42 grams lighter than the DT 180 fronts, yet have no such (<100 kgf) limitations that I know of. Same for their rear which is a little heavier than the DT but not much. And the AC hubs are hundreds cheaper than the DT. I have seen 5-10 kgf change after mounting and inflating a tire. Yes you are right, the build spec refers to the no tire condition. Nevertheless, one can rightly think of the inflated tire as providing a bit of safety margin.
I build my fronts (AC 58s or BHS Bitex cheapies) to 120 kgf always, and have never over many years observed the slightest problem. I am well aware of the reverence with which the 41 regards DT and CK hubs, but I feel it is unconscionable for those companies to charge the prices they do and still insist on covering their butts with ultra conservative tensioning recommendations. Compared to many other hub sources, they are not giving what is paid for. I expect to be able to tension spokes up to very near the limiting strength of the rims. Until reading this thread I have never encountered hubs with radial functionality that imposed a lower limit than that. That is not how it is supposed to be.
Robert