Originally Posted by
branko_76
I have several rim and hub pairs that need to be built-up. They are all 36 hole and either 27" or 700c. Each pair will serve a different purpose, either commuting, touring or speeding along a smooth bike path.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of 3X and 4X spoke patterns in road bike wheels?
Divide the number of spokes by 9. The largest whole number (without the .xxx - what's the English word?
) is the max theoretical number of crosses that a wheel can be built with. Generally, for most 26" and greater size rims.
Depending on rim diameter and hub flange diameter, this can vary.
Spokecalc I use does warn if, based on effective rim diameter and flange diameter etc, there is a situation that a spoke will overlap the head of adjacent spoke - something that should generally be avoided.
The more crosses, the more the spokes are tangent, which is better (stronger wheel, pluss less stress on the flanges), as the other posters have nicely explained. Up to a point where spokes cross over the heads of adjacent spokes (sober, and still repeating myself, sorry
).