WizardOfBoz

Well, Honk, I'd be happy if I last another ten years or so, riding bikes. I would like to do this once and not worry about having to re-do spokes.

The spokes on the bike have lasted 40 years! I'm pretty sure that spoke metalworking and plating vary from 1978 Some mfrs today are better, some worse I suspect. For the expensive high-end European spokes I think probably both are usually better. For the six cent per spoke Chinese race-you-to-the-bottom-price-and-quality, no. And there's some high-quality Chinese (or at least Taiwanese - Pillar being one) spokes, too. IIRC from my time in the bike shop, Schwinn's chrome plating was much, much thicker than any competitive manufacturer of their time. Not sure if this went for spokes, too, but I suspect that no manufacturer today matches the thickness spec that Schwinn used.

This is the frustrating thing. I've searched for JB and found https://www.jbbicyclewheels.com/. Is this it? This site causes my browser to throw a security exception. I make my living with my computer. I think that the site is probably fine, but there's no way I'm opening a flagged site on my computer. And even if I did, there's no way I'd order online with a credit card. Grrrr.

My impression of the efficiency of online spoke retailing is very low. Each site offers a very arbitrary (black but not silver, offering up to 300mm when the mfr makes the spoke up to 310mm, offering only one or two spoke types when the mfr offers dozens) subset of the mfr's range. The retailers reflect very poorly on the manufactuers. For example, I looked up Pillar spokes (recommended above). They look to be high quality. The Double Butted PDB1416 would match the OEM dimensions exactly. But one retailer, Bike Hub Store offers two Pillar models, none of which are the butted variety. A European retailer, bikeonlineshop, doesn't offer the PDB1416 (14 and 16 guage, or 2mm and 1.65). They DO offer PDB14115 (2mm/1.8mm). Ok, great. But while the mfr offers this spoke in lengths up to 310mm, this retailer only offers up to 264mm. Some mfr/distributors (Wheelsmith) don't even list length available. This type of incomplete listings and partial offering end up requiring back and forth communication. For a flippin' spoke. Spokes arent' rocket surgery, and I should have been able to order the spokes I want ten times over by now. Double GRRR.

Online spoke retailing seems to me to be at a quality/sophistication level reminiscent of online retailing from the mid 1990s. So bad, it's kept me from ordering anything. [/RANT]

This is an interesting point and would seem to agree with what I've read elsewhere. One CF rim maker uses 2 cross as standard, with 3 cross for heavy riders (see https://www.noxcomposites.com/wheel_building - its interesting). While this is for CF rims that are inherently stiff, I suspect that the difference in ride between 3 and 4 cross is not huge on my rims is not huge. Laterally, the difference in spring constant will be attenuated by the flexibility of the tire. But I weight 240#, and (at least when I was younger) I could really graunch on the cranks (I usually maxed out the leg-press machines in the gym). Can't do this today, but I still would probably prefer a little stiffer wheel.

I think for the front wheel I'll try to match the OEM specs (14/16 guage, or 2mm/1.65mm). For the rear there's some interesting stuff I could do. For example, using straight guage on the DS, and butted on the NDS. Or 14/15 (2/1.8) on one side and 14/16 (2/1.65) on the other.

I know I'm going crazy on a mid-tier wheel build, but this is also a learning exercise, and a bit of fun. Off to pull the wheels and get that final measurement that I've been promising to get.