Originally Posted by
aaronmichael
Good day to you,
I work at a local bicycle shop and we have a customer who is having us lace a pair of wheels for him. He's a road rider that weight around 250 pounds. I've built plenty of wheels but none where long term strength because of rider weight was a significant factor to consider. My largest obstacle right now is deciding what spoke to do the build with. I wouldn't classify his riding style as aggressive. Should I build this with a single butted spoke such as a (2.3/20), double butted (2.0/1.8/2.0) or a triple butted spoke (2.3/1.8/2.0)? The lacing will be 32H 3x for the rear wheel and 28H 2x for the front wheel. The general consensus seems to be that the spoke will last longer with any butted version but may sacrifice some stiffness. On the other hand, a straight gauge or single butted spoke may be stiffer but won't last as long. My main concern here is strength and durability because of rider weight. Any input on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated! Thank you for reading!
Go read this article in Wheel Fanatyk. I’ve also posted on the strength of various spoke gauges several times.
Here’s one of them. The strength measurements from Pillar spokes demonstrate quite nicely how thinning out the middle part of the spoke makes them stronger. The strength gains of a 2.3/1.8/2.0mm spoke is significant over a 2.0/1.8/2.0mm spoke. The gain over a 2.0mm spoke is even larger.
The difference in stiffness between a straight and butted spoke is mostly insignificant. The gains is durability is far more important. I’d build both wheels with the triple butted spokes. It’s mostly unnecessary on the front since those are strong but the added insurance doesn’t cost much.