Originally Posted by
Dean V
"Triplet"?
As in a traditional 3 cross lacing?
"Triplet" is a lacing pattern in which there are twice as many spokes on one side of the wheel as the other. The main reason for doing this is to reduce the DS/NDS tension difference: cross-laced rear wheels often require around double the tension on the DS as the NDS, and since you can only use so much DS tension, the NDS tension is forced to be pretty low (and is therefore a fatigue risk). By using double the
spokes on the DS, the necessary NDS tension can be very similar to the DS tension, so nothing ends up undertensioned.
Obviously you need very specific combinations of rim and hub to make this work: the rim's hole count must be a multiple of 3, and you're using a standard hub, you basically need a hub drilled for 4/3rds as many holes as the rim. With commonly-available parts, this pretty much means that you're using a 24H rim on a 32H hub. Or, if you're particularly adventurous, you might use a 36H rim on a 48H hub.
Triplet-specific hubs - with twice as many holes on one flange as the other - are a thing that has occasionally been made, as well.