Originally Posted by Coloradopenguin
stapfam,
I never thought about spoke pattern related to ride quality, but it makes sense. Looking at my back wheel, at any given moment 2 spokes are straight between the ground and the hub, and the opposite spokes are in a straight line, so there are no lateral diffusion of force -- very little give between road and axle. The front wheel has fewer spokes, so generally only one spoke transfering pressure from road to axle.
Makes me wonder if a different spoke weave would give a "softer" ride?
Something to ponder on tonight's ride!
It would be possible for your LBS to change the spoke pattern to a crossed spoke but this would require a wheel rebuild and that would not be cheap. What might be a better alternative is to look around for a good wheel builder to build you a set of wheels as your first upgrade. This may be at your LBS but look around to get a sensible wheel at a sensible price. Then you will have a set of wheels that will give you a performance boost and also have a spare pair of wheels for those nasty wet winter days whan water getting on the rims and in the bearings could wear them out prematurely.
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How long was I in the army? Five foot seven.
Spike Milligan