If you're re-using the hubs, make sure that the new spokes are in the same position on the new wheel. A trailing spoke should be in a trailing spoke hole in the hub. Same for leading, This will help to equalize the tension on the hub flange. The holes in the flange deform a bit when tensioned (aluminum is softer than steel), and for the maximum hub life, you want to keep that tension in the same direction.

Not to try and change the topic, but last fall (November-ish) I was thinking about building my own set of wheels for the first time, when I noticed this guy's bike on the ferry I take to work in the morning (and no, the bike next to it isn't mine either. I don't like hanging my bike by the front wheel).

I was amazing to watch him get on the bike and ride away when we got off the boat, with just a little bit of pinging from the broken spokes as they strummed on the stays. He didn't seem bothered at all.

So imagine my shock when I saw this guy again a few days ago with his bike in the exact same state! The rear wheel is exactly the same and he is still riding it like nothing is wrong! The guy looks pretty normal too.

Anyway, aside from providing me with the confidence that I could build my own 32 spoke wheels (because if this guy's wheel hasn't catastrophically failed, I shouldn't be too worried), it makes me wonder just how bad a spoke failure would be on a wheel with non-straight pull spokes and a decently high spoke count? Are we a little too obsessed about the details?

Oh, absolutely. :thumb:

We always get "wrapped around the axle" discussing spoke count, spoke type, rims, tension, stress-relieving, and other best practices, but there are millions of "sub-optimal" bike wheels out there doing their job, regardless.

You should get a spoke wrench and give it a whirl!

If this were me, I would take the cheap rims, the cheap spokes and buy some cheap hubs to put them with. Generally, if spokes were crossed, the difference between two hubs on spoke length is going to be very small (because the spoke attaches to the side of the flange, not the top).

And then I would buy nice rims and butted spokes from the Hope hubs.

I did! I built my own set over the winter, but haven't had a chance to thoroughly test them yet. I think they came out OK, and they look very true for now (what a pleasure watching them go around with the bike in the stand), so let's just hope they stay that way after I ride them.

The project bike they are mounted on is almost finished, so I should know by next week. I'll post pics in here, somewhere...

The 110% wasn't based on Brandt it is was on re-using unknown spokes from a used wheel you didn't build or have built yourself by someone you trust. Sorry for the confusion.

Got it. But I still disagree with you. Nothing personal. But I tend to agree with [MENTION=465722]robertorolfo[/MENTION], it's far too easy to get in the weeds about a single spoke failure, or even multiple spoke failures. It's just not that big a deal.

Perhaps it's fear of litigation that drives your approach? That may seem sensible, but I can say with some confidence that neither the chances of spoke failure nor the risks of such a failure are significant enough to account for such a policy.

I could go on, but I don't want to get in the weeds myself. I will reiterate that you should read the Wheel Fanatyk post I linked to, so as to understand better what causes spoke failures, what the chances of them are, and why using or not using brand new spokes is unlikely to have any statistically significant effect on the chances of a spoke failure.