durty

I got a deal on a pair of hubs that are 32 hole and I'm thinking about building wheels that are less than 32 spoke, provided my rims were 24 hole or whatever would it be a big deal for me to skip the extra holes on the hubs?

or should I do all 32 spokes for some reason

wmodavis

Why are you thinking of less than 32 spokes?

Wordbiker

If you really want a frustrating project...go for it.

If you just want a wheel, build a 32.

Panthers007

Did the marketing department of some bike-manufacturer get you? A good 32-spoke wheel is strong and stays true. The weight-savings on 8 spokes is less than your breakfast. By far. I'd go with the build using 32 spokes. They are, after all, the most commonly used wheels for serious purposes - such as riding a bicycle for recreation and pleasure and touring.

I rue the day the manufacturers decided to cut costs by having their marketing departments try to convince everyone out there that we need as few spokes as possible. A 18-spoke radial front wheel is fine if your racing, especially on a track, but it really has no business on a bike someone rides in the countryside on the weekends. Same for low-count wheels with 20, 22, 24, etc spokes. All it really does is allows the bike-manufacturers to see greater profits. While making trips to the bike-shop a more commonplace event. For repairs - not to buy a new component.

EatMyA**

The holes will not align as good. Like wordbiker said; Frustrating. But it can be done, especially if you have different sized spokes at your disposal.

If weight is your concern, 32 hole wheels will let you more than make up the 8 spoke weight difference, by letting you use a lighter rim.

If you have the 24 hole rims already, I would recommend you just get the 24h hubs. If you just want to experiment though...Have at it.

krems81 

It gets pretty complicated:

https://sheldonbrown.com/mismatch/index.htm

dabac

If you haven't got the parts already I'd advise against building mismatched wheels. It's perfectly doable, but it adds considerable build time. If you want a peek into how I did it, check out this thread.

For 32-to-24 I'd suggest a crow's foot lace. For a rim braked front wheel on a low flange hub you can get away with a radial lace w/o having to bother about adjusting spoke lengths. For 32-to-28 you could leave two holes empty facing each other across the circumference, which you could probably get away with by only adjusting the spoke lengths for 1 or 2 spokes closest to the empty spot.

HillRider

If you do it. fill the empty holes with silicone seal. Othewise the rims will fill with water the first time you get caught in the rain, and there goes your weight savings.

dabac

It's at the hubs he was planning to leave holes empty, can't see much water lodging in the hub flanges...

HillRider

Oops! I did miss the point that the hub has the extra spoke holes.

FBinNY 

You can certainly skip holes to match the drill of a hub to the drill of the rim, but it will create some problems. The main issue is that you'll need various length spokes, since they won't all go the the camparably same place on the hub.

The second issue, is that you have to decise how to phase the two flanges. ubs are drilled with the two flanges phased exactly half a spoke hole apart to account for lacing to alterate holes in the rim. Skipping holes means that this phasing is no longer correct, and you'll have to amke a few decisions.

So, yes it can be done, and no, I wouldn't bother..

Jeff Wills

It's easier if the hub's spoke holes are an easy fraction of the rim's. I have a 24-spoke wheel laced to a 36-hole hub, and it works just fine: https://home.comcast.net/~jeff_wills/...es/bike007.htm . (24/36 = 2/3. The hub is laced fill-2, skip-1.) This is a 20" recumbent wheel, so having fewer spokes than 32 makes very little difference.

I have a 16-hole hub that I may lace to a 32-hole, 20" rim, just to see if it'll hang together.

AEO

you can try for a G3 pattern if it's the rear wheel, but G3 won't work too well with the front.