Wheel building, 32h or 36?
 

I am going to attempt to build myself a set of wheels. I dont nkow why, I just want to. Anyways, as im looking at the hubs and rims out htere i see a lot of 32h parts, more tehn 36. I ride pretty much half road and half woods/trail. THe occasional jump. I have a hardtail as well. Would i be better off with a 36 or 32?

32 should be fine, unless you're a clydsdale, then you may want to go with 36.

THe occassional jump !!! :eek: :lol: .....36hole by all means!!

How much do you weigh???

I'm pretty big and still ride 32h. You can easily build a 32h wheel in a strong fashion.

If you were doing a lot of jumps and downhill runs or really really aggressive riding, I'd suggest a 36h, but for what you've described, go 32h.

L8R

Thirty six spoke will cost you between $2.00 and $6.00 more to build depending on what spokes you decide to use. They'll be a little bit easier to true and, if you happen to break one spoke on the road, it will cause less wheel rim wobble.

Lets compromise, 36r, 32f.

well im not that heavy (french people tend not to be large). I think im going to go for hte the 36h, I suppose it would be less of a problem if it a spoke broke on the road, sometimes i ride in a fashion that probably isnt the easiest for hte bicycle. Thanks for your input. Does anybody have any tips of the building process?

Read the very clear and detailed instructions on Sheldon Brown's site.

Wheelbuilding

Even I can figure it out from this.

Doc

i read that, thats partially why im leaning toward 36h actually. BEcuase he shows you how to lace it with 36h. He said that is for the rear wheel though, how does the front differ?

I tend to build my wheels with 36 simply because all my wheels have been that way for the last 25 years (and beyond). That way, I can more easily swap parts if I want.

However, there is no real difference in wheelbuilding between 32 and 36. Instead of installing 9 spokes per set, you install 8.

As for front vs rear wheel, no real difference either, except that the front wheel isn't dished, unless you have a disc brake..

oo that clears stuff up a bit, thankyou. I guess i will have to dish the front wheel then becuase i have a disc brake.