Building with a Powertap hub
 

I wanted to get some feedback on a build I'm about to do. I recently purchased a Powertap Pro+ 24h hub that I'm going to lace to a DT Swiss 585 rim. On the Cycleops manual it states to lace the non-drive side with a 2 cross pattern (fair enough) but also says not to attempt slotting the flanges for bladed spokes. I'm definitely not experienced enough of a wheelbuilder to start messing with the flanges, but does anyone know if DT Swiss Aerolite spokes will fit through the flanges without slotting them? I've seen plenty of Powertap builds with aero spokes, but maybe they were all made after the flanges had been slotted.

I'm fine using round spokes if necessary, but would prefer to use aero spokes so long as I don't have to do any slotting or filing.

Aerolites seem to be what I call oval spokes vs the true blades which are about 4-5mm wide. Oval spokes are usually kept under 2.3mm in width so they'll fit through hubs drilled for 2mm spokes. You might want to confirm this with the seller, but otherwise you're OK.

Thanks! Any experience working with these hubs? I had no idea that Cycleops would have several limitations (or maybe warnings) as to how their hubs are used.

I've built someone a pair of wheels, but other than that wasn't responsible for the function of the hub. I'm not aware of any special limitations. 2x is the limit for a 24h wheel. It's equivalent to a 3x 32h. 1x is rarely used for anything, and radial not suitable for the rear, not to mention that it voids warranties on many hubs. So the 2x build isn't really a limitation, more like the only option left.

I rebuilt a rear with 32 spokes for a heavy very strong rider. Because of the design of the hub the dish is a little more extreme and you need to really up the drive side tension to get decent tension on the NDS.
With 24 spokes you are going to need at least 130 to 140 kg of DS tension for this build.

The reason I brought up the 2x limit is because when I bought my last bike the guy at the LBS built me a set of wheels to go with it (they didn't have the complete build for my bike in stock). He laced some 585 rims to Dt Swiss hubs but built the rear wheel with spokes radially laced on the non-drive side and a 2x lacing on the drive side. I thought doing it that way would be fine for the Powertap until I read the Cycleops manual for the hub.

Of course I've been having problems with that rear wheel for months now which leads me to believe that the guy who built it might not be the best wheel builder...

I have a DT Swiss rim specs sheet which states that the max tension is 1200N. I realize that with less spokes you need more tension, but how do you know how much tension to go with? And is it wise to go above the max # provided by the manufacturer?

Off-centre rim FTW.