Would it be possible to take a track front wheel which has been laced 3 across(??) and bring it to the shop to get radially laced??

yes

three cross, btw

that depends on alot of variables...
first, is it high or low flange?
second, if a hub as laced a certain way, the flanges
have been stressed a certain way; and if you lace it
another way, it would be more likely break.

edit: of course it would be possible

some people will advise you against this, as the hub has already seen some wear and tear from the original lacing, it might compromise the flanges by radial lacing, causing stress to be put on a different direction of the hub. This might be balogna, but I figure I'd just put it out there.

you could also diy if you wanna save some money. wheelbuilding is easier than you might expect.

Radial is the easiest too.

After having owned a radial wheel though, I wouldn't get one again. They go out of true fairly often.

Thanks everyone

i got an old bike maintainance book at a thrift store recently. partially b/c of the info, partially b/c it had rad old photos of rad old bikes in it. anyhow there was a lacing section where they said that radially laced wheels are actually stronger radially that 4x wheels (though not as strong laterally), can anyone confirm or deny this? i had heard you shouldn't use radials with rim breaks, but if this is true it should be okay... right?

yea. stronger one way, weaker in another. i don't like them because they make the ride feel a little harsher.

I find it difficult to believe that properly tensioned wheels "feel" different regardless of cross pattern.

Enjoy

wouldn't the fact that radial uses shorter spokes change the "feel" somewhat? hub is laced to rim in a straight line from hole to hole, rather than offset at an angle -- to me this would "feel" a bit more harsh. like sitting on a bed of nails that are all pointed straight up versus sitting on a bed of nails that are all positioned at a slightly off angle...

joost brandt says im full of ****

""...'radial spoking also gives you a very stiff wheel. You can actually feel increased bumpiness compared to a three- or four-cross wheel.'

"I think you are imagining all this. There is no change in radial elasticity between a radial and crossed spoke wheel with the same components, other than the length of the spokes. A 290mm spoke is 3% stiffer than a 300mm spoke of the same type. Since spokes stretch elastically about 0.1mm on a hard bump (not ordinary road ripples), the elastic difference between the radial and cross-three wheel is 3% x 0.1mm = 0.003mm. Copier paper is 0.075mm thick, and if you can feel that when you ride over it on a glassy smooth concrete surface, please let me know. You have greater sensitivity than the lady in "the princess and the pea" fable.

"If your story weren't so common, I would assume it to be a put-on, but it isn't. I find it amazing how humans love to believe unbelievable things, the more unbelievable the stronger the belief. It isn't new.""

heh

must've been the rims i changed while i was at it.

YES IF YOU HAVE A BROKEN RIM YOU SHOULD NOT LACE THE WHEEL RADIALLY
BRAKES, BRAKES, BRAKES!

Enjoy

blech on brandt. you can feel it! if you stab a knife straight in to your stomach perpendicularily it will hurt and go deeper than if you stab a knife into your stomach at a 80 degree angle. a straight spoke pattern versus an angled/crossed spoke pattern seems like the same sort of idea to me...

Negative,
A properly tensioned wheel is assumed to be rigid for most calculations.

Enjoy

the book sighted a company that had done a bunch of testing on wheels with different spoke patterns. in short, it kicked some science. anyhow, it said that the softest riding wheel, and also the strongest latterally is the 4 cross b/c of the longer spokes and cross bracing.

the front wheel of my road bike is laced radially, and i've had no problems.

Sheldon Brown says not to use rim brakes on radial laced wheels

then it either wasn't tensioned properly, or it was built with poor quality components. the radial front that i've had for 3 years has had to be trued once, and by "trued" i mean "i had to turn one spoke nipple about 1/8 of a turn." i jumped off curbs, rode through potholes, bunny hopped it, took it off road, basically put the damn thing through it's paces and it held up just fine.

in my experience, radial wheels do feel different (assuming it's a traditional-style wheel and not a low spoke count, or something akin to a ksyrium SL, or Elite). they tend to be less rigid from all angles, and can feel a bit "dead" or, as i like to call it "smooth." i chalk it up to the tendency of an uninterrupted (un-crossed) spoke to vibrate more than a crossed spoke, so what i felt was less road vibration. of course, if you're comparing a radial deep V to a radial open pro, the deep V will feel stiffer, but a radially laced deep V wheel will not feel the same as a wheel that is laced 3x. and of course, i could be completely full of crap, just relaying my personal experience.

my next wheelset will probably be 3x by radial 32 hole in the rear, and 2x 28 hole in the front. of course, that'll be a wheelset for my road bike.

the points where the spokes cross form a brace which helps stiffen the wheel up quite a bit.

Without data these statements are meaningless.
"Softer" might mean a deflection of +/- 0.01 micrometer which no human would feel unless your sister is that chick from "The Princess and the Pea".

Enjoy

sheldon brown says a lot of things.

are you sure he didn't say not to use disc brakes on a radially laced wheel, because THAT'S a major no-no.

according to

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html

he says you shouldn't use hub (disc, coaster) brakes with radially laced wheels. i believe that rim brakes put less torque on the spokes and therefore might be more suitable, but i could be way off. stock fuji absolutes come with radially spoked front wheels.

you would be correct. there's no reason why a person shouldn't use a rim brake on a radially laced wheel.

ok man, i'll get some data for you, just wait right there, i'll be back in a second....



i promise.

[Curmudgeon response]

Now, wtf would you want to do that??:

[/Curmudgeon response]