Cool info man. You always got it,
Considering how easy they are to lace up i might try a rear radial just to experiment. Would be fun to see how it worked out.

I want to radial lace with black aero spokes front and rear. Very clean. These would look great: https://www.pillarspoke.com/product.a...Value=7&r=4265

Yes, very good idea.
Id have to come up with some cool hubs that would take those spokes though. Went i got my Sansin hubs i have now i wanted aero spokes. Of course they wouldnt fit thru the holes in the hub.
Any hub suggestions for that?
I know those GranCompe hubs have larger holes..ive seen them with aero spokes at Carnival.

You have to buy a tool that DT makes. It clips a tiny bit of hub off so you can push the spoke through...

Or you can file the hub - but file toward the center of the hub, not the sides of each hole.

Every week for 3 years is approx 6 months daily riding on a smooth velodrome surface. And tell us, what did this guy run the other 6 days of the week?

If you run radial lacing on the street, then you are taking beer money from your pocket and giving it, on a regular basis to whatever wheelbuilder has sucked you into getting such a stupid affectation.

I see...Well i wouldnt wanna do that to these hubs.
Maybe get something else.

He raced on it once or twice a week and sometimes trained on it. So he used it one to four times a week for races up to 50km long on a lumpy tarmac track.

I've had this argument on another forum, and the result is people who think a radial rear wouldn't work have never used one, and people who use one find out they work. I know the orthodoxy is it's a waste of time and money, but from what I've heard and seen the wheels work fine - no truing, no high spots, no noticeable flex/twist.

And I'm yet to meet a wheelbuilder who would suggest one - most wheelbuilders would have us riding 14 guage 3 cross front and rear - they're conservative by nature because they've got our lives in their truing keys.

I don't deny that radial wheels work. But I have strong doubts as to their durability on the street. I guess it means that you can boast about what a hardcore rider you are if you bust wheels every 6 months.

The best wheelbuilder I know won't build you a radial set if you simply want it. If he knows that you need the advantages, then he has no problem putting his name to the work.

Very few track hubs came pre-slotted for bladed spokes. Classic Zipps.


https://www.woodmancomponents.com/cat...g=en&art=hub18
Or use Sapim CX-RAY aero spokes.
https://www.sapim.be/index.php?st=pro...40&detail=aero

The problem with a radial rear isn't just imminent failure it's that it would be mushy. Without anything even close to tangential there is nothing to transfer force to the wheels until it "winds-up." Having never ridden one I can safely say that I wouldn't like to try it for a kilo.

He won't build a radial non-drive side rear? that's moronic they're stronger.
He won't build a radial front? Also pretty stupid as they stay in true better and are stiffer.
He won't build a fully radial rear? Not many people will.

Either way while he may have learned to turn a wrench with some modicum of finesse he sounds either too stupid or too stubborn to grasp the engineering issues of a wheel.

No, he will build you a radial wheel if you race and are light enough for it to be a good idea, or if one of his existing customers vouch for you. If you build 'exotic' lacing patterns for every fashion victim that walks in through the door, who gets blamed once spokes start flying and rims start cracking around the nipples?

Conservative, yes. Making a comfortable living off non-retail wrenching, yes. Wrenched at world cup level, yes. Moronic, no.

*Internet argument goes here*

totally wrong. You can apply more rotational force to a wheel with the smallest gear ratio on a geared bike. ..why do you think its easier to climb a hill in a lower gear? Get a road bike with a triple, put it in the lowest gear and really stomp on the pedals....its so forceful that the front wheel will pop off the ground. You cant do that on a fixed gear unless its geared so low it would be impractical to ride.

The big gear and lack of extreme rotational force is why its probable that you can get away with a radially laced rear wheel on a track bike. Try a fully radially laced wheel on a road bike or a MTB with a triple and you'll get a more significant winding effect, and probably more likely to break spokes.

Moronic? Are you saying he won't make radial non-drive side? That is indeed moronic. The non-drive side normally doesn't carry enough tension to transmit force to the rim. Therefore as the wheel winds up you needlessly stretch and slack the spokes. They are superior in every aspect and he is either a moron or a luddite.


It sounds like he is stuck in 80s. Rims have come a long way since then. Radial isn't exotic these days and the stiffness it creates is more important for a heavier rider then a lighter one. I've owned plenty of radial mtb wheels and none of them have ever been a problem and I don't baby my mtbs. They simply hold up better then cross spokes wheels do.

Says the V-Brake rider...

If you want to upgrade my bikes I won't complain.