lightweight track wheelset
 

i am buying parts right now to build my first lightweight track wheelset (or get it built, actually.) i wanted to see what you guys's opinion is on my build, and also see what kind of spokes i should use. the hubs are dura ace low flange 28h, rims are mavic gel 280 28h. also, are there any ideas for lighter options than that (in a reasonable price range)?

Tubulars, right? Those are very light duty rims, so I don't know how well they'll stand up to abuse on the street. I've used GL 330's 36h for years for road and cross, and avoided lighter rims with lower spoke counts based on their reputation for higher failure rates. Also, I prefer high flange hubs for track wheels, because they make the wheel stiffer.

are these going to be a race ready wheelset or a street wheelset? like tejanotrackie said, those may not be suitable for the street. the reason why i say this is because i'm building myself a set of race wheels using a very similar set up consisting of: low flange DAs laced to mavic reflex hoops. as far as your question regarding spokes, i'll be using sapim lasers and nipples.

for race use, the gels and reflexes will hold up fine. i've heard and known people using both on the road and having them crack for commuter use. but your results may vary.

i guess i should add that i'm 120lbs. would that make a difference regarding the durability of the set?

yes and no. of course you're not putting as much wear into them as a 180 lb rider would, but also if you're going to be riding them day in day out, i don't know how your streets are where you're going to be riding if you're going to use them daily. pothole, bumps and debris aren't the best things for the hoops you're considering, they're not burly by any means, although they're also not going to explode when you hit a rut. how's that for a non-committal answer. =) but it all depends on how you're going to use them and the circumstances of their use. if the person building your wheels is pretty competent, then your wheels should hold true if that was your main concern too, but then again, you can always true them yourself.

Double-butted spokes.

at your weight you can use 2.0/1.5/2.0 spokes

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/src/froog...Of-6-17408.htm

good choice? how do i know what length to order if i don't have the parts in-hand?

Just take it to your wheel builder, and let him figure it out and buy the spokes. It's a function of hub and rim diameter, hub flange spacing, number of spokes and spoke crossing. The front and rear will require different length spokes and possibly the left and right rear hub spokes will be different as well. If you really want to figure it out yourself, google spoke length calculator.

http://www.bikeschool.com/spokes/

what if i use an american classic micro road hub (68g) as my front hub? bad idea?

Nope thats a good idea. Road hubs are lighter than track hubs and there's absolutely no reason to use a track-specific bult-on hub in the front. If you want a cleaner look, use a bolt-on skewer with your road hub.

+ blade spokes

I'm working out the specifics for a weight weenie-ish fixed gear wheelset for my commuter, I'm looking at a velocity hub (a regular road hub) up front laced to a kinlin xr-270 rim and I haven't decided on rear hub, but it will be laced to a kinlin xr-300 I'm thinking a 28/32 spoke count should suffice. As far as spokes/nipples go I'm going to leave that one up to the wheel builder and my wallet.

if you really want to geek out, you can play with different configurations at the link below and get an estimate of what the set would weigh, they probably wont have the specific hub you're going to use but you can select one with a similar weight to get a rough estimate

http://www.wheelbuilder.com/store/wh...alculator.html