wheelbuild recommendation
 

Heres repetition of a question asked who knows how many times...but now its my turn :)

Looking to build up a set of wheels for my mandaric track bike which I ride on the streets. I have an idea of the parts I'll get, but not finalized. Would appreciate any input. Working from the middle:
-IRO hubs (probalby 32 hole, but maybe 36 is good for the extra strength?)
-14 gauge spokes, laced 3x (still need to calculate the length I need)
-brass nipples
-mavic ma3 rims (was looking at other options such as the open pros or velocity deep Vs, but the ma3s seem to fit my budget best)
-no idea on the tyres...I have a continental on the rear right now and it seems pertty nice.

This will be my first wheel build. Thanks for any ideas and suggestions on the parts.

Are you going to build these yourself?

how heavy are you? 36 hole and 14 gauge straight gauge spokes are going to build one burly and heavy wheel. if you're normal weight, i would think 32 hole would be just fine... maybe some 14/15 spokes to lighten the wheel further without really compromsing strength. i would definitely run a 3x pattern.

36 hole 4x in the rear is ideal for tracks, at least on the street. the rear wheel takes alot of stress. since the cog is directly connected, and it becomes your brake. but 32 will do good. i do like 36 rear 32 front though.

I'm probably going to be collecting parts for a phil/deep-v wheelset soon but I'm not sure on how I should lace them. I'll probably get 32 front 36 rear but I don't know what kind of spokes I should use or what length I will need.
I figure that I better do 3x in the back but I find front radially laced wheels so nice to look at, I'm just not sure of their strength. I weigh 145 pounds (around 160 when loaded up with lock etc.) so I was thinking that butted spokes could keep the weight down and push the cool factor up.

If anyone has any spokes they can reccomend in particular it would be helpful (also if they come in packs of ~72) and also any advice for the lacing and length. thanks

145? You will be fine. I built my wheelset w/ 14ga spokes, 32H, radial front, 3x rear. I am about 150 and have put at least a couple hundred miles on my front wheel including some potholes, and have not even had to touch it up. I carry plenty of junk too.
The best deal I found on spokes (I shop around obsessively) was at www.icyclesusa.com - they sell them by the spoke and cut them to order, so if you need a couple different sizes (as you will with radial/3x) you don't end up having to buy more spokes than you will need. They have really good prices on DT spokes (which I went with) and even better prices on generics, although if you're building nice wheels, why bother with cheapies? DT is reliable/strong, and my spokes are sexy-looking.
As someone else said, 14ga is a little burly but I'm quite pleased. If you're the type to worry about spoke weight, you'll still be fine with 15ga or double-butted spokes, since you're a light guy.
As for length, go here http://sheldonbrown.com/rinard/spocalc.htm and use spocalc.xls, or get the file directly here - http://sheldonbrown.com/rinard/spocalc.xls

Shraner's book was really all I needed for my first build. It also explains why you would never want radial on the drive side of a rear wheel -> the forces would try to get the spokes to align tangentially. It's a fun book, and spiral bound for laying open on the bench.

My wheels:
IRO hubs
Mavic OP ($90 a pair on pricepoint. shop around)
DT Competition (14,15,14)
Brass Nipples
32h F laced 3x, 36h R laced 4x
Strong as hell (I'm 210#)

I'll see your www.icyclesusa.com and raise you one www.bikeman.com. if you're buying a lot of the same length spoke, they're a little cheaper. I compared silver champion 1.8's. but you have to buy 100... I'll definitely be hitting up icycle for my random quantity of odd length spokes.

Thanks for the suggestions. This will be my first attempt at building my own wheels. I'm not a very heavy fella, 150lb or so. I can be pretty tough on my ride, hitting bumps, hopping over stuff, stairs. Not sure how other people are riding, but I'd rather err on the side of strength, and not get a pair of wheels that I destroy.
I've been riding 32 surly hubs, 14 gauge laced 3x, alex double walled double eyelet rims, and things seem to be holding up well. Think I'll probably stay pretty close to that setup for new wheels.
Any ideas on a durable tire?

Anyone know what diameter spoke phil hubs take most comfortably?

im building a radial front, and a half radial, half 3x on the back...they are both 32h, miche hubs on open pro.

There are a lot of cheap-ish rims on Nashbar right now... they're mostly 28 spoke, but I think that at 150lbs you should be fine riding on 28, even for jumping curbs and stuff. I think all the strength stuff about 36 spokes is hyped more than it should be... that's enough spokes for loaded touring etc., not for a light guy on a track bike.

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...eid=&pagename=
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...eid=&pagename=

MA40s are the same as MA3s, just hard anodized. My front is an MA40 and it's strong. I like the Campy rims myself, though.

I would pay the extra money and use butted spokes, not because you save a little weight but because they have some give and are easier on the rim and hub flange. Your wheels will last longer and ride better.

For a 32h IRO hub, 3x on a Mavic MA3 rim I get a spoke length of 294.7. I would double check that though. This is a flip/flop hub so 3x on both sides.

At 150 lbs. that set up is more than adequate. Spend the extra dollars and get double butted spokes(14/15). For this set up I would go with brass nipples.

isn't that a string bet?

Hey Shiz

Go see James at Cavern Cycle, he'll sell you what you need. Re: spoke length etc. it will depend on your lacing pattern (as well as the hub and rim, obviously). Google Damon Rinard spocalc or spoke calculator. Select the hubs and rims and then pick the lacing pattern.