On 11 Jan 2006 03:06:55 -0800, "Nate Knutson"
wrote:

There are some really deeply discounted, nice 28 hole rims around. I'd
like to use some to build up some cheap wheels, but of course there
aren't many 28 hole hubs laying around at all.

Decent but inexpensive 28 hole hubs are not as common used as 32 or
36, it's true, since performance-oriented 28-spoke wheels over 20"
have neither been common for as long nor as popular as the others. I
note that someone on eBay is trying very hard to dump a pile of 28h
coaster brake hubs. With a little perseverance, though, a pair of
hubs could doubtless be had...but with a little shopping around, I
suspect that you could come up with just as good of a deal on a 32h or
36h setup.

I read the "Perverse
Wheelbuilding" article on Sheldon's site
(http://www.sheldonbrown.com/mismatch/). My questions:
1. Has anyone built up any of these? Any insights that aren't mentioned
in the article?

It's a bit of a pain in the neck to do because of the various lengths
of spoke needed, and there is no way that you can do it with equal
spoke tension. As a result, under load, the wheel is likely to
experience cyclic lateral deflection in the area where the greatest
spoke unloading occurs, which is in the area of road contact. Since
this is not in a location where the deflection will cause any frame or
brake rub, it could perhaps be ignored...but in my opinion, it should
give you a clue about the likely long-term durability of the product.

2. Anyone built up any as rears, or as disc wheels? Anything exciting
happen if so?

Given the known need for unequal left/right tension, and the already
noted uneven tension within a side in the wheel under discussion, I
believe that this is a bad idea. It is likely that the wheel would be
difficult to get true and properly dished with adequate spoke tension
everywhere..

3. Anyone have any insights about whether there would theoretically be
any problems with torsional strength using this lacing pattern as a
rear or disc wheel? My intuition is that I'm pretty sure it'd be fine
for normal rears, since most of the spokes are tangent and have angles
that (I think) are similar to a 3x or 2x rear wheel, but I'm not sure
about as a disc wheel and wouldn't be too comfortable fudging it.

Braking forces are seldom at the magnitude of forward accelerations in
a low gear on a hill. If the wheel will function under acceleration,
it will have no problem with braking. The use of disc brakes is,
therefore, irrelevant except for the fact that the typical disc hub
has less flange offset than a rim-brake hub. In theory, this might
actually make the proposed rear wheel easier to attempt since the
left/right spoke tension imbalance is reduced, but it still looks like
a bad idea.

And just a disclaimer - I'm as into cool conventional wheels as all but
the grouchiest, and I know that 28 holes, unusual lacing patterns, and
the like are usually more gimmick than benefit. I'm mostly interested
in this because I keep seeing closeout 28 hole rims. I do think that in
general, 28 is fine if it's built right. Most of these rims are 26" as
well, which makes it less of an issue.

It's not hard to find 28-hole hubs. If you want to build a bargain
wheel that's worth riding, match the hub to the rim and build it
conventionally. Making a mismatch can be an interesting exercise when
you have scrap bits lying around and nothing better to do, but when
the object is to build a finished product that you're going to ride,
the better plan is to stick with what's designed to work properly.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.