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I'm in the process of getting parts together for a my first wheel build and need pointing in the right direction in regards to spokes.
I've been pretty patient so far waiting for the odd deal or bargain here and there when buying parts. Currently I have managed to pick up some DT Swiss XM 481 rims for £55 a piece and some Hope Pro 4 hubs; the front hub being a j bend spoked hub with Evans voucher and I picked up a straight pull pro 4 the other week from CRC for £115.
Now, hubs and rims are the easy bit, spokes on the other hand seem to be a mine field, especially when it comes to straight pull. Having watched the Ali Clarkson wheel building video a few times he recommends Tarty Bikes; they can sort out spokes for the front hub and figure out lengths but they don't do straight pull spokes for the rear.
(TL;DR) So, where is the best place to get straight pull spokes from and what is the best way to figure out the lengths I need?
Cheers
Use the DT Swiss calculator and check out starbike for spokes.
You're not really making your life easy on your first wheel build!
Be really sure any calculator you use knows its a straight pull hub.
Yup, in a suitable calculator it'll just work it all out for you.
Personally I'd return it if you can and get a J pull, straight pull is the pointless 15mm axle of the spoke world- no real world benefits, usually requires longer spokes and has less good triangulation (which doesn't actually matter, but we're supposed to pretend like it does now since Boost), and just makes finding spokes more irritating.
Have to agree with the above, dont bother with straight pull, sell the hub on and buy a j bend hub
Had straight pull hubs on various bikes over the years, pain to build with as you also need a bladed spoke holder to hold the spoke as you tighten the nipple otherwise the spoke rotates with the nipple, worst ones i ever built were Shimano WH-R550 which had the nipples at the hub, right pain!!!
If you ever snap a straight pull spoke and need to replace in a hurry due to a ride coming up you will find it hard to get one locally, at least with J bend spokes you can get them locally or worst case nick one out of another wheel
Just to temper those other arguments. I built all DT Swiss with straight pull on my last wheel set. Easiest build ever. I feel easier than j bend as all the spokes are basically pointing in the right direction already for you. I just bought extra spokes to keep as spares. I've broken about 3 spokes in 27 years of mountain biking so I don't think it's that big an issue.
If it's telling, Hope have discontinued straight pull hubs and wheels...
That's a bargain for a pro4, try jejames, I get all my spokes from them, biggest selection I've found, just buy extra straight pull.
I've got straight pull spokes and what I would advise is having some spares once you work out the size - very few places carry them should you need a repair...
Can't really help on the sizing issue, but good luck!
Cheers for the feedback!
I've got the hub already and I got it for a good price so I will persevere. It does seem a mixed bag, some people say its not that bad to build a straight pull wheel where as others say don't go anywhere near it, a bit like on this thread.
So I've used the DT Swiss calculator and its telling me I need 278mm spokes on both sides(is that weird that they are the same on both sides?) with 14mm nipples; luckily the Hope website has all the details I need to fill it in correctly.
Is there much between DT Swiss Competition and Sapim Race spokes is my next question, or is there something else I should consider?
I built up a set of wheel last year with straight pull sapim spokes from spokes from Ryan. The build wasn’t too bad, just used a pair of pliers to hold the spokes during tensioning. The weeks did need a fairly significant amount of attention after their first proper outing; I don’t think I managed to stop twisting as well I should have during the build.
Straight pull for the win imo as lacing is so much easier especially on a first build.
I've opted for Salim d-lights on my last few builds and they have spanner flats to prevent twisting...a strong set of fingers may do similar.
You might be lucky with the online calculator having the correct measurements in their database for the effective rim diameter, hub width and flange height but you might not.
It might be ok if you are out by 2mm on spoke length but not always.
Buy the £7 ebook from wheelpro.co.uk (no affiliation). It's excellent and shows you everything including how to measure the ERD.
X2 on the Wheelpro book.
ogden
Member
It does seem a mixed bag, some people say its not that bad to build a straight pull wheel
TBH they build isn't hard, it's a little more faff but it doesn't add to any of the actual difficulty.
Also a fan of the Musson Wheelpro book.
The DT calculator is pretty much the standard. So long as you feed it the right measurements it’ll come up trumps. Only real gotcha is asymmetric rims, the Musson calculator covers them though.
Spokes; depends what you want. ROSE in Germany are good for DT and Cyclebasket in Wales are excellent for ACI once you get past the hilariously out of date web design. Either one will make options like JEJames look very expensive. Most LBS’s price their spokes assuming odd individual replacement but if buying two wheels worth you’ll usually find you’ve paid more than double what you could have at one of the two above. Also worth noting most LBS’s offer spokes at much more realistic prices if you’re paying them to do the build too.
Again, cheers for all the feedback.
I've used the DT Swiss calculator and its thrown out this: https://photos.app.goo.gl/31HnuhGZhu8vgi7K7 - Do these seem about right?
Cheers
I'm getting wheelcraft to build my straight pull DTswiss hubs and rims. Even Al hates straight pull builds. Told me to sell the hubs lol Still £30 per wheel for spokes and build it would be rude not to.
Just laced my first J bend spoked wheel last weekend. What a pain in the arse. Took several attempts to figure out lace pattern. If hope did a straight pull boost hub I would go for it (my previous hubs were all straight pull). Just thread all the spokes into the hub, line up valve hole correctly, interlace the spokes and tighten. I use a set of pliers with a bit of inner tube to stop spokes twisting and jobs a good'un.
ITs hardly a pain in the arse.
Skip one in the hub skip three on the rim.
put ONE spoke in the otherside and make sure it corresponds to the spoke neighbouring "almost opposite" spoke ont he other side.
Repeat until all are done.
The only thing I've had to do are completely relace/ perservere with a valve located in a tiny triangle. work out how I seem to have one spoke without a home to put it...
😀
I'd take that over pliers in one hand nip key in tuther and spinning the wheel in the stand with what? your tongue?
I can’t say I find j bend spokes hard to lace. I quite enjoy building them sat on an evening with a few cans of thatchers gold.
I've used a few of the online calculators and got these lengths.
The DT Swiss calculator
Front hub:
Left spoke length 271.3
Right spoke length 272.6
Rear hub (straight pull):
Left spoke length 279.5
Right spoke length 279.6
The Wheelpro Calculator
Front hub:
Left spoke length 270.9
Right spoke length 272.3
Rear hub (straight pull):
Left spoke length 279.2
Right spoke length 279.1
Sheldon Brown spreadsheet:
Front hub:
Left spoke length 271.3
Right spoke length 272.6
Rear Hub - Does't calculate straight pull
Roger's book says to round up if its over .6 or down if its under, so based on that I think I need 271mm & 272mm for the front wheel and 279mm for both sides on the rear.
Could I get away with using only 272mm spokes on the front wheel for convenience with spares?
My only other concern now is how do I take those numbers into account with the fact the DT Swiss calculations are based on using the 15mm alloy nipples & the washers that came with the rim but the wheelpro calculator/Roger Musson book is based around using 12mm nipples?
Any advise would be much appreciated
Cheers
Bump for the evening crowd. Any help would be appreciated.
I'd use the rounded spoke lengths per the dt calc. You haven't listed these though.
Most of my DT builds I use same length spokes on the rear and different front.
Handily with straight pull hub pairs that usually means 3x sets of 1 length (RR, RL, FR), 1 x set of the other (FL).
Sorry, Bearback, the rounded results from that were 272 & 273 for the front and 279 for the rear. Do you think go with that and use the DT nipples I’ve already got?
What is the leeway for error with spoke/nipple length?
Cheers
Many spokes are only available in even numbers, or at least where I am (a minute drive from Bearback...). I've no idea on whether you have entered the correct details, but if you have, 272 up front and 280 in the rear will be fine. And use alloy nipples at your peril.... Certainly don't round down too far if you do as you'll prematurely snap the heads of the nipples off.