Calculated spoke lengths of 258.3mm and 259.3mm Front and 258.3mm and 257.2mm Rear. Do I just buy all 258mm or do I try to match them as close as possible?
Hubs have 2.5mm diameter spoke holes - Do I get 2.5mm spokes, or 2mm?
Thanks!
Spokes normally 2.0mm or 1.8mm I normally use Dt Swiss Comp.
Sokes tend to get sold in 2mm increments so I'd order 3 lots of 258 and 1 set of 260s. You'll probably get away with a full set of 258s though.
Once you've built a few sets of wheels you begin to realise that spoke lenght is nowhere near as critical as you once thought it was, and nor does it vary much from hub to hub. Rims make a difference, but even a noticeably bigger hub flange hardy makes any difference at all, if any. 🙂
I built a wheel with a load of random spokes I had lying around, and it's fine.
If you can get mixed lengths, then yes, go for 3 lots of 258 and 1 of 260, but it'll be fine at 258 all round
I usually round to the nearest even number, so what Jon says^^^
Thanks, am reading through Sheldon already. Is 2.5mm an unusual hole size, or is it so the spokes are't tight and fit in easily? I suspect the later, but would like confirmation before I press the button.
Also, cheap red nipples - anywhere? They're £17 a set on CRC, but the spokes that are the same price come with nipples, so not sure i can justify the bling or not.
personally, I'd avoid anodized alu nipples and stick with brassy ones.
What are the hubs? 2.5mm diameter is rare indeed - a tandem thing IIRC
As above, avoid alloy nipples for longevity.
Yeah, I read the various arguments about seizing nipples from this very establishment that appears very high in any google search for red nipples!
Element Technium FR 200 Hubs are what they are, I've downloaded the spec from their website, and they do measure at 2.5mm. Is this going to be a problem? Just tried with some 2mm spokes, they seem to fit very nicely, so I suspect not.
Spoke holes being 2.5 is fine. it's always bigger than the spoke diameter.
Spoke diameter is usually 2.0/1.8 double butted or something similar.
brass nipples are a must.
you can get spokes in 1mm increments, but lots of shops do 2mm jumps to reduce stock holding..
reckon though you could get away with 258 for all though, though make sure the nipples are the right length as per your calc.
I would get all 258 personally as a job lot from Ribble cycles because it is cheaper to buy a box for 4 wheels than seperate as others suggest. 1.3 mm length is not that critical
Sweet, ordered. Makes sense to get all one size, then get others if necessary from a financial point of view.
IIRC, CRC spokes come with 14mm nipples. Did you takew that into account on the spoke calculator you used? They normally default to 12mm. However, as PP said, it isn't that critical. I recon you'll be fine.
I didn't use CRC, have 12 mm nipples coming
I would get all 258 personally as a job lot from Ribble cycles because it is cheaper to buy a box for 4 wheels than seperate as others suggest. 1.3 mm length is not that critical
Exactly what I did.
If you get a pile of 258's I have a pile of 260's, I'll swap you some if you'd prefer to be closer to the specified spoke length.
Silver double butted 2mm with brass nipples, ACI stainless steel spokes.
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