Evening,

I’m going to be building up some Hope pro 4’s onto Crest rims in 29er size.

Looking for recommendations.

Should I go 2 or 3 cross?

I was thinking Sapim race?

I weight 79kg and these are for the South Downs way bimbling. The most amount of air I see is “jumping” off a kerb….

Appreciate any help.

Cheers,

I’m a bit lighter than you and I’d not bother with 2 cross.

32 hole? I’d go 3 Cross

I’ve used the sapim race spokes and they’ve been pretty good.

What nipples? I always recommend brass.

Have you built a few wheels before? What wheels are you running at the mo?
A fairly low risk build for a 32h rim/hub would be three cross with brass nipples. They won’t weight too much or too little, and if built and tensioned right will last quite well. But a lot if it comes down to how much experience and practice you have. If this is a first or second build, I’d recommend three cross. If it were me, I’d think two cross would be a bit marginal for any weight benefit, and you’d lose quite a bit of rigidity.
Having owned some super flexy handbuilt 26″ wheels in the past built by someone who knew what they were doing but built it down to a weight, it’s surprising how much flex and twang you notice if you’re riding even slightly enthusiastically.
I’ve built my own wheels on and off for about 15 years, and I’ve always done three cross, mostly out of habit, but also partially because of that one experience with twangy hoops. I weigh about the same, and ride the North Downs and lumpier stuff. Hope that helps – and best of luck. Building wheels is fun.

Too busy typing to check for other replies – Shortbread and Damascus have got it there.

Cool. 3 it is. Thank you!

Re 2 cross and 3 cross.

I build a set of each with identical rims and hubs about a year apart, but ran them concurrently on 2 different bikes.

I couldn’t tell the difference in stiffness. I did this specifically because I had read that 2 cross can offer slight stiffness advantages because the spokes are shorter.

Another new standard? 29ee…
APF