Radial vs Cross

davecooper
davecooper Posts: 290
edited September 2007 in Workshop
Do cross laced spokes give a more forgiving ride than radially laced spokes and is there less tendency for spoke breakage with one of them? I am leaning toward getting a pair of Mavic CXP33 rims on 105 or Ultegra hubs with conventional DB spokes but I am not sure what front wheel lacing to specify. I am looking for a strong pair of wheels with a good ride over rough roads but not weighing (or costing) the earth. I also want to know that if a spoke goes 40 miles from home, I will be able to at least struggle back.

Comments

  • Titanium
    Titanium Posts: 2,056
    Cross them. A spoke that goes on a radial wheel will make the wheel deflect more than on a cross wheel. There are minor advantages to radial spoking but the potential downsides are higher, especially if you're after a strong set of wheels.
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    Agreed - crossed spokes are inherently more robust because of the relative forces the spoke exerts in the wheel structure. Radial spoking may provide additional strength in the vertical direction because of the shorter spokes but it is more reliant upon consistent spoke tension and if done badly, it is more likely to fatigue the spokes resulting in failure.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • aracer
    aracer Posts: 1,649
    Rubbish. The only disadvantage to radial spoking is that it puts more stress on the hub flanges, and so should only be used on a hub that is designed for it - I believe both 105 and Ultegra are specified as radial lacing compatible. Why on earth should the lacing make a difference to what happens to the rim when you break a spoke - with either radial or cross lacing the forces at the rim are in virtually the same direction. Can't be bothered to work out whether a poorly built wheel with inconsistent spoke tension would be worse if laced radially, as that's a completely silly point to make, though it certainly makes almost no difference to fatigue. Not really a lot of advantages to radial lacing either - in theory it should make for a slightly stronger wheel as the bracing angle is increased, but this isn't huge, and front wheels don't tend to suffer from a lack of strength.

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