Spoke Pattern for Disk & Fixed

POB_London

I have a fixed MTB which I only ever use on the road. It's a Kona Kiluea with Paul Components track ends, no braze-ons and a Pace RC31 carbon rigid fork. It has carbon bars and seatpost and a retro Cook Bros Racing (remember them!?!?) chainset with a Ti Middleburn ring. That's the background....

I would like a new set of wheels, so I have bought a Goldtec rear and a Hope Pro II XC front hub, along with some Open Pro CD 650C rims. On the front I am using a Hope Mono Mini 160mm disk (no brake on the rear wheel). I was hoping for some wheel-build advice.

On a dished wheel for a disk, is it possible to radially lace the opposite side from the disk? I wanted something a bit more pimpy than 3x spoking. Same goes for the rear; what's the best spoking pattern for resisting torsional loads (in both directions - it's fixed wheel)? Obviously no radial at the back... I'm planning to use DT Rev black DB spokes.

I like the ideas behind some of the more esoteric spoke patterns (snowflake, paired spokes etc) but I'm about 110kg and I have a 50mile per day hilly commute, so I can't be using anything too fragile! If 3x is the best way, then so be it.

nicklouse

personally i would only go 3 or 4 cross with any disc. Also check what hope sugest for their hub. and TBH forthe rear i would do the same. Again as the "braking force" is being applied at the same point ie. the hub.

whyamihere

Second vote for 3 cross. Technically, you could go radial on the non-disc side, but it wouldn't work as well as having both sides 3 cross.

me-109

Personally I'd go for 2x if you're only using it on the road. That would still be ample for disc brake usage. Snowflake is really only to tie the spokes together to give an effectively shorter spoke length so you would probably find it too harsh on the road - far more applicable to track use.

nicklouse

snow flake is not the same as tying spokes.

and snowflake is in my opinion a pile of crsp.

tying spokes can have an advantace if you are track racing as if a spoke brakes it stops it getting caught allowing you to hopefully finish the race.

(acording to some riders they say the wheels accelerate faster and flex less. do i dont belive them).

POB_London

I've had a google this afternoon and it looks like for a 32 spoke wheel I'm going to be going with 3 'sets' of 4 spokes per side. A couple of the most interesting candidates are the radial / 3x mix for the front:



And this 2x "2 leading 2 trailing" design for the rear, which should yield equal torsional stabiity in both directions (good because it's a flip-flop hub and because of the hub braking effect):

POB_London

There would be several options for tying and / or soldering spokes on both sets of wheels. Have a look here:

http://www.rouesartisanales.com/article-568185.html

Might be worth a bash for pimp value, although annoying to repair!!