Wheelbuilding / Wheel Building / Wheel build help

Sun CR18, VO has some options.

Top tip - if you're building a wheel with a SON SL hub, make sure your build stand legs are electrically isolated before spinning it. Tingly. Time for some vinyl tape.

You can get ADHN, but I only use them on retro, cheapish symmetrical wheels, really. It's a bit flimsy on heavily dished rear wheels. Not a bad rim for the money to be sure.

Yeah. I might wait for stock or the tb14 or the pacenti brevet.

The rims are for lacing to a son 28 klassik dynamo hub on the front and suzue classica 126mm fw hub on the rear so would like something on the nicer and shinier end of the spectrum.

There are velocity rims that come in polished versions, if you want shiny. Pricey though.

What's the general consensus on using bladed spokes with box section, low spoke-count rims? I know the aero benefits will be nil but I can get the bladed spokes for much, much cheaper than straight gauge.

Basically I'm worried they'll look shit and can't find any photos of this particular combo to help make up my own mind (although this fact may answer my question..).

I'm worried they'll look shit

How bladed? If the major axis is only slightly bigger than the thick ends (e.g. CX-Ray/Aerolite), nobody will know you have flat spokes from ten feet away even standing still.

Before crabon rims were a thing, some people built wheels with seriously flat spokes (>3mm major axis) and aluminium box rims, and they looked fine.

Silver kinlins xr22t rims will be back in july too. Tb14s and archetypes are out until october. Big mama dont bring in polished velocity rim.brake rims any more.

Silver rims area problem.

I agree about the adhn a bit flimsy.

I built some wheels with CX-Rays and Mavic Open Pro rims on high flange track hubs. They looked most peachy.

I had Open Pro CD/CX-Ray/Goldtec Track about a decade ago, they did look nice but I don't think the CX-rays had anything to do with it, since it is essentially impossible to tell by looking whether wheels have CX-rays or just plain gauge spokes once they're moving.

Hive mind. Is there any easy way to identify which spokes my wheel was built with? I’ve always thought they were Sapim, as requested when they were built, but it looks like Pillar were used. They have a totally flat profile. But I’m unable to tell if they’re bladed or just double/triple butted. I’ve done my beat to try and capture the shape of them.

Thanks!

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Is there a symbol on the spoke heads?

The flat square profile looks like pillar, has it got a little P on the head?

Is there any easy way to identify which spokes my wheel was built with?

There's an easy way to identify what they weren't built with, just get your micrometer out and compare the dimensions with known candidates. Also check for headstamps (which are not always on the head)

The spoke head is how I know they’re pillar and not Sapim, sorry, should have said that. I guess I’ll try my best with my tape measure.....

They have a totally flat profile. But I’m unable to tell if they’re bladed

You do know what those words mean, don't you?

That's not a knife, this is a knife.

That's a spoon.

Unless you can do tenths of a mm it'll be pretty difficult. Borrow/buy a caliper and compare with some of these:

https://www.pillarspoke.com/aero
https://www.pillarspoke.com/psr-x-tra
https://www.pillarspoke.com/wing
etc. (there's a few possible categories...)

On the other hand why do you need to know? If you want to replace one, no one is going to notice a few tenths of a mm and/or gram here or there

Yes, obviously, but I have nothing to compare them to and Pillar’s drawings aren’t that helpful. Eg I cannot tell if any of their triple or butted spokes may also have a flat profile. Knowing they’re pillar and bladed is enough - I only need to know as I’m selling them.

Only because I want to list them accurately in my for sale thread :-)

Unless you can do tenths of a mm it'll be pretty difficult

It's not entirely clear that spoke manufacturers can consistently hold tenths on bladed spokes 🙂

I need to replace the rim on my rear wheel, would like the trusty hands of one of the forum beloved wheelbuilders to do it. Who do I speak to?
Based North East, so that would be a plus.

The wheel is Hope Pro4/DT Apline III/Stans NoTubes Grail MK3 32h.
I would provide the new rim, spare spokes and nipples to match the ones the wheel is built with, so it's just a like for like swap.

I would love to give it a go myself, but I have a tendency to overtighten stuff and wouldn't trust myself in the end.

I'm in N16 and could definitely do this for you, though I don't have a wheel truing stand or tension meter here in London, so I'm at a slight disadvantage. Would be a homebrew setup in my garden on a sunny day, plucking spokes to listen for pitch.

Seem to remember you're in Haggerston, right? I bought some pedals from you once.

Could also teach you how to do it, as you say you'd love to have a go.