Spoke count for the street (36, 32 or 28)

I am looking at Campy pista hubs for my Mercian build

My gut feeling is to go for a pair of 36 hole (spoke) hubs

However does anyone have an opinion

as if you can get away with 32 hole

or even 28 hole hubs for road track/road rides

I'd say 32.

28 - too low. I'd go for 28 or less if I was road racing, or track only.
36 - too high. you're not mountain biking.

What rims are you building them into?

36h for london streets....kerbs and stuff! if you break a spoke the rim buckles less..

I think a lot of the strength of the wheel comes from the wheelbuild, so having an extra 4 spokes is going to make little difference.

i guess we also have to take into account how heavy you are. if you're 210lbs plus, then 36 spoke. otherwise, i think i think it's overkill. i'd go (and have in the past) gone with 32.

buddha - campy pista hubs are not sealed - i.e. not for outdoor use, especially wet london

32H is fine. I'm currently on 28H Mavic Cosmos but only because that's what the bike came with - I'd prefer 32H.
36H is not necessary unless you're riding a tandem or you're a massive fscker. I'm 90-95kg btw.

i'd say 32 on mavics

32 is prob fine but how much extra weight are 4 spokes? Not much. So if you are hard on wheel swhy not go for 36?

I've got 36. I just wanted the toughest rear wheel possible, plus 36 looks fucking cool as a front radial.

It's not just weight - 36H is also less aerodynamic. There are more 32H rims available than 36H.

hippy It's not just weight - 36H is also less aerodynamic. There are more 32H rims available than 36H.

Never thought of that, what percentage increace are we talking?

Most of the time riding in town though is spent weaving.

32h vs. 28h = 3% difference and this is with AERO spokes: http://damonrinard.com/aero/aerodynamics.htm
"An economical re-evaluation of the aerodynamics of a bike and rider with two aero spoke wheels, aero brakes, aero bottle, ANSI approved aero helmet, one-piece skinsuit, aero shoe covers, gloves with Lycra backs, silicone filling the gap between tires and rims, shaved legs and pump under the top tube costs about 1100 DM. In a 40-km time trial the rider equipped in such a way is 3 min 6 seconds faster than his conventionally equipped colleague with the same power, because his aero drag is less by around 21%. The speed of the aero cyclist is 4.8% higher than his conventional colleague (the last Tour de France was won with a lead of only 0.0025%)."

This is irrelevant really if you aren't racing. Knowing what I've ridden over (and into) with 32H spoked wheels, I see no reason to go to 36H.

My 36 hubs are keirin legal but, whew.

"a bike and rider with two aero spoke wheels, aero brakes, aero bottle, ANSI approved aero helmet, one-piece skinsuit, aero shoe covers, gloves with Lycra backs, silicone filling the gap between tires and rims, shaved legs and pump under the top tube "

No mention of the BFO rucksack, panniers, mudguards, lighting system, mirrors...
:D

bfo?

Big Fuck Off

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html#howmany

28 or 32 front and 36 rear sounds like a safe bet.

Kills that nice symmetrical look though.

Yeah, I'm still trying to find cycling aerodynamics site that takes into account two Tesco bags hanging off each hand.. let me know yeah?

haaaa

Thanks guys, 32 sounds perfect...:)

i went 36 for max strength and i'm a skinny l'il waif you never know what you might call on the bike for i'ver seen some fixies starting on the old school bmx tricks

ffub http://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html#howmany

28 or 32 front and 36 rear sounds like a safe bet.

Kills that nice symmetrical look though.

i asked quite a few people about the whole fewer spokes on the front wheel, more on the back wheel idea in bike shops and other forums and the idea was mostly laughed at.

As i said, decent wheelbuild with high spoken tension and 4 extra spokes is pointless. Save the £2 per wheel and buy a drink after you've built them instead.

sheldon's web site is great, but sometimes i think things like that are odd.

How about 20 front and 24 back?

; >

made from superstrongium or unobtainium i hope