[maddog17]

has anyone ever seen a 36 hole rim that was straight laced? take a look at this ad i found. i noticed that the front wheel has been straight laced which struck me kinda funny for a 36 hole rim. first time i've ever seen it.

http://boston.craigslist.org/bmw/bik/1382121517.html

 

[sanjuro]

It is uncommon but not as much as you might think from that era.

A GEL 280 was a lighter rim, but rims were not particularly strong back then. It was only the adventurous and the extremely light who used a 28 hole rim.

I had a pair of 36 hole GP4's so I could ride tubulars but it could hold up to NYC roads.

Today, only freeriders, 250lb+ roadies, and tandem riders use 36 hole rims. I think the lowest spoke count front wheels are down to 18.

 

[splat]

It is uncommon but not as much as you might think from that era.

A GEL 280 was a lighter rim, but rims were not particularly strong back then. It was only the adventurous and the extremely light who used a 28 hole rim.

I had a pair of 36 hole GP4's so I could ride tubulars but it could hold up to NYC roads.

Today, only freeriders, 250lb+ roadies, and tandem riders use 36 hole rims. I think the lowest spoke count front wheels are down to 18.

My Tandem wheels are 48 Spoke

 

[ire]

 

[maddog17]

it's just a weird thing to see. i understand that rims then weren't as strong but i thought that to do a traditional lace would give you a better working wheel than to do a straight lace set. now they do it with low spoke count but the spokes are thicker too, that's why i hate my Helium wheelset. it's a harsh ride. i liked my old Open Pro 4's 32 hole better. i was thinking that the guy may have laced them himself and didn't have any real wheel building knowledge or very basic at best and straight laced them for convienience.

 

[sanjuro]

My Tandem wheels are 48 Spoke

Less fat tandem riders...

 

[sanjuro]

it's just a weird thing to see. i understand that rims then weren't as strong but i thought that to do a traditional lace would give you a better working wheel than to do a straight lace set. now they do it with low spoke count but the spokes are thicker too, that's why i hate my Helium wheelset. it's a harsh ride. i liked my old Open Pro 4's 32 hole better. i was thinking that the guy may have laced them himself and didn't have any real wheel building knowledge or very basic at best and straight laced them for convienience.

The answer is yes, a 3x cross pattern is stronger, but radial lacing is not necessary a weak front wheel.

Keep in mind that with rear wheels have a pulling component, i.e. the cassette, which requires 3 cross, although Fisher wheels were radial on the left side and Ksyriums were radial on the right!

I don't think radial is that much easier in lacing. Keep in mind if you are not confident enough to lace a wheel (you can just follow the pattern of a pre-built wheel if you are really struggling), you are probably not going to proceed with the next step of tensioning and truing.

 

[dsotm]

I think lightweights can be bought in a 12 spoke version....

It is uncommon but not as much as you might think from that era.

A GEL 280 was a lighter rim, but rims were not particularly strong back then. It was only the adventurous and the extremely light who used a 28 hole rim.

I had a pair of 36 hole GP4's so I could ride tubulars but it could hold up to NYC roads.

Today, only freeriders, 250lb+ roadies, and tandem riders use 36 hole rims. I think the lowest spoke count front wheels are down to 18.