[shroomtoon]

I'm currently trying to rebuild a rear wheel and have a few important questions I can't seem to find as easy answer for..

Background. Replacing a Ringle Abba hub on my Stab Supreme. When unlacing the old hub off I noticed these little brass washers up on the flange holes. They're brittle, cracked and appear to be shot (most of them).. Re-using the DT spokes as they are still in excellent condition.

How important are these little suckers? My front wheel does not have them (Marzocchi hub)..

Someone told me that since the wheel is under such high tension these brass washers prevent spokes from braking and protect the hub? Then why doesn't my front have them?

Any advice on this would be great.

 

[BikeMike]

How important the washers are could be a matter of eternal debate. The fact of the matter is that hardly anybody uses them any more, so they're not all that easy to find if you want to get some. Old school mechanics use them. If you don't have a good interface between the hole in the hub and the spoke head, they help. If I remember correctly, they prevent stress risers from forming as the spoke head cycles in the hole as it's loaded and unloaded or something like that. If you have a decent interface, which you should have, you'll do just fine without them.

 

[shroomtoon]

Thanks BikeMike.. I found some more info online about how DT recommended them when they changed their spokes for a brief time in early 2000 due to varying flange widths.. Sounds like they change back because it was a pain in the butt for shops to deal with.. (don't know how true that is though)..

I now know I will not be using them when the wheel is rebuilt..

Again, thanks for your input.

 

[ridefast]

i wouldnt re-use those spokes, especially if the wheel has been on a big hit rig like a stab. the spokes may look fine and they may actually be ok, but then again if you are going to the trouble to rebuild the wheel, why not spend the extra $ and get new spokes.

about the washers, you shouldnt need them, i havent built a wheel with them in a long long long time