Are 20 or 24h CX wheels a bad idea?

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Dman
Posts: 110
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2010 11:37 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

by Dman

Just bought my first cx bike - Fuji

I have bunch of spare carbon rims lying around but they are mostly 20h or 24h.
Am I asking for trouble building them up into lighter wheels for the bike????
[emoji16]

The rims are Reynolds Attack carbon clinchers
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jooo
Posts: 1510
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2011 3:48 am

by jooo

If they're the older Reynolds they're fairly narrow which isn't great for wide, low pressure tyres. This doesn't mean they won't work though.

But really, there needs to be more details of your build and intended usage. What hubs, spokes? That can make a big difference in stiffness. How heavy are you? Are you hard on your equipment? etc

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rasmussloth
Posts: 314
Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2013 3:19 pm
Location: Denmark

by rasmussloth

It depends.

2014 Cannondale Superx 105 came with 16/20 spokes Shimano wheels.

I you are heavier than 80 kg, I would advice that you use a minimum of 24.

Dman
Posts: 110
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2010 11:37 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

by Dman

Thanks. I'm 71kg but you raise a good point. Older Reynolds rims are quite narrow so maybe I should reconsider...
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Briscoelab
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Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2006 6:01 pm

by Briscoelab

They will be fine.

Until the last few years, everyone ran narrow rims with their CX tires. It isn't ideal, but it isn't bad either.

For rim brakes 20/24 on fairly stiff rims will be fine.

I have an older set of Reynolds with DT240 hubs that refuse to die. We used the on the road for 2-3 seasons and have like 5 cx seasons on them. They have many more left in them... they have never needed truing even, and yes, they are the older narrow style DV46.

I've also got 4 sets of Shimano DA7850 carbon tubular wheels that we use for CX. Also narrow rims... they work awesome.

Now, if you were running disc, you might rethink the 20/24 setup. If you had a really stiff rim, the right spokes, and an excellent builder... they could work. But, I like some more spokes on disc setups.

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