Bulletproof Allround-Wheels

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jayjay
Posts: 395
Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2021 8:07 am
Location: Germany
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by jayjay

I'm riding the AR36 with 24 CX-Ray spokes with DT 240 hubs and I love them! 1418g btw
But like mentioned, 28 spokes would make it more bulletproof :)
HansZuDemFranz wrote:
Wed Jul 21, 2021 4:59 pm
LightBicycle AR36 (Don`t know about import costs)
You can choose to pre pay the import taxes at LightBicycle

HansZuDemFranz
Posts: 137
Joined: Sun May 13, 2018 11:39 am

by HansZuDemFranz

alcatraz wrote:
Mon Jul 26, 2021 5:57 am
The hub and rim look good. The spokes are very lightweight with thin diameters at the head and threads.

I'm going to guess that the actual assembly could have been done better too. Ensuring balanced tensions etc.

Personally I'd keep the wheel but rebuild it with thicker spokes.

Sure 24 spokes aren't exactly endurance but if you use 6gr spokes instead of 4.8gr (that came with the wheels, sapim d-light), then it should be quite a lot more durable.

Did you notice any noise from the wheels while riding/braking/sprinting? How about if you squeeze a pair of brake side spokes? I'm guessing they're quite loose if you're breaking spokes.

Are you running the wheels tubeless with tight fitting tires? That really lowers NDS tensions which can lead to spoke breakage. Let a builder tension the wheel with the tires on and you're golden.
Already sold the wheels, after they got warrantied

What do you think about the 303 Firecrest? It looks pretty promising and I could get a pretty good deal on them. I know, they arent really bulletproof, but I was thinking about switching the spokes over the CX-Sprint (they come with CX-Ray).

I also have a Set of Enve 65s, that I really like, especially the Tubeless setup with the Hookless rim. The 303 Firecrest would be similar in that regard.

by Weenie


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alcatraz
Posts: 4064
Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2016 11:19 am

by alcatraz

You're unlikely to encounter two wheelsets with issues, in a row. :)

Can't say much about those wheelsets. Someone else probably can.

To avoid breaking nds/rear spokes just ensure they are all tensioned properly (squeeze them) with a tire fully inflated. If they're floppy then have the wheel looked over before putting a lot of distance on it.

HansZuDemFranz
Posts: 137
Joined: Sun May 13, 2018 11:39 am

by HansZuDemFranz

alcatraz wrote:
Wed Jul 28, 2021 10:49 am
You're unlikely to encounter two wheelsets with issues, in a row. :)

Can't say much about those wheelsets. Someone else probably can.

To avoid breaking nds/rear spokes just ensure they are all tensioned properly (squeeze them) with a tire fully inflated. If they're floppy then have the wheel looked over before putting a lot of distance on it.
I see, thank you very much for your help. :)

Rossin67
Posts: 31
Joined: Sat Feb 16, 2019 8:01 pm

by Rossin67

joejack951 wrote:
Wed Jul 21, 2021 5:30 pm
Consider this: even with a broken spoke you can ride a 32 spoke wheel without much issue. A 24 spoke wheel, not so much.
Last week I broke a nipple on my 24H rear wheel. It was on my Wabi singlespeed with their Sub-15 wheelset. I was in a horrible spot on the road and had to ride the bike about 300 meters before I could pull over. The wheel was so out of true that the tire rubbed the paint off on the inside of the chainstay. I was able to tweak it enough with my spoke wrench to be able to limp home. Without my spoke wrench I would have been stranded.

I've broken a spoke on a 32H and it was no problem. But between the way they flex when I'm out of the saddle and the issue above I just don't like low spoke count superlight wheels. A few extra spokes doesn't make me slower but it does feel better with a stiffer wheel. I'm having a set of 32H tubulars built up for my Wabi.

alcatraz
Posts: 4064
Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2016 11:19 am

by alcatraz

A trick is to clamp the wheel very hard and a bit misaligned just to clear the stays. The challenge then is to not go over any sort of bumps which will move the wheel in the dropout. It's just limp mode.

(Obviously if you're running thru axles this won't work)

A piece of string is needed to tie the broken spoke to a neighboring spoke.

rudye9mr
Posts: 498
Joined: Wed May 01, 2019 12:01 pm

by rudye9mr

Can always look at the ASTM classification for wheel as a guide to how much abuse it ought to take.

jfranci3
Posts: 1572
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2016 5:21 pm

by jfranci3

HansZuDemFranz wrote:
Wed Jul 21, 2021 4:59 pm
Hi Weenies,

I`m looking for a set of allround wheels for my Scott Addict RC.

I was thinking of something between 35mm and 40mm depth. Maybe 45mm.
The thing is I would like them to be somewhat bulletproof, because I often do super long endurance rides (550km across Germany) and had a spoke break on me once, which obviously sucked.

I`m around 80-85kg. and fairly powerful. So should I just eat the extra weight and drag and go with 28 spokes front and rear? Or should 24 be enough?
I would also like to stay somewhat around 1000€.

Current contenders:
Roval Rapide CL38 (pretty heavy)
LightBicycle AR36 (Don`t know about import costs)
Zipp 303s

Any other ideas?
Thanks for your help.
24/24 with good spokes /build / tubesless tire pressures is more than sufficent on any disc 30mm + rim. I'm heavier, and haven't had an issue on DT Swiss 32mm alloy or any of LB's wheels. 28 spoke is excess, which will just stiffen the ride. I've used AR36 for rough road and gravel for three seasons now with Pillar 1422 bladed straight spokes and DT350 hubs. Probably 6000miles on them without needing a spoke needing adjustment.
I'd go 45mm+ for road only. My AR46 wheels are fine in the winds.

IF you want brandname, Bontrager Pro 37/ 50. The Zipp and Rovals will use noisier pawl hubs.
Last edited by jfranci3 on Tue Aug 10, 2021 9:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

eurostar
Posts: 465
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 7:19 pm
Location: London

by eurostar

Used Lightweights. The definition of bulletproof. Srsly, that's what I'd buy.

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