Rim brake wheels disc conversion

[cissepauwels]

Hi, I got some Bontrager xxx6 wheelset (rimbrake) but want to use them as disc brake wheelset.
I need to respoke them with a different hub,
On the back wheel it isn't a problem, it has 24 holes.

But on the front side...
It has 18 spokes and i don't find a disc brake hub with 18 holes in it.
Is it possible to lace it with a 24 or 28h hub?

Thanks in Advance!!

Kind regards Cisse

[ABogle]

Someone who knows better than me can provide more clarity. But this isnt a good idea I'm afraid.

That front wheel let alone the back isn't designed to handle the aditional torque of a disc brake. I believe that rim is radially spoke at the front, no disc brake wheel using that pattern because it cannot deal with the twisting motion that the disc brake creates. Thats why pretty much all front disc wheels will have some form of cross lacing.

In short disc wheels need to be stronger to deal with that twisting motion, thats why they generally feature more spokes mainly at the front which has to deal with the greater twisting force.

Sadly if you want deep dish wheels, you'll need to put the rim brake set on ebay and pick something up.

[joejack951]

Someone who knows better than me can provide more clarity. But this isnt a good idea I'm afraid.

That front wheel let alone the back isn't designed to handle the aditional torque of a disc brake. I believe that rim is radially spoke at the front, no disc brake wheel using that pattern because it cannot deal with the twisting motion that the disc brake creates. Thats why pretty much all front disc wheels will have some form of cross lacing.

In short disc wheels need to be stronger to deal with that twisting motion, thats why they generally feature more spokes mainly at the front which has to deal with the greater twisting force.

Sadly if you want deep dish wheels, you'll need to put the rim brake set on ebay and pick something up.

He'll be swapping the hubs so the existing lacing pattern is irrelevant. There's no such thing as a rim drilled for radial lacing so he'll be able to cross lace it just fine.

Back in the late 2000s when road disc brake rims really didn't exist I heard lots of scary imaginative stories about what could happen if I built disc brake wheels using lightweight rim brake rims (IRD Cadence). I put nearly 30,000 miles on those rims without issue doing nearly all my braking with the front (my frame was not disc at the time). One of the most interesting concerns was that the offset rim I used was going to cause my bike to pull to the side when braking.

[DaveS]

Not worth the trouble, IMO. Sell the old wheels and buy new ones. Even more relevant if the old wheels aren't tubeless ready. I'll never use tubes again.

[marsa]

He'll be swapping the hubs so the existing lacing pattern is irrelevant. There's no such thing as a rim drilled for radial lacing so he'll be able to cross lace it just fine.

You are wrong. It is 18-hole rim and this can only be laced radially. The spoke count should be divisible by 4 to have crossed pattern on both sides, of by 3 to have 2:1 crossed+radial pattern. But you can not use standard rim as 2:1, because spoke holes are most likely angled and offset for 1:1 pattern (you will end up putting left spokes in right pointed holes).

[joejack951]

He'll be swapping the hubs so the existing lacing pattern is irrelevant. There's no such thing as a rim drilled for radial lacing so he'll be able to cross lace it just fine.

You are wrong. It is 18-hole rim and this can only be laced radially. The spoke count should be divisible by 4 to have crossed pattern on both sides, of by 3 to have 2:1 crossed+radial pattern. But you can not use standard rim as 2:1, because spoke holes are most likely angled and offset for 1:1 pattern (you will end up putting left spokes in right pointed holes).

Good point on not being able to properly cross-lace an 18 hole rim. I missed that nuance in my quick assessment. 2:1 still could work if the holes are not offset.

[SCJKJ]

An 18 hole front hub for discs doesn't exist. Your only possible solution would be to buy a hub with 36 holes and to lace every other hole.

https://www.hopetech.com/products/hubs/ ... front-hub/

This hub has a 36h count and you'd theoretically be able to do it, as long as it fits in the bike, since this is a mtb hub. That I have no idea about.
You'd probably be able to find a 36h front road bike hub somewhere i guess.

However, i really don't think it's a good idea to put a disc brake wheel on 18 spokes. Definitely not the front one, which usually uses a 160mm disc...

[cissepauwels]

oh okay thanks everyone, and yes i always have ridden on innertubes and tubeless but i got some of those continental competition pro ltd tubes, it's just because of the thread patern they have so much grip!
you don't find tubular wheels for disc to often (besides cyclo cross rims)

[SCJKJ]

oh okay thanks everyone, and yes i always have ridden on innertubes and tubeless but i got some of those continental competition pro ltd tubes, it's just because of the thread patern they have so much grip!
you don't find tubular wheels for disc to often (besides cyclo cross rims)

Well, as stated, it should be possible, definitely for the rear, if you're ok with the cost and work.
The front is possible with a 36H mtb front hub that fits, just be careful and note that it won't be a perfect wheel.

[cajer]

The Roval Rapide CLX has a 18 hole front hub, so if you find a one of those hubs you're good to go. However I have no clue where you'd find one.