Are black spokes cool? ie when it is ok to use them?

[astaft]

I just picked up some Record silver (10s) hubs and am going to build some wheels (now thinking DT 465 or 415s). I was thinking that black spokes would look pretty cool with silver rims, although pricing shows that they should be ~66% cooler than silver spokes. So I guess my question is, what is traditional spoke color etiquette? ie black hubs and black rims always have to have black spokes? I assume it is against the rules to have black hubs, black spokes and silver rims? Maybe a flowchart is needed.

FWIW these will be going on a Merlin with campy record 10 and black bar tape.

Andrew

[AngryScientist]

it must be winter...

my take is that black spokes look good on modern, racy looking bikes. silver spokes for more traditional looking machines, like the one you describe.

[oldpotatoe]

I just picked up some Record silver (10s) hubs and am going to build some wheels (now thinking DT 465 or 415s). I was thinking that black spokes would look pretty cool with silver rims, although pricing shows that they should be ~66% cooler than silver spokes. So I guess my question is, what is traditional spoke color etiquette? ie black hubs and black rims always have to have black spokes? I assume it is against the rules to have black hubs, black spokes and silver rims? Maybe a flowchart is needed.

FWIW these will be going on a Merlin with campy record 10 and black bar tape.

Andrew


black 66% more expensive than silver? Gotta raise my spoke prices again, I guess.

I think silver hub-silver spokes, silver rim. Or maybe black rim but silver spokes. Black hub, samo, I think silver spokes look better with a silver or black rim. But for those black spokes, all black OK also...

[MattTuck]

yep, agree with AngryScientist... must be winter. I do not think I'm qualified to even post in this thread... My back and front wheel don't even match, let alone spokes/hubs in a single wheel. bontrager racelite on the front, 105 laced to open sports in the back. wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle, yeah!


Check out ergott's site, he has many build pictures. I think they all look pretty damn sexy.

http://ergottwheels.smugmug.com/Sports/Wheels/16809464_h4G2Vc#!i=1687685606&k=s5WLcmW

[AngryScientist]

wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle, yeah!

:banana:

[jr59]

Who cares what is cool? That's just silly! Use what you think you will like. You are the one who has to ride them!

[Fixed]

cool for black ops. cyclist
cheers imho

[astaft]

Another question (haven't built a wheelset in a few years)... What is with the new DT prolock nipples? Just a fad?

[classtimesailer]

If your Record 10 is silver, go all silver with your Merlin. OR save those hubs and get black hubs to go with your DT rims.

[Jaq]

You can also mix & match. There are a couple web-sites with BMPs of blank wheels in 28, 32, and 36 hole varieties. Failing that, some blank paper and a compass would do, even a salad plate and a silver dollar.

Draw up your lacing pattern with silver spokes, toss in a few black spokes, see what you think.

Or, if you've got a wheel with silver spokes now, hit it with a black sharpie or some gloss-black acrylic paint from the local art-supply store.

I've seen a lot of guys on all-black carbons with a few silver spokes tossed in; the effect is very cool.


Here's a site with blank wheel BMPs for lacing patterns (http://spokeanwheel.110mb.com/lacingcl.htm#yocp). About halfway down the page is a "Select Here to Download the Files" link that'll download a zip. It contains BMPs of 24, 28, 32, 36, and even a 48-spoke wheel.

Fair warning: fooling around with lacing patterns is very, very addicting. You were warned.

[MattTuck]

Who cares what is cool? That's just silly! Use what you think you will like. You are the one who has to ride them!

To be fair, when he rides, he doesn't have to look at the wheels, he just sees the tire straight on. other cyclists do see the whole build... so I respect that he's seeking our advice, in case we see him on the road, we can be pleased with out suggestions. For more flash, I'd go with a rainbow of alloy nipple colors. :cool:

[Bob Loblaw]

Depends on the bike more than the rims and hubs, IMO. The color of the spokes should echo other colors on the bike. If you have polished metal stem, calipers, seatpost and cranks, go silver spokes. If you ride polished Ti, silver spokes almost always look better than black. If you have black lettering on a Ti frame, you could do black spokes then.

Most carbon bikes want black spokes because there's so little actual metal on them, and what metal there is doesn't look like metal. If the only shiny bits of your bike are the spokes, it will look odd.

Caveat: I am color blind and have no sense of style. :o

BL

[sc53]

Wow, can't believe you posted this! I have been debating the exact same issue! Glad you took the flak for frivolousness, though. FWIW I am building up a set of HED Belgium rims with White Industries hubs, so I have to decide on black or polished silver hubs, PLUS spoke color, PLUS nip color(s)! I haven't yet seen the HEDs except in small images online so I will make my other decisions once the rims arrive this week. Thinking silver hubs and spokes with black or red nips though. Or even--alternating black and red nips! I saw this on a bike on a ride this weekend (on older red Open Pro rims) and the effect was cool!

[54ny77]

Nice thing about back spokes is they hide dirt. Combined w black rims, that means low cosmetic maintenance, if you care about such things.

[Lionel]

Maybe a flowchart is needed.

Silver hubs, silver spokes
black hubs, black spokes

Simple

[velotel]

On cold days for sure, on hot days probably not, unless you're moving, in that case they probably stay cool. Then again pretty minimal surface area.

[astaft]

How does this look? Feel free to add in tire colors (maybe a subheading for tread vs sidewalls?)

http://i39.tinypic.com/2iggnk3.png

[fiamme red]

Black spokes should only be used between Labor Day and Memorial Day. :)

[tiretrax]

Never silver hub, black spoke, silver rim; nor black hub, silver spoke, black rim.

[rugbysecondrow]

Yes, black is cool. Black is always cool. One caveat, unless you are not bad ass enough to pull it off, which is uncool.

[Dekonick]

You MUST have a clothing pin holding a card in the spokes.

[pitcrew]

How does this look? Feel free to add in tire colors (maybe a subheading for tread vs sidewalls?)

http://i39.tinypic.com/2iggnk3.png

What about 9/10/11 speed? Need to add that to the chart ;)

[gospastic]

I am a big fan of black spokes, silver rims. Although it seems hard to find all silver rims nowadays. My training wheelset is black hub, black spokes, black nipples, silver rim. I dig it.

[Bruce K]

I thought it was silver spokes after Easter and before Labor Day and black spokes after Labor Day through the winter until Easter

But I've never been known as a fashionista :crap:

BK

[sc53]

Need to add cassette and chain color to the flowchart.

[Bob Ross]

Silver hubs, silver spokes
black hubs, black spokes

Simple


Uh...

One of my bikes has white hubs.
Another has red hubs.

Now what?

[Joachim]

Tire color (besides black, tan sidewalls or Vittoria Pave's) is going a bit too far for me. It hardly ever turns out looking good.

[Seramount]

Who cares what is cool? That's just silly! Use what you think you will like. You are the one who has to ride them!

fyi, this what we do here on the forum, discuss various topics. you know, things like what people think of black spokes.

what's silly is your attempt to stifle the conversation.

[Bruce K]

Welcome to winter on the forum

Even with no snow in the northeast, cabin fever is setting in

BK

[Dekonick]

Uh...

One of my bikes has white hubs.
Another has red hubs.

Now what?

Paint your bike blue!

[oldpotatoe]

Uh...

One of my bikes has white hubs.
Another has red hubs.

Now what?


Need some wheels with blue hubs.....

[ringcycles]

Alternate spoke colors. Heck make it a rainbow. Just build what you like and make sure the spokes on the front wheel and back wheel are the same color if you're picky. Won't make you any faster though

[Elefantino]

If you use black spokes with silver hubs, the pawl carriers will reassess according to the overlap. Because tension is not a constant, rotating mass releases outward, resulting in dish that separates by the absolute.

Naturally, this means more dynamic frequency at certain angles. Depending on your speed, it also could alter the harmonic catalysts and cause uneven torsion. Releasing the measurable adds to the convergence.

If you use silver spokes with black hubs, everything is reversed.

[bicycletricycle]

black spokes look terrible on silver hubs

[DG24]

Ceramic rim, silver spokes, black hub (from the Custom Section) doesn't look too bad

[Seramount]

black spokes look terrible on silver hubs

using black spokes on black Mavic OP rims and silver DA hubs.

bike gets a fair amount of positive comments...never had anyone say it's a fashion disaster.