Recommend a Rim for Me

[Bling]

I want a classic looking wheel set that I can road race on.

I really like the polished H + Son TB14's, but the lowest spoke count they're available in is 28. That is more than I need (I think). 20 in the front and 24 in the back seems sufficient.

I want clinchers. I want noisly clickaty-clack hubs. The bike will look best with all silver wheels, otherwise I would go with Zipp 202 or Campy Hyperon.

What else is out there with a classic profile, wide width, and low spoke count?

[shovelhd]

You can go with Mavic or some other prebuilt wheel, but what ou're really after are handbuilts. BTW road racing makes no particular demands on wheels.

[Bentley]

I'd go with either Rolf's (I think Elan or Vigor) or American Classic tend to have good wheels that likely fit the

Ray

[cmbicycles]

Silver Ksyriums ;)

[cachagua]

I want a classic looking wheel set that I can road race on. 20 [spokes] in the front and 24 in the back seems sufficient.

28 is sufficient. Forgive my being blunt, but fewer spokes than that isn't going to win you a race that you'd lose with the 28s. Use oval spokes if you're concerned about aerodynamics. And anyway, you want a classic look -- nobody who can be called "classic" rode 20/24, not even in a climbing time trial.

You will absolutely love the TB14s. Strong, comfortable, durable, easy to build/maintain, fit tires well... they check all the boxes.

[Gummee]

28 is sufficient. Forgive my being blunt, but fewer spokes than that isn't going to win you a race that you'd lose with the 28s. Use oval spokes if you're concerned about aerodynamics. And anyway, you want a classic look -- nobody who can be called "classic" rode 20/24, not even in a climbing time trial.

You will absolutely love the TB14s. Strong, comfortable, durable, easy to build/maintain, fit tires well... they check all the boxes.
This

I've got just that set: 28/32 TB14s. ...but mine are HA not silver.

Nice wheels in a classic kinda way.

M

[nate2351]

H+son makes a polished Archetype.

[Tony T]

The polished are not a 'classic' look and also don't come in 20 or 24 hole.

[Louis]

The polished are not a 'classic' look and also don't come in 20 or 24 hole.

+1

This is classic: Mavic Open Pro

$60 at Excel (28 holes)

https://www.excelsports.com/main.asp?page=8&description=Open+Pro+Rim&vendorCode=MAVIC&major=1&minor=25

https://www.excelsports.com/assets/gallery/108383-1.jpg

[macaroon]

28 is sufficient. Forgive my being blunt, but fewer spokes than that isn't going to win you a race that you'd lose with the 28s. Use oval spokes if you're concerned about aerodynamics. And anyway, you want a classic look -- nobody who can be called "classic" rode 20/24, not even in a climbing time trial.

You will absolutely love the TB14s. Strong, comfortable, durable, easy to build/maintain, fit tires well... they check all the boxes.

This.

I'd imagine more spokes would be preferable with low profile rim as the rime itself is likely to be less stiff than a deeper profile rim.

[oldpotatoe]

I want a classic looking wheel set that I can road race on.

I really like the polished H + Son TB14's, but the lowest spoke count they're available in is 28. That is more than I need (I think). 20 in the front and 24 in the back seems sufficient.

I want clinchers. I want noisly clickaty-clack hubs. The bike will look best with all silver wheels, otherwise I would go with Zipp 202 or Campy Hyperon.

What else is out there with a classic profile, wide width, and low spoke count?

Remember 4 spokes weigh about an ounce..28/28 would weigh 3 ounces more(12 spokes)..

When you are rolling, can't really tell spoke count and 20/24 'advantages' are teeny, tiny, with TB-14. IMHO.

[Bling]

Remember 4 spokes weigh about an ounce..28/28 would weigh 3 ounces more(12 spokes)..

When you are rolling, can't really tell spoke count and 20/24 'advantages' are teeny, tiny, with TB-14. IMHO.

Thanks.

The 20 / 24 concept is more for a neo-classic appearance. I'm a bit of a weight weenie too. But mostly, I'm just trying to find the perfect blend for my bike.

I think it's gonna be TB14's at 28 front and rear. Maybe on a pair of Curtis Odom high flange hubs...

[Mzilliox]

Thanks.

The 20 / 24 concept is more for a neo-classic appearance. I'm a bit of a weight weenie too. But mostly, I'm just trying to find the perfect blend for my bike.

I think it's gonna be TB14's at 28 front and rear. Maybe on a pair of Curtis Odom high flange hubs...

One thing i can tell you is Odom high flange hubs are so badass. they spin for days and days

[cmg]

rim weight, rim weight, rim weight... lighter rim, use more spokes, heavier rim, less spokes. faster wheel, minimize weight at the rim. look at deepest, widest rim that is the lightest. for a rear; Stans 400, HED Belgium C2,
A23 OC, Pacenti Forza Rim (MSW) , for a front wheel
velocity Aerohead, stans 340, kinlin 200 if you are 180 lbs go 28 or more in the rear and your on your own on the front. i'm over 180 and have cracked a few 24 spoked fronts, don't do it. minizing rotating weight at the rim is the goal. light tire, light tube, minimum rim tape or spoke hole covers. flame on

[oldpotatoe]

Thanks.

The 20 / 24 concept is more for a neo-classic appearance. I'm a bit of a weight weenie too. But mostly, I'm just trying to find the perfect blend for my bike.

I think it's gonna be TB14's at 28 front and rear. Maybe on a pair of Curtis Odom high flange hubs...

Lace the rear 3 cross..2 cross front, inside pulling then.

NeoClassical?..Tubulars sir..Ambrosio Nemesis..

[Tony]

rim weight, rim weight, rim weight... lighter rim, use more spokes, heavier rim, less spokes. faster wheel, minimize weight at the rim. look at deepest, widest rim that is the lightest. for a rear; Stans 400, HED Belgium C2,
A23 OC, Pacenti Forza Rim (MSW) , for a front wheel
velocity Aerohead, stans 340, kinlin 200 if you are 180 lbs go 28 or more in the rear and your on your own on the front. i'm over 180 and have cracked a few 24 spoked fronts, don't do it. minizing rotating weight at the rim is the goal. light tire, light tube, minimum rim tape or spoke hole covers. flame on

I'll add Easton R90SL, (454 grams) and the Boyd Altamont lite, (435 grams)

[Masaoshiro]

Araya SA30

[weisan]

I think the most important thing is not to over think it.

.

[Mark McM]

II really like the polished H + Son TB14's, but the lowest spoke count they're available in is 28. That is more than I need (I think). 20 in the front and 24 in the back seems sufficient.

Unfortunately, you can't determine the required number of spokes without considering the rim. The spokes and rim work in concert, and the in fact, only a small number of spokes are bearing the load at any moment. The role of the rim is distribute the load from the ground contact to the nearby spokes (the Load Affected Zone), and the stiffer the rim, the more widely it will distribute the load to the spokes. A stiff rim can distribute the loads across a larger arc of the rim (a larger LAZ), so the spokes can be further apart and still have enough spokes carrying the load. A flexible rim can only distribute the load over a small distance (a smaller LAZ), so the spokes must be closer together.

In other words, making a wheel stiff and strong isn't about the total number of spokes, its about the number of spokes in the LAZ: The smaller the LAZ, the closer the spokes must be, which requires a larger total number of spokes; and conversely, the larger the LAZ, the further apart the spokes may be, and so a lower total number of spokes may be used.

The H PLUS SON TB14 rim is relatively shallow, and therefore relatively flexible. For the same strength and stiffness, a larger number of spokes will be required than would be for a deeper, stiffer rim. Unless you are a lightweight rider, 20/24 spokes may not be sufficient.

[cachagua]

I think tires might affect the situation too, if we're looking at that level of detail. I'm not sure exactly what the effect of different tire sizes would look like, but if we assume that no tire at all will concentrate the load in a narrowly restricted area of the rim, then some tire will distribute it more widely, and more tire, more widely still...

However: for my own purposes, I don't engineer my wheels (or any of the rest of my bike) so close to the bone as that. Doubtless you could spec and build a wheel that would hold you up rolling, with no acceleration, in a straight line, on a polished marble surface, but if you didn't pee before getting on your bike it'd collapse. But that would require, as cautioned above, considerable over-thinking... and also, it's better to have a little margin of safety.

[Bling]

Unfortunately, you can't determine the required number of spokes without considering the rim. The spokes and rim work in concert, and the in fact, only a small number of spokes are bearing the load at any moment. The role of the rim is distribute the load from the ground contact to the nearby spokes (the Load Affected Zone), and the stiffer the rim, the more widely it will distribute the load to the spokes. A stiff rim can distribute the loads across a larger arc of the rim (a larger LAZ), so the spokes can be further apart and still have enough spokes carrying the load. A flexible rim can only distribute the load over a small distance (a smaller LAZ), so the spokes must be closer together.

In other words, making a wheel stiff and strong isn't about the total number of spokes, its about the number of spokes in the LAZ: The smaller the LAZ, the closer the spokes must be, which requires a larger total number of spokes; and conversely, the larger the LAZ, the further apart the spokes may be, and so a lower total number of spokes may be used.

The H PLUS SON TB14 rim is relatively shallow, and therefore relatively flexible. For the same strength and stiffness, a larger number of spokes will be required than would be for a deeper, stiffer rim. Unless you are a lightweight rider, 20/24 spokes may not be sufficient.

That's really helpful. I had not considered rim strength before. I have no knocked a rim out of true in the past 50,000k, but I often ride pretty deep wheels. I just want shallow wheels for the cool 'look'... Probably gonna go with Curtis Odom hubs, 32 spoke count on TB14's.

I'll update with pics later this season.

[Bling]

Any suggested lacing patterns?

[Gummee]

Any suggested lacing patterns?

32h = 3x

If you're lightweight or ride softly, 28h in the front's OK too. It's what I'm running at 165-170. My TB-14s are 28/32

M

[Mark McM]

That's really helpful. I had not considered rim strength before. I have no knocked a rim out of true in the past 50,000k, but I often ride pretty deep wheels. I just want shallow wheels for the cool 'look'... Probably gonna go with Curtis Odom hubs, 32 spoke count on TB14's.

I'll update with pics later this season.

For spoke durability, it's not rim strength that matters, its rim stiffness.

Lacing pattern has little affect on wheel stiffness or spoke durability. However, it can affect hub durability. Standard flange hubs are usually most durable with tangential spoke lacing, and least durable with radial lacing, so for standard hubs, it is generally recommended to lace the spokes as tangential as possible. While spoke lacing patterns may be partially affected by rim and hub dimensions, in general to find the crossing pattern with the most tangential angle, divide the number of spokes by 8, and then round down. So for these common numbers of spokes:

36 spokes: 3 or 4 crossings
32 spokes: 3 crossings
28 spokes: 2 or 3 crossings
24 spokes: 2 crossings
20 spokes: 1 or 2 crossings
16 spokes: 1 crossing

[Bling]

You guys are awesome. Thanks so much for the advice!!