28 vs 32... weight vs strength

[jthurow]

Ok, I'm dreaming of a lightweight tubular handbuilt wheelset. I weigh approx 190lbs and am not too hard on wheels. I'm wondering what the weight savings would be if I go with 28 hole hubs instead of 32 and if it's worth it from a durability point of view. Any thoughts?

jimi

[dave thompson]

Ok, I'm dreaming of a lightweight tubular handbuilt wheelset. I weigh approx 190lbs and am not too hard on wheels. I'm wondering what the weight savings would be if I go with 28 hole hubs instead of 32 and if it's worth it from a durability point of view. Any thoughts?

jimi
Jimi:

I'm at 195, have both 28 and 32 hole wheels. I can't detect any difference at all regarding weight and durability, both seem just fine. The reason for having a set of each was merely opportunity, nothing else.

[David Kirk]

32 rear and 28 front.

I'm 180lbs and use this set up everywhere and use them hard.

Dave

[dgauthier]

I too weigh 195, and I felt a *huge* difference in steering precision and control going from a 28 spoke radial to a 32 spoke 3x front. Sure, I catch a little more air when descending, but the extra wind resistance created by more spokes is undetectable when riding. (And I don't race, so who cares?) What *is* detectable is the increased stability and control. So much so, in fact, that I'm considering going from 32 to 36 spokes in back.

[oldguy00]

My weight has ranged anywhere from 178 to 200 in the past several years. Never had any problems with 28 spoke wheels.

[saab2000]

32 rear and 28 front.

I'm 180lbs and use this set up everywhere and use them hard.

Dave

Same here. An extra four spokes on the rear wheel will not hurt and will likely help.

[Too Tall]

Ok, I'm dreaming of a lightweight tubular handbuilt wheelset. I weigh approx 190lbs and am not too hard on wheels. I'm wondering what the weight savings would be if I go with 28 hole hubs instead of 32 and if it's worth it from a durability point of view. Any thoughts?

jimi

...about 24 grams :rolleyes:

When you said lightweight what rim?

[jthurow]

...about 24 grams :rolleyes:

When you said lightweight what rim?

A whopping 24 grams! I'll be flyin' up the hills now. ;)

I have my eye out for some old school tubie rims. I saw some Gold Or 10s that I'm kicking myself for not picking up if only b/c of their bling factor. Ambrosio Crono, maybe? Any other suggestions?

jimi

[Too Tall]

Well...your choices are limited 'cause Ergott cornered the market on GP4s :rolleyes: AHEEM. Kidding. Some of the Campy rims are nice. Kick around some older LBS and see what they have sitting around you might be pleasantly surprised.

[Velociotis]

Check out the pair of 28h tubulars I just listed in classified....

[Ken Robb]

I suppose the difference in precision that some notice/some don't could be attributed to the weakest link or critical path theories. If you have a really stiff frame/fork and run skinny tires at max pressure the wheels could have a noticeable effect on steering precision. As your other components become more compliant the effect of different wheels' relative flexibility is masked.

I suppose spoke gauge and tension also affect wheel flex. FWIW Damon Rinard at SDSU ran a lot of tests on the flexibilty of many wheels a few years ago and posted it on-line. I found it interesting and watched him test a set of my Rolfs.

[97CSI]

32 rear and 28 front. I'm 180lbs and use this set up everywhere and use them hard. DaveI'm 200 and use the same set-up with Record hubs/Open Pro rims. Never a problem in 25K+ miles.

[theprep]

28 front Fir Isidis - true every other ride and busted a couple of spokes.

28 front Velocity Escape - have not needed to true in over 3 seasons.

I am 175.