Front wheel rebuild options

[messiah]

After my recent visit to the undergrowth as discussed in another thread...

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... highlight=

I also have to rebuild the front wheel.

Unfortunately due to the use of Blue Alloy Nipples in the original build I ended up destroying these and most of the spokes when taking the wheel apart

Poll?

Should I rebuild the wheel as it was with the funky one-cross build and Blue Nipples - I would need to buy spokes and nipples.

Rebuild it with spokes and nipples I already have - would be a two-cross build with brass nipples.

Here is how it used to be.

Two-cross will be cheaper and stronger, one-cross will be pimpy.

Thoughts of the group please.

 

[cchris2lou]

they have got to look right first . :roll:

 

[cherrybomb]

Go with blue nipples again if poss but junk the single cross lacing. Hope hubs don't like too much stress put on the flange and will fail if you're not careful.

Personally I'd only ever use three cross lacing with them but you'd probably get away with two.

 

[stevet1]

Hmm, after the last wheelbuild Ive sworn off alloy nipples again except for light use only, I find I just can't get good spoke tension without starting to round 'em off.
Of course this is retrobike though which is why I used them in the first place so really its up to you, how much is it a rider and how much is it a retro machine?

 

[cherrybomb]

I think alloy nipples have a bad rep that they don't necessarily deserve.

I've just had a 10 yr old wheel rebuilt with a new (NOS) hope hub and the guys managed to reuse all the original gold nipples.

mind you, the wheel had been built well to begin with and had never needed more than a VERY minor tweak in it's entire life.

 

[kase1983]

i had a wheel done 2 cross recently, it looked pants, had it re-done 1 cross, much better..

 

[messiah]

i had a wheel done 2 cross recently, it looked pants, had it re-done 1 cross, much better..

That was what I was thinking... two-cross looks very much like three-cross, very hard to tell the difference at a glance wheras the one-cross looks instantly pimpy.

My Kona has a radial front wheel which is lasting very well, but it's a Campagnolo hub which I trust radial wheras the Hope I don't.

For information it is a bike for riding as all of mine are. I'm tempted towards the two cross - I always thought the one cross was a cracked flange waiting to happen. But I loved the look of the wheel as it was and I know it had a hard time under it's last owner who is a very good friend of mine... so good in fact that he gave me the wheel for free... and I go and do this to it I'm having such difficulty deciding :roll: