# Weight limit for 28 Spoke Wheels?



## rossb (Oct 11, 2005)

I have some wheels with DT Swiss 240s hubs, RR 1.1 rims and DT spokes 28h radial front and 2x rear. I also have some similarly constructed Velocity Aerohead wheels with Formula hubs. Are there any limits on the types of riders who should be riding 28h wheels? 

I weigh 75kg/165lb, do about 300km a week and, while I'm not particularly tough on wheels, there are a lot of potholes on the roads here. Are these wheels likely to be strong enough to use every day? 

Any thoughts


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## alienator (Jun 11, 2004)

rossb said:


> I have some wheels with DT Swiss 240s hubs, RR 1.1 rims and DT spokes 28h radial front and 2x rear. I also have some similarly constructed Velocity Aerohead wheels with Formula hubs. Are there any limits on the types of riders who should be riding 28h wheels?
> 
> I weigh 75kg/165lb, do about 300km a week and, while I'm not particularly tough on wheels, there are a lot of potholes on the roads here. Are these wheels likely to be strong enough to use every day?
> 
> Any thoughts


Shout out for Ligero or Ergott. As Knighted Wheel Builders of the Round Table, they can give you the best beta. But FYI, I'm 175, Ligero is building me a set of every day wheels with 24F/28R, Alex Crostini R3.1/3.2 rims and CX-Rays. 

What is good for you is gonna depend on your weight, how you ride, where you ride, and what kind of riding you intend to do. I'll bet, though, that they'll say you'll more than likely be groovy on such wheels.


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## battaglin (Apr 19, 2002)

*I think you're safe...*

I'm about 20lbs heavier and I use DA 9spd 28holes open pro 3x rear and alex400 radial lace up front. I had it trued after the first 300kms as the spokes had to settle in, after that so far its been problem free. probably had 1000kms since.


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## rruff (Feb 28, 2006)

rossb said:


> Are these wheels likely to be strong enough to use every day?


They are probably pretty strong (though this will depend on the type of spoke also)... but more spokes and a stiffer rim would be stronger and longer lasting. I expect my "everday" wheels to last at least 20,000 miles without spoke problems though... you may have different expectations. I've also heard that the DT ratchet doesn't hold up too well in the rain...

I'm a big fan of having at least 2 sets of wheels... a heavy bullet proof set with durable tires for everyday rides, and something else for when you want to go fast.


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## Mark McM (Jun 18, 2005)

*There is no one "right" spoke count*



rossb said:


> I have some wheels with DT Swiss 240s hubs, RR 1.1 rims and DT spokes 28h radial front and 2x rear. I also have some similarly constructed Velocity Aerohead wheels with Formula hubs. Are there any limits on the types of riders who should be riding 28h wheels?
> 
> I weigh 75kg/165lb, do about 300km a week and, while I'm not particularly tough on wheels, there are a lot of potholes on the roads here. Are these wheels likely to be strong enough to use every day?


The number of spokes for a given wheel is just one design variable, and is selected based on various inputs, including rider size, riding style and road conditions, and rim stiffness. A light rider on smooth roads with very stiff rims might be able to get away with 12 or 14 spokes, whereas a heavy rider on rough roads and shallow rims might need 36 spokes.

That being said, for a typical rider of your size, 28 is about the minimum number of spokes I'd recommend for those rims for a reasonably durable wheel. Were you to start from scratch, 28 spokes in front and 32 in the rear might be better combination.


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## rossb (Oct 11, 2005)

Thanks for the replies. I've decided to have some more durable wheels built up for everyday riding, and keep the DT Swiss wheels (which weigh about 1450g) for races and faster rides.

I've bought some 32h Record hubs and plan to have them built up with Velocity Aerohead Rims and DT Competition spokes 3x rear and DT Revolution spokes 2x front. Does this seem like a sensible design?


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## rruff (Feb 28, 2006)

rossb said:


> I've bought some 32h Record hubs and plan to have them built up with Velocity Aerohead Rims and DT Competition spokes 3x rear and DT Revolution spokes 2x front. Does this seem like a sensible design?


I'd go with Revs on the left rear as well... and make sure you use an OC rim on the back.

Those are still very light rims though... but at least you have a few more spokes. If you really want them to be durable I'd go with heavier rims. If you used deep aero rims and aero spokes in place of the Revs you'd have a durable *and* fast set. Aero spokes like CX-rays and Aerolites are very pricey, but you can get WS AE15s for $0.79 each at oddsandendos. It's a good idea to use the little brass washers with those since the they have 1.8mm Js.


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## rossb (Oct 11, 2005)

> If you really want them to be durable I'd go with heavier rims.


Any rim suggestions? I would like to use open pros, but I am concerned about the frequent comments about the clicking noise they make, and a friend had a pair which suffered this clicking - clicking wheels would drive me crazy! I also want a rim that is relatively easy to get tires onto (which is why I wouldn't use the DT rims again). What about velocity Deep V or Fusion rims? Mavic CXP33? (- do these have the clicking problem?).

And would using Aerolites on both wheels make them as durable?


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## rruff (Feb 28, 2006)

rossb said:


> What about velocity Deep V or Fusion rims? Mavic CXP33? (- do these have the clicking problem?).
> 
> And would using Aerolites on both wheels make them as durable?


Don't know about the clicking, but those are all good rims. The Deep Vs are the strongest and most aero... and the heaviest too. 

Aerolites are like Revs with the middle part smashed into an oval shape... so they are at least as strong. Ultra butted spokes (fat on the ends, and springy in the middle) are the best for fatigue loads. If laced to the same tension as a thicker spoke the cyclic stress on the ends will actually be less... since the primary stress mode is for spokes at the bottom of the wheel to lose tension when you hit bumps, rather than the top spokes increasing in tension. A stiff rim reduces the cyclic loads as well. 

The nice thing about the aero spokes is that you can see if they twist... over-twisting is a potential problem with Revs. Mostly for this reason builders sometimes use heavier spokes on the drive-rear, which requires the highest tension.


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## Bixe (Jan 28, 2004)

I concur with Mark. Your optimal build depends on riding style and the pavement conditions. How well your wheel holds up can also be influenced by tire size and pressure. Your wheel is durable if you don't have to tweak or repair the wheel. If it breaks, it's no longer reliable. Durability for me may be insufficient for you. (Worth mentioning here is that there's not much chance I'll ever tell Mark anything about wheel building.)

There's a set of DT RR1450s on the 585 right now. I wouldn't call them everyday wheels and the 585 is pretty much the weekend ride anyway. For the more everyday rides, I built up a set of Record hubs and Aerohead rims (OC rear) with Revo's 28 2x front and 32 2x NDSide/ Comps 3x Drive side. Those wheels are currently on the VaMoots which usually gets more miles than the other bikes. The wheels haven't but a couple thousand miles on them to this date; neither set have had any problems. I'm a couple of kilos heavier than yourself.

These wheels are my favorites, currently getting a break while the RR1450s are on the 585. These are DT 240S hubs, RR1.1 rims and CX Rays 2x 28 front/3x 32 rear. These have seen much more pavement than the RR1450s and have proven to be solid wheels that are a couple grams lighter besides....


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## cdhbrad (Feb 18, 2003)

*If you want durable, you may want to use DT Comps all around.*

I have a set of training wheels built with DT Comps and Velocity Deep Vs on 28 hole Dura Ace hubs that are practically bombproof. Great rims and the wheels are plenty stiff. I also have a couple of sets with Velocity Areoheads and those are great rims too, plenty durable for everyday use and about 100 grams apiece lighter than the Deep Vs. One set has Revolutions on the front and Revolutions non-drive and Comps on the drive side for the rear. The Deep V set seems stiffer, but the Areoheads are lighter overall. Either rim will make a good set of wheels. 
If you really want bombproof, find a pair of Mavic CXP 30 rims and build those with DT Comps, they will last forever.


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## rossb (Oct 11, 2005)

After reading all the comments above, I'm now thinking the wheels will look something like this:

Record hubs 32h
CXP-33 rims
DT Revolution spokes, 32 2x front, non-drive side 2x rear
DT Comp spokes 3x drive side
Brass nipples on rear drive side, alloy nipples elsewhere

I calculate a weight of about 1650g for the wheels and would expect them to be very durable. Any other ideas? Brass nipples throughout (for another 30g or so)? Given these are pretty tough rims, any real durability advantage in using DT Comps on both wheels?


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## rruff (Feb 28, 2006)

rossb said:


> Any other ideas? Brass nipples throughout (for another 30g or so)? Given these are pretty tough rims, any real durability advantage in using DT Comps on both wheels?


They look good to me...

Brass nipples are good if you want durability more than light weight... especially since those rims don't have eyelets. The Revs are better than Comps unless you are banging them around a lot (directly on the spokes). I also like having light spokes on the left rear because they are less likely to go slack when you hit bumps.

On the drive side you might want to consider the DT 2.3/1.8 spokes (Alpine?)... stronger at the J.


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## rruff (Feb 28, 2006)

rruff said:


> Brass nipples are good if you want durability more than light weight... especially since those rims don't have eyelets.


Doh! Those *do* have double socket eyelets... I thought they had none...


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