Which spokes to buy

We are big fans of the QBP spoke calculator in particular. It's simple, easy to follow, and gives you a breakdown for different lacing patterns. Plug in all of the correct dimensions and the spoke calculator will spit out the necessary spoke length for both the non drive side left and drive side right.

Because the dimensions on the front and rear hubs may be different, remember to fill out the spoke calculator for both the front and rear wheels. Now that you know how you are going to lace your new wheels and what spoke lengths to use, it's time to choose which spokes and spoke nipples best fit your build. DT Swiss is without a doubt the industry leader for spokes for all different bikes. DT is your one stop shop for not only spokes, but they also offer four different spoke nipples dedicated for different applications.

First it's important to understand the different types of spokes that are out there. Let's break down the difference between straight gauge spokes, single butted spokes, double butted spokes, aero bladed spokes, and straight pull spokes.

In the illustration below, you can see an example of a double butted spoke. So here we go. I am in the process of building up a set of wheels for my own Santa Cruz V10, and so I figured this would be a good opportunity to walk you through the process. First thing we need to do is go and track down all of the necessary information mentioned above for this particular hub and rim combination. Keep in mind that every rim and hub combination is different.

The Fox 49 fork on this bike uses mm boost spacing. Find the right information for your particular fork. The Santa Cruz V10 we are looking at here uses mm rear hub spacing. Make sure you know the rear hub spacing on your bike. Here is a breakdown of all of the dimensions for each Santa Cruz Reserve rim offering pulled from Santa Cruz's website. Now that we have all of the appropriate information for our Industry Nine hubs and Santa Cruz Reserve DH 29 rims, we can starting plugging that information in to the QBP spoke length calculator we mentioned before.

Looking at the front wheel first, the non drive side NDS flange measures 58mm and the drive side DS flange measures 45mm. Because these wheels will be ridden on a downhill bike and are guaranteed to see plenty of abuse, I will be using a standard 3-cross lacing pattern. You can see highlighted in blue in the photo below that this hub and rim combination for the front wheel calls for a mm J-bend spoke on the non drive side left side and a mm J-bend spoke on the drive side right side.

Now looking at the rear wheel, the non drive side NDS flange measures 58mm and the drive side DS flange measures 60mm. I will of course use the same 3-cross pattern on the rear wheel as well. You can see highlighted in blue in the photo below that this hub and rim combination for the rear wheel calls for a mm J-bend spoke on the non drive side left side and a mm J-bend spoke on the drive side right side.

Now that we know exactly what spoke lengths to buy, all we need to do is decide which spokes and nipples to use. Because this is a high end mountain bike wheelset, I have decided to use double butted spokes, the DT Swiss Competition Race spokes in particular. The Competition race spokes feature a 2. Because the carbon Santa Cruz rim is very stiff, having a lighter spoke will give the wheels a bit more compliance and better feel over trail terrain. I hope that walking through this process has helped you understand the process of building up your own custom wheels and deciding what spoke lengths you need for your build.

Max has been a professional downhill mountain bike racer for the last 10 years, competing in the UCI World Cup downhill series and U. Pro GRT series. Having ridden all different kinds of bikes on trails all over the world, Max's experiences being out on the circuit give him a unique perspective on what makes for a quality cycling component.

Max also has degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Physics, and so if you don't see out on the trail, chances are he is probably in the garage tinkering on the next project. Home Menu Search. Continue Shopping Your Cart is Empty. Shop Watch Read. The Sapim Force in contrast goes the other way. The Force is no longer a double butted spoke but a triple butted spoke. It is 2mm at the threads to allow full compatibility with standard nipples.

It is 1. It makes the Force slightly heavier than the Race but a lot tougher and a lot more durable. Finally there is the super spoke which was developed by Sapim in collaboration with Tune. The idea was to create a stainless steel spoke that was strong, yet lighter than any other produced before. The butting profile is extremely light gauge 1. This allows the weigh to be a mere g 64 pieces at mm. Their profile will cause some compatibility issues with some hubs as well as requiring different nipples.

They are made from a different stainless steel which Sapim are being secretive about. This exotic steel accounts for their exceptionally high cost. They are available only as a special order item. The super spoke is actually a poor double butted spoke choice for almost all wheels.

While the intentions were good with this spoke, it is so prone to twist that it lacks the resilience required for most wheels. It should be thought of very much as an event only spoke and better suited only to stiffer components. We do not recommend or stock this spoke. Aero spokes Sapim also produce a range of Aero spokes.

Aero spokes are made from butted spokes so they still offer all the butted spoke benefits. In addition to this they offer aerodynamic advantages.

The process of making them aero improves their fatigue life and strength. They can also be steadied during building which helps to prevent spoke twist. The most famous aero spoke produced by Sapim is called the CX-ray. It is 2. The CX-ray was developed from the Laser spoke. They have hammered it into an aero profile.

The profile allows for compatibility with almost all hub types and standard nipples. This was not only tedious but also weakened the hub. Some hubs came pre-filed but this limits choices for builds, now bladed spokes have now fallen out of fashion in favour of aero spokes. The CX-rays are so strong that they are even rated as suitable for downhill racing. We never recommend the use of straight pull hub design with a round spoke — if too much friction is present between the spoke and nipple and insufficient at the hub, the spoke will endlessly revolve rather than being able to be adjusted.

However, with an aero spoke this can be held steady and long term fine tuning is still possible. Sapim also produce the CX-Sprint spoke. The CX-Sprint we only stock in black unlike all the other spokes previously mentioned. The spoke was developed for those looking for a stiffer spoke than the CX-Ray. Most applications of the CX-Ray are alongside stiff rims and hubs, however sometimes particularly powerful riders appreciate greater stiffness especially in the rear wheel.

For this reason, CX-Sprint spokes either throughout at the back or on the drive side rear will increase stiffness here. It does come with a comfort penalty as well as weight penalty and the spoke is not as durable as the CX-Ray, so it is only an advantage principally for those looking for maximum stiffness. Pillar offer a range of more economical spokes than Sapim which are produced to a lower standard. We do not offer Pillar spokes because we put a lifetime warranty on our builds and this requires us to use spokes which can rely on long term.

It is a much more economical way of flattening a spoke and Sapim responded by introducing their equivalent — the CX-Delta. We would always rather use the higher end and far more elegant CX-Ray, however the CX-Delta is nevertheless a nice upgrade over the D-light spoke. Finally Sapim have produced the CX Super spoke. This is an aero spoke which starts off in life as a Super spoke. It is a weight weenie spoke — it shaves around 40g off of a wheelset verses the CX-Ray and it is still a strong and durable spoke.

However, despite its strength and durability, it is fragile, it is easily damaged during building or other contact and it is notably more flexy than the CX-Ray — we do not recommend the spoke and do not stock it, however we can offer it via special order if anyone would particularly like it to be used in their wheels.

It is important to understand that the strength measure is not an overall strength comparison; it is a comparison of the strength of the central portion. The central portions on certain spokes are slimmer which makes them look disproportionately strong. The Strong spoke is considerably stronger than the Laser despite appearing weaker in this comparison.

When selecting spokes for a wheelset it is important to understand each wheel differently. The front wheel carries less stress than the rear. Therefore it does not need as strong spokes and fewer spokes are required. Sapim Race spokes are appropriate for most front wheels, although Sapim Lasers could be used if weight saving was important or better still CX-rays. A front wheel can normally be both radially or tangentially laced. This means the spokes can either come directly out of the hub to the rim, or they can come out at tangents to the hub.

Tangential spokes normally cross three other spokes before they reach the rim. This has given rise to the term 3X, which is the most common lacing pattern.

Many hub manufacturers refuse to warranty products built into radial wheels. There have been instances where the spoke has been pulled straight through the hub flange. Many wheel builders refuse to build wheels with radial lacing patterns because of the risk of the spoke being pulled through the flange of the hub.

However many major wheel manufacturers have moved towards radial front wheels because of aesthetic benefits as well as some weight saving advantages. I have built many wheels with radially laced spokes and none have ever failed at the hub.

However, I always point out before building that with the majority of manufacturers, radial lacing invalidates the warranty. I would also discourage the use of radial lacing unless the hub has been specifically designed for it because it distorts the hubs making for a weaker wheel and it makes for a slightly rougher ride.

Is it simplest just to measure a spoke? Do spoke lengths vary around the wheel according to pattern? Spoke length is apt to vary on the left side vs the right. What I do when I need spokes is to take a sample to the local bike shop.

As Daniel suggests, take the spoke or a neighbouring spoke to your local shop. They should have a range of sizes.

The other way is to take the whole wheel, and measure the length it needs. The first way is the more accurate. All the spokes on one side of a wheel should be the same size. Show 3 more comments. Active Oldest Votes. There are two ways to determine spoke length: Measure against a broken or existing spoke and because this is cycling there is a special tool for it - the spoke ruler!

Most LBS have them for correctly measuring spokes. If you are measuring with a standard ruler measure from the center of the J bend to the end of the spoke. Use a spoke calculator. There are a number online such as ProWheelBuilder that already have a number of standard rims and hubs built in and selectable.

Otherwise you need to make a number of accurate measures of your rim and hub or search them out online.