CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Questions/Support/Help

Spoke Length Tolerances

(5 posts)
  • Started 11 years ago by Wilmington's Cow
  • Latest reply from Instography
  • This topic is not resolved

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  1. Soooo..... I have my new hubs, the rims should arrive today, and the nipples (anodized orange...) should arrive tomorrow. Just need to sort out spokes.

    Went onto a good spoke length calculator that was linked on here by Instography (I think) and got the lengths. Now I think I'm fine rounding up 288.7 to 289 I reckon, and the 288.4 probably will be okay going up to 289 as well (allegedly it's what Sheldon did), what does the collective reckon?

    (sadly the ebay seller Insto linked to for spokes doesn't have 289mm (of which I need 32, along with 16 290mm and 16 291mm), and goes from 288mm to 292mm and I think the jump up to 292mm would just be too big).

    Coxy, I'll give you a shout to get a loan of that truing stand if you've still got it.

    Insto, Sheldon really does make it look simple, and a couple of videos I've watched do likewise, but I'm reserving the need to send you a panicked message.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  2. Cyclops
    Member

    Always round up - it's important to get enough of the thread in the nipples. If you can't get 289mm I wouldn't go any longer than 290mm.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  3. Instography
    Member

    I think you'd be fine with 288mm. You're not at 290mm so with 288mm you'd be less than 2mm 'short'. But look at the length of the threads on a spoke - the spokes I have here have 10mm of thread so you'd be taking at least 8mm into the nipple. Plenty.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  4. Arellcat
    Moderator

    Rounding up or down is more to do with the rim section. A single wall rim will leave you with exposed spoke ends if they're too long. You also run the (remote) risk of there not being enough thread to get the correct tension. Too short and you can risk there being not enough thread engagement. Decisions...decisions!

    I've always rounded up or down to the nearest even length, and by implication, never more than 1mm of rounding. Spokes often only come in 2mm increments.

    Were it my wheel, 288.7 and 288.4 I would approximate as 288.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  5. Instography
    Member

    SJS Cycles will do you reasonable spokes at 289mm.

    Posted 11 years ago #

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