How do I determine the spoke length and nipples I will need for build?

[simpy16]

I have Chris King ISO 32h hubs

Plan to buy Chinese Carbon rims 32h


What information do I need to gather in order to place an order on nipples and spoke lengths?

I dont plan to build them myself but want to give the build all he needs to get the job done.


I would like to take advantage of the Black Friday deals and get these ordered this weekend.

Anybody build a set of Chinese 29ers with CK hubs?

[Saul Lumikko]

You'll need the ERD of the rim and spoke bed offset, if there is any. I prefer to measure everything myself, because sometimes online information - even from the manufacturers - is incorrect.

For the CK hubs I'm quite sure the measurements you'll find online is reliable.

Then just use something like this: Freespoke

Check, double-check and triple-check every value you put in. Use two or three different calculators and see if you get different results. Spoke length calculation is a very important basic step of a wheelbuild. If you get it right, the rest of the process will be quite straight forward. If not, you will end up doing a lot of useless work and need to buy another set of spokes.

[cpfitness]

just let the builder do it and tell you what to order if you've never done it before and aren't even building them yourself. you will be better off that way. As the previous poster mentioned, you need to measure the ERD and not just go by what is posted by the manf but you also need to konw the specs on the hubs such as flange size, spoke hole size, what cross pattern you are using, etc

[Zen Cyclery]

Here are all of the necessary specs that you will need for your first wheel build:

-ERD (Effective Rim Diameter)- The distance from one nipple bed to the opposite nipple bed.
-Flange Diameter (from spoke hole to spoke hole)- Thankfully on the ISOs the flange diameter will be the same on the drive and non drive side.
-Center to Flange Distance- The distance from the center of the hub to the flanges on a lateral plane.
-Spoke Count
-Cross Pattern (How many times the spokes will cross each other, 3x will be ideal here)

Here is a link to the hub specifications:

Chris King Hub Specs

Here is a link to a good spoke calculator:

UBI Spoke Calculator

[simpy16]

Here are all of the necessary specs that you will need for your first wheel build:

-ERD (Effective Rim Diameter)- The distance from one nipple bed to the opposite nipple bed.
-Flange Diameter (from spoke hole to spoke hole)- Thankfully on the ISOs the flange diameter will be the same on the drive and non drive side.
-Center to Flange Distance- The distance from the center of the hub to the flanges on a lateral plane.
-Spoke Count
-Cross Pattern (How many times the spokes will cross each other, 3x will be ideal here)

Here is a link to the hub specifications:

Chris King Hub Specs

Here is a link to a good spoke calculator:

UBI Spoke Calculator

Zen,

Thanks so much for the reply. It seems like too much for me to handle right now so I think I am just going to see if my LBS can order the spokes I will need and build them for me.

I was wondering if I can atleast order the nipples though? I think I am going to buy the light cyles 29 AM wheels which I believe are external nipples. Can I order any nipples I want or do I need to look for anything in particular? I want to get some orange nipples and know that my LBS wont have those in stock at all.

any info I need to know about ordering nipples would be much appreciated!!!

[shiggy]

Zen,

Thanks so much for the reply. It seems like too much for me to handle right now so I think I am just going to see if my LBS can order the spokes I will need and build them for me.

I was wondering if I can atleast order the nipples though? I think I am going to buy the light cyles 29 AM wheels which I believe are external nipples. Can I order any nipples I want or do I need to look for anything in particular? I want to get some orange nipples and know that my LBS wont have those in stock at all.

any info I need to know about ordering nipples would be much appreciated!!!

Orange nipples are not common. I have never seen any.

Most builders are going to want to calculate the spoke lengths and likely source the spokes and nipples.

[thasingletrackmastah]

...
Most builders are going to want to calculate the spoke lengths and likely source the spokes and nipples.

My thoughts exactly.