After looking at all of my options and calculating my real world gearing needs, I have come to settle on an 8 speed being a better option for me over an 11 speed on my 29er adventure bike project. Recently I have come to take note of the WH-S500-V-8D with a 24 hole spoke count. Most people may immediately run away from a low spoke count, but myself only weighing in at 145lbs, I have been running Easton 24 hole rims for quite sometime with no problems of keeping them true.
It seems like this hub could be built into an overall slightly lighter package, with an initially easier effort to get spun up and rolling with a low spoke count. I do have some other areas to consider though. Is the WH-S500-V-8D hub indeed on par with the SG-S501 model in terms of internals? As near as I can tell, they do seem to have the same gear ratios, axle lengths, and similar chain lines. I just wonder if there is something else that I am missing that would eliminate this as an off-road option?
Two things occur to me:
1. I suspect the spokes used in the complete Shimano wheel are straight pull; these might be hard to source in a different length if they are proprietary in any way
2. It's quite feasible to use a 36 hole hub and skip every third hole on each flange. You may be able to find something on how to do this online (or not), but IIRC I just used the spoke lenghts calculated for a 24 hole hub, ignoring the non-standard hole locations and it worked. YMMV!!!
I was really hoping for a straight pull 24 hole, since that is what my current Easton wheelset is and has been very durable. Also not finding the hub readily available in the US market, so I think I will just plan for the 32 hole.
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