Wheel build wizard
Six questions, one starting spec: cross pattern, hole count, spoke family and nipples, with every reason on show. It is a sensible starting point, not dogma.
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Your starting spec
- A 28–32 hole build is the road/gravel sweet spot for most riders.
- The drive side pushes torque through the spokes: crossed, never radial.
- A 2.0–1.8 double butted spoke is the do-everything default: strong at the ends, forgiving in the middle.
- Brass nipples: they still turn years later. The default unless grams rule.
A starting point, not a rulebook: rim and hub maker limits always win, and a well-built average spec beats a badly-built perfect one.
How the recommendation is made
The advisor applies the same rules an experienced builder would: a torque-carrying flange (drive side, or any disc flange) always gets crossed spokes; only a rim-brake front may go radial. Hole count follows load and discipline, spoke family follows your priority unless load safety outranks it, and nipples default to brass. Every recommendation shows its reasons — nothing is a black box, same as the calculators.
The rules, in plain words
- How many crosses should my wheel have?
- If the flange carries torque — the drive side of any rear, or any disc-brake flange — the spokes must run tangent: 3-cross on 32/36 holes, 2-cross on 24/28. Only a rim-brake front carries no torque, so only there is radial (0x) an option, and even then the hub maker must allow it.
- What spoke type should I buy?
- A 2.0–1.8 double butted spoke (DT Competition, Sapim Race) is the do-everything default. Straight gauge 2.0 is the budget workhorse. A 2.0–1.5 (Laser, Revolution) saves rotating weight but twists while tensioning. Bladed aero spokes (CX-Ray, Aerolite) buy watts at a price. Cargo, e-bikes and heavier riders want a reinforced or triple-butted spoke and 36 holes.
- Brass or aluminium nipples?
- Brass by default: it survives weather and still turns years later. Aluminium saves roughly 30 g per wheel and is fine on light road or gravel builds that stay dry, but it seizes and rounds off far sooner in hard use.
- My hub is straight-pull. Does any of this apply?
- The cross pattern does not: straight-pull flanges are drilled for one specific pattern, so the maker decides it, not you. The spoke family and nipple advice still applies, and the length calculator handles straight-pull hubs with per-side offsets.