# Spoke and cross size for 26" wheel for Alfine



## mike007 (Apr 29, 2009)

What spoke type and size do you use and cross type 1, 2, 3? for building an Alfine hub onto a 26" rim? Also, would you recommend as tough/expensive a rim as I can get?

Thanks.


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## Markenduro (Oct 19, 2008)

Spoke length depends on the effective rim diameter of the rim, they vary slightly by model. You need to go at least 2 cross, I have built one into a 29er rim with 3 cross and it does seem to bend the spokes at the nipple end slightly, will have to keep an eye on it as they could start to break.


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## thasingletrackmastah (Nov 15, 2005)

I think 2 cross spoke pattern is better for a 26" Alfine-wheel.
3 cross is just to much.
I even use 2 cross on my 29" Alfine-wheel.
Spoke lenght calculation can be done with Dt calculator or Spocalc.
In both you'd have to fill in the hub size manualy, I think.
There is a pdf out there with al the data you need.
For calculating spoke lenght, the exact rim size is more important than the hub size, so measuring the hub yourself is OK.


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## mike007 (Apr 29, 2009)

Thanks a lot for that. I saw somewhere I think they're using 262mm spokes and 1 or 2 cross. I forget what site it was. I thought they mentioned 1 cross being stronger. I don't remember what the wheel size was either.


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## Sometimes (Jun 21, 2009)

I used 3X lacing for both 26er & 29er wheels I built recently using a Nexus (red band) & Alfine 501, respectively. No issues so far for either one. But I've only put ~120 miles on the Nexus 26er wheel. With only ~20 miles of that in rough terrain. The rest was/is on-road. The Nexus 26er is laced to a Mavic EX 823 UST rim & the Alfine 29er is laced to a WTB Laserdisc Trail rim. And I used DT Revolution 2.0/1.5 spokes in both builds.


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## olasun (Oct 2, 2005)

2x and Notubes Arch = 240mm


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## Markenduro (Oct 19, 2008)

Here's the settings for spocalc and alfine:
WL, width from center to left flange	32.5
WR, width from center to right flange	25.5
dL, left flange diameter 92.0
dR, right flange diameter 92.0


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## mike007 (Apr 29, 2009)

I found more info on hubstripping and spokeanwheel. They mentioned 1 cross being bad, another said it's good. But 2 and 3 cross seems common. So confusing.

Also, I how many holes does Alfine have? 32h or 36h?

Thanks all.


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## pursuiter (May 28, 2008)

mike007 said:


> ...how many holes does Alfine have? 32h or 36h?...


Both 32H and 36H are available.


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## olasun (Oct 2, 2005)

flange diameter 92,6 (S501)


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## Speedub.Nate (Dec 31, 2003)

mike007 said:


> I found more info on hubstripping and spokeanwheel. They mentioned 1 cross being bad, another said it's good. But 2 and 3 cross seems common. So confusing.


Not so much an issue of a particular cross pattern being "bad" or "good", it's all about how you apply it to the wheel you're building.

Larger flange diameters and/or smaller rims require fewer crosses. You're primarily interested in the angle at which the spoke departs the hub, and the angle at which it enters the rim. Different cross patterns affect these angles.

I recently build a Nuvinci hub (150mm flange diameter) into a 1x pattern because any more would have resulted in the nipples leaving the rim at a >10° angle. That would have been bad for wheel longevity.

On the other hand, a small flanged hub with a 1x lacing pattern wouldn't be that far off from radial lacing in the manner in which the spokes pull on the flange, whereas a 3x pattern gives me good tangential pull and doesn't dramatically affect the nipple's orientation to the rim.


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## mike007 (Apr 29, 2009)

Thanks. So since the Alfine is a larger hub, so it's better to keep the angles shallow? But then a 26" rim is smaller as well. And add to that different spoke sizes.

Are there just safe guideline rules, for example . . if 36h Alfine on 26" rims, get 262mm spokes, and put them at 3 crosss, etc.

It's easy to just let the lbs do it all, but It seems like a great learning experience though to build up a wheel.



Speedub.Nate said:


> Not so much an issue of a particular cross pattern being "bad" or "good", it's all about how you apply it to the wheel you're building.
> 
> Larger flange diameters and/or smaller rims require fewer crosses. You're primarily interested in the angle at which the spoke departs the hub, and the angle at which it enters the rim. Different cross patterns affect these angles.


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## olasun (Oct 2, 2005)

Use this for spoke length
http://www.wheelpro.co.uk/spokecalc/


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## pursuiter (May 28, 2008)

Based on my 36H wheels with 700C rims, 3x is almost too much. For a 26" wheel, I'd use 2x.


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## mike007 (Apr 29, 2009)

I'm just curious, how do I use the spoke calculation programs to figure out the spoke size? i'm trying to figure it out and doesn't seem to match up. Do you buy a slightly longer spoke and turn the hub a bit to account for the length?

Thanks all, for the info.


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