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I'm wondering if any of you wheel builders (pro or amateur) out there have built wheels up using the same hubs, nipples and rims with the only difference being DT Revolution 2.0/1.5/2.0 spokes vs. CXray spokes--or even the 2.0/1.5/2.0 Wheelsmith XL14s vs. CXrays. Are there any real or noticeable differences in stiffness or tracking of the wheels? Is there really any difference in noticeable flex when braking if used on a disc brake wheelset?
I've heard so much marketing hype about CXrays being so much better when I know that people have been building with the 14g revos for a very long time with much success. The CXrays are NOT that much ligher (perhaps 2-6g per set of 64 spokes for the same length, if that), but are more than 2x the price of revos or XL14s in many cases. The only possible advantage I clearly see with the naked eye is that, when building the wheel up, it will probably be easier to see spokes twisting or unwinding with the bladed profile of the CXrays vs. the others. As I'll be building my first set of wheels soon, I may want to take that into account fairly seriously. But is there really any other real world advantage? If so, is there a way to prove it? I know it isn't the same, but I had a set of Nukeproof Carbon hubs (yeah, I had the o-ring, freehub drag problem with the rear...) with 15/16g spokes, alloy nipples and Mavic 217s for 3 years in the late '90s that only had to be trued twice, and that included a season of sport class racing in Arizona and all my training/recreational rides. They held up great and were super light for back then.
Just for the record, back then I weighed about 140lbs. Now I'm 160 at my heaviest including gear. I'm probably going to still have my race wheels built professionally, but I'd like to give building my own wheels a try at least once with some inexpensive rims and hubs I've come across. All my wheels are always built with 32, 3-cross laced spokes for my disc setups.
On a side note, I also wanted to know if building with hubs that have large, evenly sized flanges, like the WTB, Hope or King hubs really helps make the wheels stiffer given the same spokes and rims vs. hubs with smaller flanges such as XTR. Logically, you would think so because there is less spoke length to flex on the former than the later... Thanks!
I've heard so much marketing hype about CXrays being so much better when I know that people have been building with the 14g revos for a very long time with much success. The CXrays are NOT that much ligher (perhaps 2-6g per set of 64 spokes for the same length, if that), but are more than 2x the price of revos or XL14s in many cases. The only possible advantage I clearly see with the naked eye is that, when building the wheel up, it will probably be easier to see spokes twisting or unwinding with the bladed profile of the CXrays vs. the others. As I'll be building my first set of wheels soon, I may want to take that into account fairly seriously. But is there really any other real world advantage? If so, is there a way to prove it? I know it isn't the same, but I had a set of Nukeproof Carbon hubs (yeah, I had the o-ring, freehub drag problem with the rear...) with 15/16g spokes, alloy nipples and Mavic 217s for 3 years in the late '90s that only had to be trued twice, and that included a season of sport class racing in Arizona and all my training/recreational rides. They held up great and were super light for back then.
Just for the record, back then I weighed about 140lbs. Now I'm 160 at my heaviest including gear. I'm probably going to still have my race wheels built professionally, but I'd like to give building my own wheels a try at least once with some inexpensive rims and hubs I've come across. All my wheels are always built with 32, 3-cross laced spokes for my disc setups.
On a side note, I also wanted to know if building with hubs that have large, evenly sized flanges, like the WTB, Hope or King hubs really helps make the wheels stiffer given the same spokes and rims vs. hubs with smaller flanges such as XTR. Logically, you would think so because there is less spoke length to flex on the former than the later... Thanks!
