spoking patterns

[Losidan]

My old mtb (full sus) used to have snowflake pattern spoking. Current bike (hardtail) has standard cross spoking. My bmx race bike has radial spoking at the front.
it has just got me thinking about what the benefits of different spoking patterns is.
Can anyone please give me the lowdown?
Thanks

 

[mr Mag00]

google
apparantly not ?!
not that any of it meant anything to me

 

[Landslide]

Broadly speaking...

Snowflake - looks pretty (to some people). I reckon it makes it more difficult to achieve even spoke tension in the wheel (a bad thing).

Radial - shortest spokes possible, therefore lighter, looks pretty (to some people). Not very good at transmitting rotational forces (therefore not good for rear wheels, although some fancy wheelsets have radially spoked non-drive sides). Can put more stress on hub flanges, leading to cracking.

Crossed - tangential spoking is good at transmitting rotational forces.

 

[bonj2]

rules:
don't have crow's foot
don't put disk brakes on radial wheels - either 3 or 4 cross only (halfords take note)
don't assume lbs calculations of spoke length are for 3 cross - I once asked for spokes and went back when they were far too long, and they'd assumed I wanted 4-cross ()
4 cross probably quite good for touring but possibly only on certain hubs, probably need to be quite high flange
3 cross best for most uses
radial more difficult to build and true

 

[barq]

don't assume lbs calculations of spoke length are for 3 cross - I once asked for spokes and went back when they were far too long, and they'd assumed I wanted 4-cross ()

That's really odd isn't it? 3x is far and away the most common spoking pattern.

Anyway in addition to the points made already radial spoking is slightly better for shock absorption.

 

[fossyant]

3 cross most common. Radial looks fantastic in sunlight... got a few front wheel sets like that, but not for rears...most are 3 cross, be it hand built or off the shelf..... get the more uncommon spoking , then it's bike off road till spokes can be sourced.....

 

[Amanda P]

radial spoking is slightly better for shock absorption.

Why is that? I would have thought longer spokes at tangents to the hub would absorb more shock.

 

[Dayvo]

Take your pick: Unless it's been spoken for!

http://images.google.co.uk/images?s...BSE217SE218&q=spoke patterns&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi

 

[Dayvo]

not that any of it meant anything to me

I know the feeling!

 

[Trillian]

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html#spoke_patterns