relacing to reduce spokes in wheelsets

[jeff_o]

is this possible? i have a 36h hub and 36h rim, so i have full 36 spokes laced.

if i wanted to shave weight. is it possible to relace and reduce 36 (18 on each side) spokes into 28 (14 on each side)? the hub and rims will obviously have holes, which I dunno if it's socially acceptable amongst riders lol.

OR, get a 28 or 24 hole rim and relace the 36h hub into the 28/24 holed rim.

is this possible or it's out of this world?

[ezzy]

i've seen a few guys did that overseas and they just cover the rim holes with something.
But then (strengthwise) the rims aren't made for less spokes than it was originally made for
and that could cause a problem with insurance

[jeff_o]

i guess in that case, the only way is to get a 28 hole rim, so that rim strength is not compromised. you'll just have vacant holes on your hub.... but hey... it has a hole for lightweight

[rkelsen]

if i wanted to shave weight. is it possible to relace and reduce 36 (18 on each side) spokes into 28 (14 on each side)?

[lethoso]

if i wanted to shave weight. is it possible to relace and reduce 36 (18 on each side) spokes into 28 (14 on each side)?

you'll save about 5 grams a spoke. Pretty pointless if they're heavy wheels anyway.

Skipping holes on the hub can be a valid method of building wheels (if you want 2:1 DS:NDS on the back, or an 18h rim on the 36h hub for example) but most of the time it's probably not advisable. I think 36-->28 just isn't going to work anyway - pretty sure it won't be radially symmetrical.

[RonK]

is this possible or it's out of this world?

Anything is possible. Is it advisable? Probably not.

It's likely you could buy a set of wheels from Wiggle for less than the labour cost of relacing your wheels.

[jeff_o]

if i wanted to shave weight. is it possible to relace and reduce 36 (18 on each side) spokes into 28 (14 on each side)?

lol.... weight weenie? :p

i'm just thinking if it's possible but as everyone said... it's not symmetrical and not advisable. so i'll stick to what i have right now but it was a good discussion