Mike Kone wrote re my post on 4x low flange:
"Probably a game of operator going on here. It is 3x Hi flange 36 that is considered bad. Dick Swann in the 70's in Bicycling Magazinge went crazy many times denouncing the inherent evil of this pattern. The argument had something to do with exit angle I believe of the spoke from the rim, being rather sharp and likely to cause a spoke failure. How real that threat is I simply can't acertain - but gosh there are still many Robergel and Stella spokes floating around that are perfect for 4x high flange (maybe they are still out there because they are a bad idea?) Small flange 4x, with the obvious longer length, is considered fine."
Shhhhh! Don't say that too loudly. My Roma Sport tracker has 3x hf on FB hubs; the Ted Williams Sport Special has 3X HF on Normandies, and they might hear. But, they probably aren't yet 40 years old, so they may fail yet. :-). With all due respect to Mr. Swann, whom I met once or twice at Kopp's Cycles in Princeton, NJ, he may have occasionally spoken with more conviction than data. I wouldn't want my bikes to hear him, either. :-)
harvey sachs
mcLean va