I may be mistaken about this, but AFAIK, you can't do 4x with anything less than 36 spokes. How to explain?... Let's say that in a radially spoked wheel, each spoke goes straight "up" from the hub (as viewed from the side). In a 36 spoke, 4x wheel, the spokes are almost perfectly "horizontal", which is as "low" as the spoke angle can be. Reducing the number of spokes, for the same number of crosses, increases the angle from "vertical", such that a spoke count : cross ratio of 9:1 (or 36:4 in this case) results in a "horizontal" spoke angle. As a result, you can do 5x with a 48 spoke wheel (48:5 > 9:1), but you can't do 4x with 32 spokes (32:4 < 9:1), and the most you can do w/28 spokes is also 3x (28:3 > 9:1, but just barely). Now that I've completely muddied the waters, I'll sign off.
Scott Peterson
Bend, OR
> dear masiphiles,
>
> i have the martano rims (bowtie label) and the campy record h/f hubs.
> i need to order spokes. what available brand would you recommend,
> considering that i want to build "correct" wheels for my 74 italian gc?
> i would have bought a set of the stella's that mike kone offered a
> couple of weeks ago, but they were for 36 hole wheels, and mine are 32.
>
> would 4 cross lacing be more correct than 3 cross?
>
> and if anybody knows the correct spoke lengths for either 3 or 4 cross
> lacing, please let me know.
>
> thanks in advance,
>
> ray dobbins
> miami florida
>
> ps - an update on my laughable longshots early christmas list: thanks
> to a couple of cr santas, i have 3 out of 5 items, and i even doubled
> up on the oro f/w. thanks to all who offered products or leads!