CWC spokes

[DomP]

I've received my spokes from Central Wheel Components today, just laced up the front wheel but they've got the outers wrong on the bend, there's not enough length on the bend to allow it to have the right angle towards the rim nipple.  I've ordered from them before an d so far never had them sent correctly.

[DomP]

This shows the arc that the outers are needing to take to meet the rim, this is holding them well off the inners where they cross.  If I torqued them up I think it could weaken then at the point the butted section slims down, what do you all think?

[Nurse Julie]

Have you got a side on Photo Dom, from that angle it looks like the spokes are in the wrong holes or facing the wrong way.

[DomP]

Have you got a side on Photo Dom, from that angle it looks like the spokes are in the wrong holes or facing the wrong way.

No it's all correctly laced Julie, it's the bend on the outer spokes that is the issue.

[ozzybud]

The Spokes don't normally touch where they cross. Are you saying the Bend at the Hub is incorrect?  making them bow outwards? Having inner spokes in the outer  holes would cause this.
the picture below is an outer spoke(bent over 90 degrees)
Is there a possibility that you have them switched?  or the company sent you all inners ?
Maybe remove 2 and compare to the spokes you removed.
In the first picture it looks as if the outer spokes are riding on the inners.

[DomP]

No I've got them in the correct sides, I've built wheels before so I'm certain if that, I think the small straight section before the bend is too short the the thickness of the hub

[DomP]

This is what I'm getting at

[Johnny4428]

I had exactly the same problem with my 750 front wheel. I had emails back and forth with CWC and pointed this out to them. They tried to assure me that this was the way all the spokes were and the build would be fine. And I have to say it seems to be fine so far.😜

[DomP]

I had exactly the same problem with my 750 front wheel. I had emails back and forth with CWC and pointed this out to them. They tried to assure me that this was the way all the spokes were and the build would be fine. And I have to say it seems to be fine so far.😜

Exactly the response I've got from them but I think they are wrong.  Terrible sketch as I'm rushing at work but you get the gist.

[Johnny4428]

That was my conclusion too, spokes just didn’t sit well like the old ones did. Must be the way the machining is set up. However by the time I had tensioned and trued up my wheel it didn’t look too bad. Don’t think it’s going to be detrimental to the tensile strength of the spoke fitting them like that.

[Johnny4428]

Not very good pics.

[DomP]

Yes Johnny that's exactly the issue with mine, your photos show it perfectly! The way the butted end contacts the hub causes the spoke to arc towards the rim.  Hopefully that doesn't weaken them as a result but I can't see how they can say its right.

[paul G]

I had exactly the same issue with them a while ago on the CD175 sloper rear wheel.
They were adamant that they were correct even though they didn't match the samples that were sent to them.
They wanted me to send them the wheel and they would lace it for £80, as I explained to them I was capable of doing it myself with the correct spokes as the samples they had.
After much ranting they did the wheel FOC just post costs. 

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

I'm a complete chicken when it comes to wheel building so CWC did my 400 and at present have my 500 wheels.

It must be very satisfying to lace your own wheels. My brother is a very keen cyclist with over 40 years of experience. He used to cycle over 10k miles a year though he has slowed down a little now he is 65 but still hovers around the 8k miles a year mark. He uses a local retired wheel builder. He has recently bought a cycle wheel building rig - to date his fancy rig has yet to produce a single wheel. I think he quotes Technical issues -ffs it's not a jet engine I tell him.

[Orcade-Ian]

I've had serious issues with that company too.  Most recently on a pair of sloper wheels with spokes too short.  I think I built those wheels 11 times as they kept asking for more and more photos. They kept quoting their 'bible' and years of experience and wanted us to pay for another set to my dimensions.  I said that if they were so confident that the ones they sent were correct, then put them back on the shelf and sell them to someone else and provide us with sets to my dimensions.  They accused me of lacing them incorrectly (more pics) then the rims must be wrong so I used a profile gauge on them and the originals (more pics) I was really pissed off with them by the end and will never deal with them again or recommend them to others.  Whether their system has changed or their 'bible' has been computerised (with all that that entails) I don't know but must have had 30 sets of spokes supplied correctly by them in the past without problems.
I can feel my blood pressure rising as I write this!  I was doing this as a favour for a mate!

Ian