[Closed] Spokes..... Exciting I know....

I've used Sapin D-lights for my last few builds, well impressed, not had one go yet, despite giving them an absolute pasting over the last 4 years, especially on the Soul. It's so damn stable I almost forget I'm on a hardtail and only have lightweight Forekasters and 28 spokes but they just keep trucking on. They're built onto Pro 4's with Stan's Arch MK3 rims for reference, but overall they're pretty light, super tough and quite readily available from Just Riding Along in most lengths and well priced. Only way you could go "better" would be CX-rays or DT Revolutions but doubt they'd be much benefit on a fat bike!

D-light user here also. Mine on Hope Pro4/DTswiss XR391 rims and 90kg rider.

I’d def NOT use CX-Ray (no reason to) or revolution (too flexy).

I like DT competition. I have one wheel set with the Sapim and Halo equivlent (I was donated some unused Halos) and i prefer the finish on the DT and Halo over Sapim, but Sapim were cheaper.

Is probably just use DT Swiss competitions or ACI double butted spokes tbh. You’ll probably have quite heavy tyres on there so is there much benefit in pinching a couple of grams on spokes - especially in a 29er wheel?

I just built up a light ish trail wheelset on Erase Components hubs with XM421 rims and considered weight weenie spokes but plumped for DT Competitions in the end.

Just to add - I built up a budget wheelset with Sapim Leaders for my nephew recently - whilst they’re heavy and have place near a wheelset with Hope hubs and carbon rims I as cruelly found them really easy to build with (no wind up as they are straight gauge) and I like the look of them - nice and chunky. I ordered them from Ryan Builds Wheels and they arrived the day after I ordered them - really impressed with that. So I’d order from Ryan again.

Orange nipples would be cool .. Or alternate with black ones ! Pertaining to spokes- Sapim or DT - no need to overthink..

As others say, Sapim D-Light if you want to save a few grams, or Sapim Race if you're happy enough to get a little more strength, there's about a gram a spoke difference between these two, so 60 ish grams a wheelset.

Best place i use to get spokes to length and as much advice as you can get is www.spokesfromryan.com, it's ryanbuildswheels other website for wheelbuild bits, great for all the kits you need, but not the cheapest if you shop around, i live in Bristol so just works for me, great service.

Just to add – I built up a budget wheelset with Sapim Leaders for my nephew recently – whilst they’re heavy and have place near a wheelset with Hope hubs and carbon rims I as cruelly found them really easy to build with (no wind up as they are straight gauge) and I like the look of them – nice and chunky. I ordered them from Ryan Builds Wheels and they arrived the day after I ordered them – really impressed with that. So I’d order from Ryan again.

Stupid iPhone predictive text messed that up! Meant to say Leaders have no place near nice mtb hubs / carbon rims and I found them really easy to build with (no idea where ‘cruelly’ came from).

Thanks d-lights it is.

Regards nipples, it'll be Black brass, the fattie doesn't get much beach use, but when it does ive had alloy ones corrode a few months later.

ACI double butted from cyclebasket.

Spending anymore on spokes is daft.

I tend to use ACI, mostly on cost, as I don't see the benefit of dt for my riding.
I have built wheels up using pillar colour spokes before. Looked pretty. 🙂

The Nextie rim is designed for high spoke tensions of up to 150kgf so I would not use d-lights, i'd be looking something with at least a 2.0-1.8-2.0 section.

Max Spoke Tension: 130kgf

Oh well it depends what the actual rim is I assumed NXT29XM41 with 35mm internal width (the AM35 and XM36 a bit narrow for +size tyres).

Either way the d-light is perfect for short alu section wheels but if I'm aiming for a strong wheel built with a stiff carbon rim then I'd go for the slightly more spoke area for a stiffer wheel (laterally as well).

Sapim D-lights are my fave spokes, sapim polyax nipples are a must for me, even if I'm using halo spokes on a budget build I'll use polyax nips, HM washers too on some non eyeletted rims.

Just used dlights for hte first time, they seem good- even in a 24 spoke road wheelset it's still satisfyingly stiff.

Usually I just use Races- for normal wheels- and Lasers- for anything I want to be light. The Laser's a wee gem, it's literally just an unsquashed CX-Ray, weighs exactly the same as it IS the same, bar a little less forging. So it's not quite as strong, but it's miles cheaper.

the AM35 and XM36 a bit narrow for +size tyres

Kinda agree, but I've always liked a more rounded profile to fatter tyres. I run my 3.8 Nate's on 55mm rims. And I'm only going 2.6 max on these as anything wider isn't uplift friendly, which is one reason for the second wheelset.
I did initially look at the 40mm rim, but the postage costs also go up as they put the package over the next weight limit and I'm maxing my budget going carbon.