Another wheel day (and so on).
I built the front wheel for Nomu Lab Wheel No. 2.
660 hub, 18H, CX-RAY reverse spoke, radial lacing.
The reason I went with 18H wasn't because we didn't have 20H rims or hubs in stock,
but because that's what the customer wanted.
If they wanted a stiffer front wheel, there are options like
20H with CX Sprint to increase spoke weight ratio.
If silver spokes are acceptable, you could also look for
a slotted hub and go with CX.
Back in the day, standard road racers (not road bikes)
typically had 36H spokes,
and while not standard specification,
40H rims and hubs were even available.
Time trial bikes from that era
used 32H wheels front and rear,
with the bottom bracket area drilled out so much that
the BB components were completely visible,
and the crankarm and chainring were also
heavily lightened through drilling—
all in the name of weight reduction back then.
But compared to modern time trial bikes,
they didn't look drastically different from regular road racing bikes.
Also, all wheels—front, rear, left, right—used tangential lacing.
In 1972, when Eddy Merckx set the hour record on a track bike,
the front wheel was 28H radial laced.
To people back then,
that must have felt like how we look at a 12H wheel today.
They probably thought, "Won't the front wheel fall apart
before you finish the hour?"
But radial lacing didn't immediately become standard after that.
Even in Bernard Hinault's era in 1985,
tangential lacing was still the norm.
However, 32H had become the mainstream spoke count.
Around 1992, when enthusiasts like Claudio Chiappucci
started using radial-laced front wheels regularly
without any particular issues,
radial lacing rapidly became widespread after that.
But when it came to spoke count, people were still hesitant.
The first complete wheel, Mavic Helium, had
an awkward 26H front,
and Campagnolo's Nuerons front wheel didn't go below 22H.
While aluminum alloy technology advanced significantly,
it gradually became clear that
reducing the number of spokes didn't result in anyone dying.
These days, there are complete wheels that use 2:1 lacing on the rear
with the non-drive side (where the disc rotor sits) radial laced,
done to prioritize rear wheel design.
Eventually, as more people figure out that
"surprisingly, no one dies" from it,
fully radial-laced front wheels might become standard.
With carbon spokes, I personally think it's already doable.
But with steel spokes, I believe straight-gauge spokes are essential—
though I admit I'm being overly cautious here.
I've used only front brakes on my road bikes
for over 20 years now,
but if road bikes could only be controlled by rear brakes instead,
I probably would have radial-laced my disc brake bike's front wheel
with bent steel spokes too (since you wouldn't be braking anyway).
I built the front wheel for Nomu Lab Wheel No. 2.
660 hub, 18H, CX-RAY reverse spoke, radial lacing.
The reason I went with 18H wasn't because we didn't have 20H rims or hubs in stock,
but because that's what the customer wanted.
If they wanted a stiffer front wheel, there are options like
20H with CX Sprint to increase spoke weight ratio.
If silver spokes are acceptable, you could also look for
a slotted hub and go with CX.
Back in the day, standard road racers (not road bikes)
typically had 36H spokes,
and while not standard specification,
40H rims and hubs were even available.
Time trial bikes from that era
used 32H wheels front and rear,
with the bottom bracket area drilled out so much that
the BB components were completely visible,
and the crankarm and chainring were also
heavily lightened through drilling—
all in the name of weight reduction back then.
But compared to modern time trial bikes,
they didn't look drastically different from regular road racing bikes.
Also, all wheels—front, rear, left, right—used tangential lacing.
In 1972, when Eddy Merckx set the hour record on a track bike,
the front wheel was 28H radial laced.
To people back then,
that must have felt like how we look at a 12H wheel today.
They probably thought, "Won't the front wheel fall apart
before you finish the hour?"
But radial lacing didn't immediately become standard after that.
Even in Bernard Hinault's era in 1985,
tangential lacing was still the norm.
However, 32H had become the mainstream spoke count.
Around 1992, when enthusiasts like Claudio Chiappucci
started using radial-laced front wheels regularly
without any particular issues,
radial lacing rapidly became widespread after that.
But when it came to spoke count, people were still hesitant.
The first complete wheel, Mavic Helium, had
an awkward 26H front,
and Campagnolo's Nuerons front wheel didn't go below 22H.
While aluminum alloy technology advanced significantly,
it gradually became clear that
reducing the number of spokes didn't result in anyone dying.
These days, there are complete wheels that use 2:1 lacing on the rear
with the non-drive side (where the disc rotor sits) radial laced,
done to prioritize rear wheel design.
Eventually, as more people figure out that
"surprisingly, no one dies" from it,
fully radial-laced front wheels might become standard.
With carbon spokes, I personally think it's already doable.
But with steel spokes, I believe straight-gauge spokes are essential—
though I admit I'm being overly cautious here.
I've used only front brakes on my road bikes
for over 20 years now,
but if road bikes could only be controlled by rear brakes instead,
I probably would have radial-laced my disc brake bike's front wheel
with bent steel spokes too (since you wouldn't be braking anyway).