How do I figure out what length spokes to buy for a wheel build?

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Shanker

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I'm having new front (disc brake) hubs laced into the front wheel of my beast and my wife's sun crusher...the local shop charges 80 dollars/wheel labor to lace/true the wheel, but 3 dollars for each spoke...that's a little spendier than I want to spend and spokes seem to be alot cheaper than that. How do I figure out what length spokes to buy for my wheels?
 
Google Spoke calculator. I guess you could set up the rim and hub on a table and space the rim so it is at the position you'd want and then measure but it would be tough.
At $3 a spoke you could afford to make a mistake or maybe two in calculating spoke length.
If the rim is currently spoked up you might be able to mock up the new hub position and see how it affects spoke length. compared to the original hub. If you pull out one spoke and put it in the new position you could sorta see how much shorter the new ones should be. I'd still rely on the spoke calculator programs if you can find one that has your rim and the new hub in it.
 
I've used others but I really like this one from DT Swiss: http://spokes-calculator.dtswiss.com/Calculator.aspx

This one is also quite good: http://www.kstoerz.com/freespoke/

Lacing wheels is easy, it's all about getting the first two or three spokes started correctly, then it's just following a pattern. Proper tensioning and truing takes practice but isn't rocket science. Here are the most comprehensive instructions I've found: http://www.troubleshooters.com/bicycles/wheelbuilding/index.htm
 
Spoke prep (the gunk you put on the spoke threads to aid tensioning and prevent corrosion) is also important. There's a lot of wild information thrown about out there, but on my last build I took my friend's advice and dipped my spoke ends in Sno Seal (beeswax boot waterproofing). It worked great.
 
Just for the sake of comparison, I think I paid $63 wholesale for my most recent box of 72 DT Swiss Competition (Black) butted spokes with alloy nipples. I'm not one to slam the LBS but that's quite a markup.

Before I knew how to build my own, I paid a local wheelbuilder $350 for a custom 700c wheelset, parts and labor (including 1 month follow-up tension check).
 
Internet prices, straight-gauge 14g stainless spokes are $.25each, including the nerple! Obviously, prices go up for double-butting, triple-butting, colors, esoteric materials, etc. You ca prolly find cheaper coated spokes, but stainless is a must, imo.

My shop charges me a normal (still high) msrp for spokes/nips like a bit less than a dollar/spoke w/ nip, and $40/wheel labor with free re-tension down the line. Your shop is either evil, bourgie, or they're trying to run you and your WalBike out of their shop. Possibly all 3. If you can get a reliable ERD for that rim, any decent spoke calculator will give you the necessary spoke lengths. Def go 3 cross on disc wheels.

HTH
 
My local shop charges $1 per for stainless steel spokes. A bit high imo. When I need enough for a pair of wheels, I get them via ebay for half that.

I've built thousands of wheels over the decades. For labor I charge "pizza" per wheel, about $20 for a decent taco pizza delivered. More if it's something pretty wild like hubs offset 2", tied and soldered, crows feet patterns, etc.
 
Sounds like they are in the high rent district and cater to the folks with lots of play money. I'd learn how to do it myself before I spent that kind of cash. (Like you are apparently doing...btw plan on a few practice runs before you get it down.. and if your rims are painted, think about using masking tape to prevent scratching..)
 

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