Probably a game of operator going on here. It is 3x Hi flange 36 that is considered bad. Dick Swann in the 70's in Bicycling Magazinge went crazy many times denouncing the inherent evil of this pattern. The argument had something to do with exit angle I believe of the spoke from the rim, being rather sharp and likely to cause a spoke failure. How real that threat is I simply can't acertain - but gosh there are still many Robergel and Stella spokes floating around that are perfect for 4x high flange (maybe they are still out there because they are a bad idea?)
Small flange 4x, with the obvious longer length, is considered fine.
Hope this helps. Mike Kone in Boulder CO
At 09:37 PM 5/13/02 -0400, Richard M Sachs wrote:
>four cross 36 hole small flange
>was the flavor of the week in
>the early 70s. no joke.
>e-RICHIE
>chester
>
>
>
>On Mon, 13 May 2002 21:04:31 -0100 "Harvey M. Sachs" <sachs@erols.com>
>writes:
>> While down at Cirque, I overheard someone saying that 4x with low
>> flange
>> spokes was a no-no, and some more of the conventional wisdom of the
>> sages
>> past. I and opened my eyes a bit, just looking at the flock of bikes
>> in the
>> stable there.
>>
>> Lo! Behold! Richard Sachs's Masis both seemed to be 4x low-flange.
>> Last
>> weekend I bought a Medici touring bike, 4x low flange Campy (Tipo)
>> hubs.
>>
>> Now, was this something they special they smoked on the Left Coast?
>> All I
>> really know is that 4x uses the same length spoke HF or LF, and they
>> wheels
>> seem to stand up and last either way.
>>
>> Curiouser, and curiouser. I wasn't ever good about the esthetics
>> aspect of
>> stuff. :-)
>>
>> harvey sachs
>> mcLean VA