Interesting stuff - Thanks Robb.
John Price Denver, CO
-----Original Message----- From: Robb Rasmussen [mailto:oktoski@hotmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2002 9:47 AM To: jprice@2-10.com Cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: Re: [CR]Purpose of twisted spokes ?
On wheel lacing.
We have examples of both tied and soldered and "twisted" spoke wheels being ridden by employees of my shop. My wheel builder has built many twisted spoke wheel sets. Partly for the novelty and looks, but he found in riding the Cheqaumegon 40 mile offroad race on an offroad tandem, (won by Greg Lemond one of the years we rode it) that his 32 hole twisted spoke wheelset was very strong and had no broken spokes when we saw many tandems with many more spokes had broken spokes and wheels out of true. So, the twisted spoke wheels have heen very strong for us.
We first saw them from Clark Kent in Colorado, in fact we have a wheel from Clark Kent where some of the spokes go into flanges built into the middle of the hub. (Clark Kent built some frames for Greg Lemond prior to ownership by Trek.)
I also have a bike with tied and soldered wheels and another one with all the spokes inserted from the inside on the rear wheel. This wheel was built by Winkel Wheels of seattle. One of the ways Kathy showed the strength of wheels built that way was by standing on the outside edges of the rim with the wheel horizontal on the floor at bicycle trade shows. Not recommended, but dramatic looking. Truing of all these wheels is done in the conventional way. (I still use the two VAR truing stands I bought from Mel Pinto Imports in the mid 70's. I even use a Var winged spoke wrench bought about then as well.
Robb Rasmussen Sioux River Cyclery 501 Main Ave Brookings, SD 57006 http://www.501main.com
(owner of a 1972 Schwinn Paramount, 1974 Paramount, 1980 Sarroni with Nuovo Record. And a custom built 1978 Sparrow cycles frame. Dennis Sparrow apprenticed for 6 months in 1974-75 with Geoffrey Butler in England.And I worked in the shop Dennis was part owner of in Missoula, Montana while he was building frames.)
>On the MS150 ride this past weekend I saw an interesting Casati with
>twisted
>spokes (thinks that the right terminology). The spokes were intertwined
>with their neighbors. I've seen pics of this but never the real deal -
>very
>interesting.
>
>Can anyone tell me the Why of doing this ? Is it to build a stiffer wheel
>?
>Does it stay truer longer ? How do you true it once it's been done ? Does
>it affect the ride ? How does it compare to tied/soldered spokes ?
>
>John Price
>Denver, CO