Bill,
Thanks for your correction. An article on Spence Wolf is planned for a future issue of Vintage Bicycle Quarterly.
I saw that you didn't post your reply to the CR list. I feel it is important that others read your correction, so I took the liberty to post it. My experience with tied-and-soldered spokes is limited to a few wheels on a Spence Wolf-built bike, which haven't broken spokes, and reading about them.
Generally, I feel that this forum is intended to further the information on classic bikes. So if somebody posts something that is inaccurate, it should be corrected.
Jan Heine, Seattle
>Hi Jan--
>If you think it is more difficult to replace a broken spoke on a T&S wheel,
>you are mistaken. And, most of all, your chances of breaking a spoke in the
>first place are reduced because the wheel *was* tied & soldered. I kept
>customer logs and found the extra time and expense of of T&S is/was a good
>investment.
>
>Just grab both ends of the broken spoke and wiggle it 4-5 times and the
>joint will break. Then lay the new spoke in the old grove. No problems for a
>roadside repair.
>Back in the workshop, if you want to really clean it up (before re-T&S),
>just scrap off the old wire and solder with a pocket knife, then buff it
>with steel wool. All this adds about 2-3 minutes to the total repair at
>most.
>
>Now, with stronger rims, T&S isn't needed too often compared to the old
>days, but with vintage rims, it is most definitely required to get the most
>performance and longevity out of them. Spence Wolf taught me his secrets
>when we worked together, and my customers subsequently became a happy lot
>who put the wheels to the test, whether touring or racing.
>
>Cheers,
>Bill "building wheels since 1972, and hope to be doing my 3rd PBP on tied &
soldered wheels next August" Bryant ;-)