Stephen Barner wrote:
> I think we have seen first hand that a spoked wheel is
> not "infinitely stiff in the vertical plane." While there
> is certainly more give in the tire than the rim, I think
> it is ludicrous to think that a complex structure like a
> tangentially spoked wheel doesn't change its shape when
> loads are applied. It violates basic laws of physics.
Not sure whom you're quoting there but I think it may be me, so I should protest, I never said wheels are "infinitely stiff in the vertical plane." I even explicitly said the stiffness difference between wheels was measurable - therefore obviously finite. The thing you call "ludicrous to think", no one here is thinking.
To those who objected to me saying you couldn't feel the difference while riding, and used examples like light box-style sew-up rims vs. deep-V aero rims, I feel the need to quote another part of my posting: "Remember we're not comparing the world's stiffest and most flexible wheels - we're comparing two wheels with identical rims, and the same number and type of spokes - just a little longer, and twisted, on one of the wheels." Does anyone seriously believe you'll feel the difference in stiffness that makes? It's less than the pea that princess felt...
Mark Bulgier
Seattle, Wa
USA