In a message dated 8/19/2003 2:42:51 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
chuckschmidt@earthlink.net writes:
> Subj: [CR]Fit to be tied (and soldered spokes)
> Date: 8/19/2003 2:42:51 AM Eastern Daylight Time
> From: <A HREF="mailto:chuckschmidt@earthlink.net">chuckschmidt@earthlink.net</A>
> To: <A HREF="mailto:Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org">Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org</A>
> Sent from the Internet
>
>
>
> My observation (and I'm not the first):
>
> This is something that I know some of you have experienced if you ride a
> lot. A well built wheel with a lot of miles on it will have spokes that
> are notched where they are interlaced at the last crossing. Very sharp
> notches! You may have not looked closely enough to see the notches, but
> I know that you have felt them!
>
> Hey, I hear what you're saying out there... FELT THEM!?!? Well, while
> you're cleaning off you prize bike, while you are wiping down the spokes
> with a cloth you have flexed the spokes and they popped out of their
> notches and you heard it and felt it. Yes, your wheel has to have some
> serious miles on it, but I know you have flexed your spokes at the
> crosses with your hand and had the spokes click into and out of the
> notches, right? RIGHT? (I'll wait while you go flex your spokes at the
> crosses and check for sharp notching.)
>
> So what does this tell you? What it tells me is that the spokes aren't
> moving back and forth against themselves. How could they move with the
> sharp notch in each spoke where they touch. You'd even be able to hear
> them popping in and out of the notch while you rode if the spokes moved.
>
> So tying and soldering keeps the spokes from sliding back and forth
> across each other? Huh? The spokes aren't moving anyway, are they?
> Are they?
>
> Agree or disagree? Anyone?
>
> By the way, the notches are caused by fretting (microscopic movement,
> vibration)...
>
> Chuck Schmidt
> South Pasadena, CA
>
I hear ya.
We always did T&S to track but not road- it was said that a tiny bit of
'float' on road was ok.
We've encountered many a spoke-notched wheel, especially on the ol zinc and
'rustless' spokes.
There was clicking noise when they moved under pedalling pressure somewhat
above a coast or with lightened loads.
The clicks occurred only when pedalling harder or loading more than what became average. 'Centerpull' headsets' brinelling are another example. With your analysis of the spokes' never having moved or wanted to move against one another, would we infer that a headset always went straight. The theory is that on average, all rides are straight. Also, here's some good news: on average, all rides are flat
Larry Black
Mt airy, Md.