Re: [CR]flange heights and wheel building myths

(Example: Framebuilders:Rene Herse)

In-Reply-To: <p06100521bcca88a3c35e@[10.0.1.5]>
References: <40A3FDDF.7070604@erols.com> <p06100500bcc9cd1ecfee@[10.0.1.5]> <04ca01c439b6$874c4450$0000a398@DXROOM>
Date: Fri, 14 May 2004 10:15:21 -0700
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
From: "Jan Heine" <heine93@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [CR]flange heights and wheel building myths
cc: CaptBike@sheldonbrown.com

>Sheldon "Flange Size Is An Aesthetic Issue" Brown
>Newtonville, Massachusetts

I agree except where the flanges are large enough to exchange rear spokes without removing the freewheel. That, in addition to aesthetics, was the reason behind the very large flanges on 1940s French bikes and tandems.

Speaking of myths: Remember the one that wheels with less spoke tension were more comfortable? If the spoke tension is low enough that it can vary significantly when going over bumps (and thus absorb shocks), the wheel goes completely out of true within less than 100 miles - usually much sooner. -- Jan Heine, Seattle Editor/Publisher Vintage Bicycle Quarterly http://www.mindspring.com/~heine/bikesite/bikesite/