Re: [CR]WAS: Best vintage italian components other than Campy NR? NOW: Spontaneous Hub Flange Failure

(Example: Racing:Jacques Boyer)

From: "dddd" <dddd@pacbell.net>
To: "Classic Rendezvous" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
References: <BF331FB9.3C54%wayne.collect@xtra.co.nz>
Subject: Re: [CR]WAS: Best vintage italian components other than Campy NR? NOW: Spontaneous Hub Flange Failure
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2005 12:39:06 -0700
reply-type=original

Luckily, radial lacing was less popular during the on-topic years. I consider most radial-laced wheels to be time-bombs, which thankfully often fail during storage (I've seen many instances of this).

I absolutely won't ride any wheel with radial lacing that lacks a current, purpose-built radial-safe hub with a stress-reducing design. An exception would be an older hub with steel flanges.

I haven't yet seen any failed 3X builds, but with uneven tension, the stess around the flange holes might be high enough to allow aluminum to fracture over time. Aluminum suffers from creep yield and time-dependent tensile failure in ways that steel doesn't, making aluminum nipples, flanges or spokes potential failure points. Clamps and press-fits using aluminum in continuous tension are also suspect, but these areas are typically designed for higher dynamic loadings during use, reducing the continuous average stress levels from storage, over time.

David Snyder Auburn, CA usa

Spontaneous Hub Flange Failure


>I had a OMAS front hub flange crack thru 3 spoke holes, X3 spoking, not
> happen while riding either........wayne davidson Invers NZ.......
>
>> Ken Wehrenberg wrote:
>>
>> Regarding GPM, I had a wheelset with their Campy-look-alike hubs and
>> generally liked them until I had some spokes pull off a portion of the
>> flange. It became a paperweight!
>> ---------------
>>
>> this has happened to me with campy record and c-record front hubs. i
>> call it spontaneous because it didn't happen while riding. both times
>> the wheels alone were hanging from ceiling hooks inserted perpendicular
>> to the ground. the only weight on the wheels was that of the wheels
>> themselves. in both cases, the spokes were laced radially. (i was
>> sitting right under the record wheel when it happened - it made a
>> really LOUD snap sound that scared the hell out of me.) the failure
>> started at one spoke hole, and over time it tore off the portion of the
>> flange running along 6 holes, but on side only. in the case of the
>> c-record hub...ooops, never mind.
>>
>> this has never happened to any of my 3-cross wheels, so i attribute the
>> failures to the radial lacing. has this happened to anybody else?
>>
>> ray dobbins
>> miami florida