Earle Young offers an intriguing explanation for the tradition of tying and soldering spokes at the outer crossover points:
"What I have found from my research is that tying and soldering is a tradition for track riders, primarily large-pack events on small tracks, at a time when rims were not as strong as they are today. Because of the conditions, most observers would think that the tying and soldering was for extra strength. Actually, it seems that it is more for the convenience of the mechanic. When built with hex-head spokes like the classic Robergel Sport, a broken rim on a tied and soldered wheel can be removed and replaced very quickly using a hex driver and a drill, probably a push drill, but a reversible electric or pneumatic drill will also speed the process." ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
My experience is almost all on the road, but many of the wheel failures I've seen over the decades have started with spokes breaking, not rims getting busted. Fatigue or impact? In any event, if Earle's hypothesis were right, I would expect to see the spokes tied with fine malleable wire loops, but not soldered. Soldering would just make it take longer to change out a spoke, and would be no fun at a track where there was no convenient place to plug in a soldering iron. Or set up a charcoal bed to heat an iron.
Whether it is true or not, I think that the old-timers thought that tying AND soldering led to better wheels. But, I could be wrong.
harvey sachs
mcLean va usa