Thread: Strong Wheels
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Old 05-12-19, 09:59 PM
  #26  
tallbikeman
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Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Yolo County, West Sacramento CA
Posts: 517

Bikes: Modified 26 inch frame Schwinn Varsity with 700c wheels and 10 speed cassette hub. Ryan Vanguard recumbent. 67cm 27"x1 1/4" Schwinn Sports Tourer from the 1980's. 1980's 68cm Nishiki Sebring with 700c aero wheels, 30 speeds, flat bar bicycle.

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Low spoke count wheels.

I'm 6ft 5in, 265lbs. At the higher weights we Clydesdales ride at, rim strength, overall spoke strength, and hub strength do matter. I 've pulled spokes through a disc brake specific rim, ie very lightly constructed with no rim brake area. I've broken so many spokes over the years. I've never had even a cheap hub ever give me trouble. I've had good luck with all Sun CR18 rims from 36 hole 27 x 1 1/4 in, 36 hole 700c, to a 36 hole 20 in, on a recumbent front, and never had a spoke pull through or fail in any other way. I have worn out a rear CR 18 from brake use on a recumbent. I'm a great believer in the 36 hole Velocity Chukker rim for 700c. That rim is virtually indestructible. I like to use 13/14 gauge spokes and have had no failures with them at 36 holes. I've also used straight 14 gauge spokes with little trouble. The spokes always break at the bend on the hub if I get a broken one. I have owned a low spoke count set of 26 in MTB wheels and noticed the rims were deep dish aluminum with lots of material and the spokes were 12 gauge or bigger. That wheelset was robust and never gave me any issues. It was also faster than my older box construction 36 hole rims. Bicycles are tested very thoroughly for strength and failure points. All bicycles have an upper weight limit as do the wheels, seatpost, handlebars ect. Tom Ritchey has a very good video out where he discusses how strong he had to make carbon forks before they would pass the European bicycle strength tests. Materials do matter and I would like to see some honest data being collected about our experiences with various bicycling products that we all use. Making a good reliable set of wheels is crucial to the safety and pleasure of our cycling experience.
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