aluminum vs. steel rims on 27" bikes, gyro forces etc..
05-18-23, 03:25 PM
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Time to retrieve that old 12V truck battery from the shed, mount it on the rack. Great for training as well as traction.
05-18-23, 03:40 PM
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Less than half a pound difference in wheel mass will make no significant difference in terms of braking inertia. If you spin a wheel up in a workstand and apply the brake it will stop dead instantly. There is very little wheel inertia, whether steel, alloy or carbon rims. The only significant inertia when braking on a bicycle is from your own bodyweight.
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05-18-23, 03:49 PM
#53
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There are a lot of alloys. If someone means 'aluminum' or 'aluminium', I wish they'd just write it that way.
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05-18-23, 05:49 PM
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05-18-23, 09:31 PM
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In cycling, any steel alloys are called 'steel'. Any aluminum alloys are called 'alloy' or 'aluminum'. Any titanium alloys are called 'titanium'.
It's just reality for the hobby.
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05-19-23, 05:20 AM
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It's the same in other similar applications e.g. alloy car wheels. Nobody ever refers to them as "aluminium" wheels (well at least not in the UK). "Alloy" is simply short hand for "Aluminium Alloy" in this kind of application. Nobody is going to think they are made of any other metal alloy. Maybe some other English speaking countries refer to them as "Aluminium" or "Aluminum" wheels instead. I wouldn't know.
05-19-23, 05:31 AM
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Kind of interesting that mainstream autos moved to alloy/aluminum wheels in the same time frame as bikes. Don't see them following bikes to carbon but who knows? 
05-19-23, 07:34 AM
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Forged alloy and magnesium wheels are used in most racing applications and carbon wheels are now starting to appear. But carbon doesn’t lend itself to cheap mass production on an automotive scale.
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05-19-23, 07:50 AM
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05-19-23, 07:52 AM
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Here is one from 2012.
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05-23-23, 06:38 PM
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for the sake of fleshing out general knowledge...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinfo...E2%80%93carbon
05-23-23, 06:53 PM
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You, a mechanic, is telling me, a Mechanical Engineer (BS & MS), to read a few books on the properties of steel?! Thank you, but I've studied enough about steel to last a career.
I will attempt to clarify the above statements:
High strength (spring) steel and mild steel both have about an equal amount of elasticity: the same force will deflect them both by the same amount--until the force is higher than the material's yield strength. Since spring steel has a high yield strength, it can withstand a high force without deforming permanently. Mild steel, on the other hand, has a lower yield stress, so it cannot be stressed as highly without deforming permanently. High strength steel is more brittle than mild steel, but it won't shatter like glass if it is dropped. When high strength steel is stressed beyond its yield limit, it tends to break. Unlike mild steel, which will simply deform permanently.
I will attempt to clarify the above statements:
High strength (spring) steel and mild steel both have about an equal amount of elasticity: the same force will deflect them both by the same amount--until the force is higher than the material's yield strength. Since spring steel has a high yield strength, it can withstand a high force without deforming permanently. Mild steel, on the other hand, has a lower yield stress, so it cannot be stressed as highly without deforming permanently. High strength steel is more brittle than mild steel, but it won't shatter like glass if it is dropped. When high strength steel is stressed beyond its yield limit, it tends to break. Unlike mild steel, which will simply deform permanently.
Last edited by maddog34; 05-23-23 at 07:12 PM.
05-23-23, 07:27 PM
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awww, why play around?.. go for a Locomotive battery... you'll need some more spokes tho... they average about 1500 Pounds... a local ham radio repeater has 6 of them installed for backup during power outages... they had to specially reinforce and thicken the Concrete floor in the shack.....
05-23-23, 09:55 PM
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Agree with the others. There's not much good to be said about steel rim wheels. That said, steel rims wheels aren't terrible. They're functional as long as you're mindful of their limitations.
I rebuilt a 1973 Sekine SHR recently with a double butted chrome moly main triangle and steel rim wheels which were OEM on the bike. The bike parts (other than the rims) were pretty good for 1973 (suntour derailleurs, dia compe centerpull brakes, SR swaged alloy crank) and the bike rides nicely. I may swap out the wheels one day for aluminum. I paid $20 for the bike and sunk around $18 worth of parts (plus labor obviously) to get it in good riding shape.
I rebuilt a 1973 Sekine SHR recently with a double butted chrome moly main triangle and steel rim wheels which were OEM on the bike. The bike parts (other than the rims) were pretty good for 1973 (suntour derailleurs, dia compe centerpull brakes, SR swaged alloy crank) and the bike rides nicely. I may swap out the wheels one day for aluminum. I paid $20 for the bike and sunk around $18 worth of parts (plus labor obviously) to get it in good riding shape.
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05-23-23, 11:13 PM
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LOL.
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05-23-23, 11:27 PM
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awww, why play around?.. go for a Locomotive battery... you'll need some more spokes tho... they average about 1500 Pounds... a local ham radio repeater has 6 of them installed for backup during power outages... they had to specially reinforce and thicken the Concrete floor in the shack.....
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06-07-23, 06:46 AM
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I'm not sure why this has popped back in, but my only response is "Okay!"
06-07-23, 08:07 AM
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06-07-23, 08:18 AM
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06-07-23, 08:47 AM
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The move to alloy car wheels was mostly aesthetic. Cheap cast alloy production wheels are very heavy and relatively weak. But nobody cares as long as they look good.
Forged alloy and magnesium wheels are used in most racing applications and carbon wheels are now starting to appear. But carbon doesn’t lend itself to cheap mass production on an automotive scale.
Forged alloy and magnesium wheels are used in most racing applications and carbon wheels are now starting to appear. But carbon doesn’t lend itself to cheap mass production on an automotive scale.
You'll find more motorcycles with carbon wheels, than cars, most likely. I wouldn't be surprised if a few Porsche had them. The Mustang gt350r had them. Hyper cars don't even typically use them, niether do most race cars.
06-07-23, 09:14 AM
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06-07-23, 10:07 AM
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mmm... not really and relatively compared to what? In the 70s-90s maybe, but still lighter than steelies. A oem alloy wheel might be 12-17ish lbs without a tire. The steelies on my old cvpi with Eagle RSA's were like 40/50lbs, any S550 Mustang alloy I could've put on it would be much lighter combo. Also depends on how the wheel was made, how strong it is.
You'll find more motorcycles with carbon wheels, than cars, most likely. I wouldn't be surprised if a few Porsche had them. The Mustang gt350r had them. Hyper cars don't even typically use them, niether do most race cars.
You'll find more motorcycles with carbon wheels, than cars, most likely. I wouldn't be surprised if a few Porsche had them. The Mustang gt350r had them. Hyper cars don't even typically use them, niether do most race cars.
Even today there is a large difference in weight and strength between a typical OEM cast alloy wheel and a high-end forged alloy. Some of the stock Porsche alloys are surprisingly heavy. Obviously there are practically no steel equivalents today in this market.
