16 spoke wheel

Don Barcode who? wrote:
Hey guys I have this idea for a 16 spoke wheel Its just take a normal 32
spoke wheel, and remove half the spokes. Will it work? Will the empty
holes be a problem? thanks

This was done on the front wheels of some BikeE models. The wheels
worked fine, since 18 spokes are plenty for an ISO 305-mm wheel, since
there will be about the same length of rim between spokes as on a
36-spoke ISO 622-mm (700C) wheel. The front wheel also carried about 20
to 30% of the total weight.

Your problems will be due to too few spokes, not empty spoke holes, if
you try this on a larger rim. Note that boutique low spoke count wheels
generally have heavy rims to compensate for the lack of spokes.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Hey guys I have this idea for a 16 spoke wheel Its just take a normal 32
spoke wheel, and remove half the spokes. Will it work? Will the empty
holes be a problem? thanks

Don Barcode wrote:
Hey guys I have this idea for a 16 spoke wheel Its just take a normal 32
spoke wheel, and remove half the spokes. Will it work? Will the empty
holes be a problem? thanks

depends on the rim. my shimano r540's come with 16 spokes front and
rear from factory. no problems under my lardy clydesdale ass. if it's
a deep section rim like mavic cxp33, should be fine. do /not/ try this
in a ma2. and do /not/ simply increase the spoke tension because the
spoke count is lower - it's a jobstian misconception that tension =
strength.

On Jul 18, 6:26 am, Don Barcode "@@@.@@."@ wrote:
Hey guys I have this idea for a 16 spoke wheel Its just take a normal 32
spoke wheel, and remove half the spokes. Will it work? Will the empty
holes be a problem? thanks

The holes won't be a problem but the lack of weight/heft of the rim
may make for an unreliable wheel. Don't try it in the rear and not the
front unless you are a fairly light rider. 16 spoke wheels come with
heavier/stronger rims to become more reliable.

On Jul 18, 6:26 am, Don Barcode "@@@.@@."@ wrote:
Will the empty
holes be a problem? thanks

No... you can cut up little pieces of electrical tape to cover the
holes if you like.

On Jul 18, 6:26 am, Don Barcode "@@@.@@."@ wrote:
Hey guys I have this idea for a 16 spoke wheel Its just take a normal 32
spoke wheel, and remove half the spokes. Will it work? Will the empty
holes be a problem? thanks

Sure no problem. Just remove every other spoke. But if it's a rear
wheel be sure to keep the drive side spokes ;-)