Thorn Cycles Forum

Technical => General Technical => Topic started by: stutho on March 13, 2007, 02:14:50 PM

Title: Wheel Building
Post by: stutho on March 13, 2007, 02:14:50 PM

I am just about to make up a new set of wheels for my road bike however I can't decide whether to go for bladed spokes or not.  Anyone using bladed spokes then I would welcome your views.  Also does anyone have experience of built up a wheel using DT Aerolites?  (I have built wheels used DT Revolution & DT Competition in the past with excellent results)

Title: Re: Wheel Building
Post by: jawj on July 19, 2007, 11:53:14 PM

Probably far too late to reply to this one, but I will anyway [:D]

All the usual arguments for and against: lighter weight, you might go faster, but will you really, etc.

My beef with bladed spokes is that I couldn't build 'tasty' snowflakes...

http://jawj.fotopic.net/p41535562.html

... if I used them!

Title: Re: Wheel Building
Post by: jawj on July 19, 2007, 11:55:16 PM

Ooh, having said that, I have had GREAT fun with a bike in the workstand fitted with a bladed-spoke wheels: we got the rear wheel spinning REALLY fast and slowly fed a banana into the spokes...

Childish? Yes. Amusing? Tres.

Title: Re: Wheel Building
Post by: stutho on July 20, 2007, 08:49:54 AM

Bananas ;-)

In the end I stuck with what I know and built up a set of wheels using DT Revolutions - they are a bit of a pig to build with as they twist up VERY easily. So easily that it is possible to get a reverse twist up when backing off!  They do build into an excellent wheel however, very light and strong.