I'd love to be proven wrong on this one but my experience on the issue is not the same. I have never seen a wheel "break" due to too much torque applied at the hub aka too much "stopping power." The scenarios are as follows: 1) The spokes rip out of the rims 2) The spokes rip out of the hubs. 3) The spokes break. 4) The wheel collapses and tacoes. The latter I can't foresee since torque applies even tension and relieves even tension right around the rim. In other words' date=' total tension remains the same, no matter how hard you brake or accellerate. Since total tension remains the same, we know the wheel tension remains balanced and therefore a taco is unlikely, if not impossible. For the spokes to rip out of the rims, we'll have to rip all 16 pulling spokes out at once, since once again, we know the tension in all the pulling spokes remain balanced between spokes (even though invidvidual tension goes up ) and the tension in all the pushing spokes remain the same (even though individual tension goes down. For the spokes to rip out of the hubs, the same argument as above is valid. For the spokes to break, you'll have to exceed the maximum tensile strength of one spoke and multiply it by half the spoke compliment i.e. 16 spokes, convert that to torque and convert that to stopping force. Even a thumbsuck with one eye closed and Ramstein playing full blast in my headphones tells me that this is one awsome force. The breaking tension of a 1.8mm DT spoke is 250kgs (source: The Bicycle Wheel). Multiply that by 16 and you get a total load of 4000kgs or four tons. Apply that load over 250mm of spoke and you have a torque of 1000NM. If I'm correct, that's more than any sports car can produce. Assuming that the centre of the wheel is 1 m from the centre of gravity of you on your bike, you have a force of one ton on your two wrists at the moment of spoke breakage. Methings your wrists will snap first. Actually, they won't, your neck will break first since the bike will overturn with such a moerrova speed that your riding compation will observe you as being in a spin-dryer on your bike. Of course this spin dryer will only do 1/4 revolution before things get ugly. OK, theatrics aside. What will happen in a case of theoretical "too much stopping power" is a faceplant. Your wheels are safe but not your nose. PS - I have no doubt that the calculators and physics text books are now being consulted. [/quote'] Hi Johan I would not argue, its Friday.. and Im tired.. I think the force, vs Flimsy wheels is an easier win, If only cos - if i was to expain to my wife why I want new , better, more expensive wheels.. All the text book stuff although good, and Impressive and obvously to the tech, people totally true.... If - I used it I would loose my beautiful wife's attention ... I choose Mampara's theory, cos its easier to sell to my beautiful wife.. And she would want safe...
