LEMOND Posted August 5, 2009 Share What is the take on these wheels? I know They have advanced PBO fiber spokes look fancy but they still over 1,6kg! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Bornman Posted August 7, 2009 Share Silly wheels. Stupid spokes. Expensive bearings. Horrible flanges that always stay dirty. Proprietary spokes. Zero benefits. Why bother? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEMOND Posted August 7, 2009 Share Thats what I thought, I have seen those spokes snap like spagheti! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icycling Posted August 7, 2009 Share Spokes 8 times stonger than steel - because of a flexible spoke far more comfotable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtlek Posted August 7, 2009 Share spokes are crap to work on they are horrid to clean the nipples strip easily even with the proper tools waste of money but They look wicked on any bike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Bornman Posted August 7, 2009 Share Spokes 8 times stonger than steel - because of a flexible spoke far more comfotable! That's a very popular way of representing aramid (Kevlar) but only half the story. Spokes, even steel ones, don't break in tension but in fatigue. The weakest point of an aramid spoke is the attaching device, the crimped spoke ends. They're made of aluminium which is only a quarter as strong as steel. Strong enough is strong enough. More strength don't provide benefits. I find it puzzling that the manufacturer warns against high tension on the one hand, but on the other, brags about the strength. Further, the aramid fibres need protecton, individually, they are very prone to snagging and have to be protected by a PVC sleeve. In the end, the spokes are three or 4mm thick, whereas a steel spoke is only 1,.8mm thick. The PVC sleeves easily cut and end up looking and feeling ragged. The issue of comfort is just plain hocus pocu. Wheels provide compliance by reducing tension in the load-affected spokes - the three or four at the bottom of the wheel just above the contact patch. Whether it is spaghetti there that's reducing tension, or a brick, the rider cannot feel the difference. We're not talking springs, but a pre-stressed structure that's responding to additional forces. The only redeeming factor of an aramid spoked wheel is its novelty. It makes for a great conversation piece. Just a pity that the only people who will talk to you 'cause of your wheels are geeks, not nubile women. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocket-Boy Posted August 8, 2009 Share Im going with JB's answer on this one. Surely the increased spoke thickness increases the weight and kind of nullifies the point of the carbon in the first place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capricorn Posted August 8, 2009 Share from an engineering perspective, the main, if not only reason for using composites, is the weight saving. So if your fancy composite wheels are not saving you weight, then they not working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodbadugly Posted August 9, 2009 Share I saw a series of photo's on a website where the spokes on his front wheel snapped in a corner and the guy fell himself into hospital. I will stay with metal, thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Bornman Posted August 9, 2009 Share Im going with JB's answer on this one. Surely the increased spoke thickness increases the weight and kind of nullifies the point of the carbon in the first place? No, that's not really the problem. Firstly, the spokes are not carbon, but aramid (Kevlar is Du Pont's trademarked aramid fibre). Aramid is a long-chain synthetic compound that can be spun in very thin strands. Bundling these strands produce a flexible rope. However, a rope spoke is not ideal (although strong enough) because the individual fibres can fray and break one by one. Therefore, these spokes are covered in a vinyl sleeve. Vinyl itself is prone to cuts and nicks and the spokes remain sensitive to sharp objects. Even so, that's not their main enemy. Their main enemy, like most most engineering structures in tension, is the fixture. In this case the spoke head and nipple. These are made from aluminium and are far, far bigger than standard nipples since they have to encapsulate a relatively thick aramid spoke. Here's a Spinergy spoke that broke off at the nipple head. You can see the exposed aramid fibres. The fixture is bulky and unsightly. A new Spineregy spoke. Note the bulky head and large nipple. Not elegant in my view. Beautiful or hideous? Depending on the which beholder the eye belongs to, this is either beautifully detailed or a dirt trap. You decide. Johan Bornman2009-08-09 06:32:47 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Bornman Posted August 9, 2009 Share I saw a series of photo's on a website where the spokes on his front wheel snapped in a corner and the guy fell himself into hospital. I will stay with metal' date=' thank you. [/quote'] I doubt it was the spokes that snapped. They were either cut by a sharp object or, the nipples broke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no calves Posted August 9, 2009 Share A BEAUTIFULL dirt trap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icycling Posted August 9, 2009 Share I have not seen the pic of the rider with broken spokes - but they probably the Mavic Rsys wheels - which may still have a full recall for this reason! The problem with them is they have made the spokes ridged and resin does not like to be put in compression and cracks up, it enjoys tension. As for JB argument about spokes braking and the treaded part been the weak point - this is what makes the Spinergy wheel PBO spokes far better than a steel spoked wheel as the spoke actually breaks. If the Spinergy allu nipple thread part should break as it enter the rim - which I have only seen in 7 years been done when the wheel is been trued - the PBO fibres are still intact and thus the wheel will stay more or less true! Look at JB pic and you can see the fibres going all the way through the Allu treaded sleave. As for looks well that all a matter of tast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodbadugly Posted August 9, 2009 Share Yup, it was the older R-sys wheel spokes. They were recalled. I would rather stay with stainless steel, thank you.http://www.velonews.com/article/93054 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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