Spokes vs. Mag Wheels?

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden]
says...

Quoted message said:

Hi,
What are the pros and cons of spokes and mag wheels?
I'm a 220+ lb guy, and I like riding on 20" wheels. With the stuff I
carry, figure a combined load of 240 to 250 lbs. What would you
recommend -- spokes or mags?

Mags? Get a spoked wheel. Don't skimp on the spokes. Get 36 double butted
spokes. Then, most importantly, get the wheels built by someone who knows
how to build good wheels.
--------------
Alex

Alex Rodriguez said:

Mags?

BMXers called cast tri-spokes, etc "mags" because they were occasionally
made from a magnesium alloy. A very 80s word, but one that amuses me.

Alex Rodriguez said:

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden]
says...

Quoted message said:

Hi,
What are the pros and cons of spokes and mag wheels?
I'm a 220+ lb guy, and I like riding on 20" wheels. With the stuff I
carry, figure a combined load of 240 to 250 lbs. What would you
recommend -- spokes or mags?

Mags? Get a spoked wheel. Don't skimp on the spokes. Get 36 double butted
spokes. Then, most importantly, get the wheels built by someone who knows
how to build good wheels.
--------------
Alex

Agreed with Alex + get some "tough" rims.
If running "narrow" tires, Velocity Taipan (28 mm outside width) ; and if wider Velocity Psycho (31.5 mm outside width) which are both available in 36 and 48 hole.
If you want something unique but quite reliable go with 14/17 DB Laser or DT Revolution spokes on the 48 hole version.... I would need to check availability of those spokes in the required lengths.
Phil Wood hubs would also be a nice addition, but are quite expensive.
Proper spoke tension, tension balancing, and stress relieving are all required for reliable wheels.
dave at ornee dot net

[email hidden] wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Hi,

What are the pros and cons of spokes and mag wheels?

I'm a 220+ lb guy, and I like riding on 20" wheels. With the stuff I
carry, figure a combined load of 240 to 250 lbs. What would you
recommend -- spokes or mags?

Smaller wheels can get away with fewer spokes since the rim starts out
stronger. If you're doing nothing but road riding (Bike Friday?), you
could ride 24-spoke wheels without a problem. I have a Lightning
recumbent with a 24-spoke front wheel. It's never given me a problem,
even though I'm 10 pounds heavier than you.

Jeff

Hi,

Thanks for the replies, but I'm just interested in any possible
advantages mag wheels have over spokes. The reason I'm asking is mag
wheels supposedly never need truing, so I was wondering why they
weren't more popular. This is idle curiosity and idle curiosity if
they'd hold my weight.

Take Care.

Quoted message said:

Hi,

Thanks for the replies, but I'm just interested in any possible
advantages mag wheels have over spokes. The reason I'm asking is mag
wheels supposedly never need truing, so I was wondering why they
weren't more popular. This is idle curiosity and idle curiosity if
they'd hold my weight.

I know several heavy riders that speak highly of Aerospoke [1] wheels.
These are not inexpensive - expect to pay $450-500 for an ISO 406-mm set.

I would take their claim of reduced energy losses compared to spoked
wheels (allegedly from windup and relaxation of the drivewheel) with a
substantially sized crystal of sodium chloride, however.

[1] <http://www.aerospoke.com/>.

--
Tom Sherman - Rock Island County Illinois
Tetrahedral carbon lattices are not forever.

[email hidden] wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Hi,

Thanks for the replies, but I'm just interested in any possible
advantages mag wheels have over spokes. The reason I'm asking is mag
wheels supposedly never need truing, so I was wondering why they
weren't more popular. This is idle curiosity and idle curiosity if
they'd hold my weight.

Take Care.

OK, now I get it...

Advantage: possibly less maintenance.
Disadvantage: if maintenance (i.e. truing) is needed, you can't-
you'll have to get a new one. Bearings are generally standard
replacement cartridges.

Yes, they'll hold your weight. In fact, they'll probably stand up to
very rough use. But you could say the same thing about plenty of 20"
spoked wheels.

Why aren't they more popular? They're almost always heavier, more
expensive, harder to fix if something goes wrong, the rims still wear
out (when used with caliper brakes), harder to manufacture, and less
versatile than spoked wheels.

Tom pointed at Aerospoke wheels- these are probably the most popular
of the "mag" wheels. Some people swear by them for their durability.
I say that they better be durable- they weigh 30 to 50% more than a
comparable spoked wheel.

Jeff

Jeff Wills said:

[email hidden] wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Hi,

Thanks for the replies, but I'm just interested in any possible
advantages mag wheels have over spokes. The reason I'm asking is mag
wheels supposedly never need truing, so I was wondering why they
weren't more popular. This is idle curiosity and idle curiosity if
they'd hold my weight.

Take Care.

OK, now I get it...

Advantage: possibly less maintenance.
Disadvantage: if maintenance (i.e. truing) is needed, you can't-
you'll have to get a new one. Bearings are generally standard
replacement cartridges.

Yes, they'll hold your weight. In fact, they'll probably stand up to
very rough use. But you could say the same thing about plenty of 20"
spoked wheels.

Why aren't they more popular? They're almost always heavier, more
expensive, harder to fix if something goes wrong, the rims still wear
out (when used with caliper brakes), harder to manufacture, and less
versatile than spoked wheels.

Tom pointed at Aerospoke wheels- these are probably the most popular
of the "mag" wheels. Some people swear by them for their durability.
I say that they better be durable- they weigh 30 to 50% more than a
comparable spoked wheel.

Jeff

Agree with Jeff + you have many more choices and combinations of choices with spoked wheels + you can change choices later ... at a price less than a whole new wheel.
Later, when the rim wears out/or is damaged beyond repair, the rim can be replaced with lower expense than a whole new wheel.