Wheel Strength

I am thinking of building a new front wheel with a Velocity Fusion rim, 28 Wheelsmith 2.0/1.7
spokes, brass nipples in a 3-cross pattern. This wheel is for use on a rode bike and I weight
190 lbs. I want something that's light, durable, & aerodynamic. Do you think this would be a
suitable wheel?

Ted

 

Ted <[email protected]> wrote:
> I am thinking of building a new front wheel with a Velocity Fusion rim, 28 Wheelsmith 2.0/1.7
> spokes, brass nipples in a 3-cross pattern. This wheel is for use on a rode bike and I weight 190
> lbs. I want something that's light, durable, & aerodynamic.

No such thing as "light, durable, and aerodynamic." Which of those qualities are most
important to you?

Art Harris

 

>No such thing as "light, durable, and aerodynamic." Which of those qualities are most
>important to you?
>
>Art Harris

The same point from another angle:

Almost all modern road wheels are reasonably light and reasonably aerodynamic, but not all of them
are durable.

Most likely one won't really notice the weight differences between wheels except when lifting them
up to install them.

Most likely one won't really notice the aerodynamic differences except when getting blown around
by the wind.

Most likely really WILL notice the durability differences.

Jon

 

"Jon Isaacs" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> >No such thing as "light, durable, and aerodynamic." Which of those qualities are most important
> >to you?
> >
> >Art Harris
>
> The same point from another angle:
>
> Almost all modern road wheels are reasonably light and reasonably
aerodynamic,
> but not all of them are durable.
>
> Most likely one won't really notice the weight differences between wheels except when lifting them
> up to install them.
>
> Most likely one won't really notice the aerodynamic differences except
when
> getting blown around by the wind.

This all depends on how fast you're riding. The slower you go, the less aerodynamics makes a
difference. C'mon down to Fiesta Island next week and feel the difference between 35mph and 14mph.

>
> Most likely really WILL notice the durability differences.

Now that I'll agree with 100%.

I'll also say that if you under-build a wheel for your weight, you'll run into durability problems
the same as if you built it poorly. For the OP, I'd probably recommend bumping up the 2.0/1.7 spokes
to 2.0/1.8s to better suit his weight.

Mike

 

tedcamp-<< I am thinking of building a new front wheel with a Velocity Fusion rim, 28 Wheelsmith
2.0/1.7 spokes, brass nipples in a 3-cross pattern. This wheel is for use on a rode bike and I
weight 190 lbs. I want something that's light, durable, & aerodynamic. Do you think this would be a
suitable wheel?

Probably but for you I would do 32 spokes...4 of those spokes weigh about 20 grams...

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 http://www.vecchios.com "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

 

On 17 Apr 2003 22:18:56 GMT, [email protected] (Jon Isaacs) wrote:

>>This all depends on how fast you're riding. The slower you go, the less aerodynamics makes a
>>difference. C'mon down to Fiesta Island next week and feel the difference between 35mph and 14mph.
>
>Been down there a number of times and ridden a number of wheels. Actually Andrew Coggan did a bit
>of analysis that showed that slower riders can actually save more time than faster riders with
>aerodynamic wheels. Besides Fiesta Island was last week end.....

Fiesta Island is not like Brigadoon; it's there all the time. It was even there when I lived in SD.
BTW, do you still have to shovel the drifts/dunes off the road sometimes?

jeverett3<AT>earthlink<DOT>net http://home.earthlink.net/~jeverett3

 

Thanks everyone for your input. I've been using 32 spoke wheels on my current bike and they've
worked fine. I was just looking at possibilities for my new bike. I'll probably stick with 32
spoke wheels.

Ted

 

"John Everett" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On 17 Apr 2003 22:18:56 GMT, [email protected] (Jon Isaacs) wrote:
>
> >>This all depends on how fast you're riding. The slower you go, the less aerodynamics makes a
> >>difference. C'mon down to Fiesta Island next week
and
> >>feel the difference between 35mph and 14mph.
> >
> >Been down there a number of times and ridden a number of wheels.
Actually
> >Andrew Coggan did a bit of analysis that showed that slower riders can
actually
> >save more time than faster riders with aerodynamic wheels. Besides
Fiesta
> >Island was last week end.....
>
> Fiesta Island is not like Brigadoon; it's there all the time. It was even there when I lived in
> SD. BTW, do you still have to shovel the drifts/dunes off the road sometimes?
>
Sometimes. That wind really whips over the sand... There's a spot on the windward side, over where
the Over the Line tourney is that is building up into the road again. I've been pinched off into the
barriers there before. Not too fun going ass over teakettle into a telephone pole.

Jon, I'm talking about the Thurs 6PM circuit training "race." 10 laps of fun with 100+ of your
closest friends. The back stretch tends to get up over 55kph fairly frequently... That's how I know
that my Cosmics are faster than my Grecals at speed.

I know the argument about saving more time, but at what point are aero wheels just big, heavy
wheels? 20mph, 15mph?

Mike