Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - 3 leading 3 trailing twisted spoke wheel

Check out my crazy new wheel. Suggestions, comments etc welcome.

http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~kt291603/images/wheel0.jpg
http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~kt291603/images/wheel1.jpg
http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~kt291603/images/wheel2.jpg

Doesnt seem like a great idea for a rear wheel.

Edit: It DOES look nice though.

It looks pretty, but that twisted spoke stuff is garbage. Eventually, it's likely you'll have to oil the spokes where they cross, 'cause they start to squeek. Not a good idea for a daily rider

I got the wheel for free from my shop. Its an old 80's tubular wheel that I took apart and relaced. I was bored.

It was originally supposed to be straight up 3 leading 3 trailing but I didn't count the crossing. You're supposed to use a 3x length spoke but it turned out to be 4x. So to make up for the extra length, I just twisted the spokes. I wasn't really planning on making a 100% function wheel (the tire isn't even glued and its a suicide fix). Thats what my Philwood/Deep-V 32hole 3x wheels are for. Just built for a head turner.

How exactly do you twist the spokes? Just by hand, or do you need to use pliers or something? Also, do you need to twist them tightly a tthe beginning? or will everything settle in when you tighten the nipples?

Hotness. I bet it'll love the brick streets and potholes in Athens. :)

Edit: Do me a favor and ride this wheel over to the Union St Cafe and eat a garbage omlette in my honor.

I did it by hand. I tried to twist it as tightly as possible from the beginning.

Nitro, apparently there's a guy on your cycling team who deems himself the "cockiest member of the team" and "the only person to climb X hill X amount of times; don't try to break my record". Well, a member of our team (Miami Flyers) has it out for him!

Unfortunately, thats not me. He's got a completely color matched bike and complains that our Green kit won't match his bike.

i think it looks like crap. i probably will never
understand the asthetics of twisting spokes.

IMO, the twisting completely negates the cool-factor of the 3-leading 3-trailing pattern. But at least you did it so we could all know what it looks like. Bravo for the pioneer spirit.

Speaking of Athens, I just applied to graduate school at OU. Journalism masters program, in fact.

Nitropowered should go over to the department chair and harass him into letting me attend. You know you want to.