Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Exotic wheel picture thread

Let's see some sexy wheel set's! I'll start with two I built.http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c284/taken67/philtwo.jpghttp://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c284/taken67/phil.jpghttp://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c284/taken67/blue.jpghttp://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c284/taken67/bluetwo.jpg

having twisted spokes like that its still strong enough and everything? I mean it looks really cool, in my head it seems like structurely it wouldn't be as strong

quite strong, and really stiff.



just like me!:eek: :eek:

those twisted spokes are nice...i've never seen that before.

my wheels spin when i'm stopped, a photo wont do any justice.

Nice crow's foot there champ.

Here's Mine:
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p72/mypalthetortoise/DSC01721.jpg
2x front
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p72/mypalthetortoise/DSC01722.jpg
3x rear
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p72/mypalthetortoise/DSC01723-1.jpg


I interlaced mine totally different than yours. Straight gauge spokes to the original 20 yr. old aluminum 27" rims. Time to wash that sucker!

twisted.....

did you see these on ebay? (im not the seller)

http://static.flickr.com/129/322386733_ea88c9e876_o.jpg
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170061338313

i built these
http://static.flickr.com/77/201868595_a98b619d08.jpg

and these

http://static.flickr.com/1/129152992_6343fae7b3.jpg

3x all around cuz 3x is the best!

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/417/halfstepdoubletwistkm9.jpg

Tensioned up, and next to the chainring it kind of matches:

http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/5100/rollslowli8.jpg

The thread about it:

http://mplsbikelove.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1092

my question is:
how on earth do you figure out the spoke lengths for your twisted spoked wheels?
just trial and error?

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r308/Grampy1/twisted1.jpg

I love this....... (not mine....yet....I found it on the web.)

I don't know. A little bend in the spoke is one thing, those extremes seem a bit risky to me. Just thinking about the force vectors make them look iffy, not to mention the inherent fatiguing of the metal involved.

I don't know. A little bend in the spoke is one thing, those extremes seem a bit risky to me. Just thinking about the force vectors make them look iffy, not to mention the inherent fatiguing of the metal involved.

The worst thing that ever happens to spokes happens at the factory, twist lacing is nothing compared to a 90* bend and peening.

my question is:
how on earth do you figure out the spoke lengths for your twisted spoked wheels?
just trial and error?

more or less it is trial and error.

I built one up myself and found that you can get a rough estimation by taking your "normal" lacing pattern, and adding a cross and using that length.

Marcus (of Yojimbo's) told a friend of mine to add a mm for every twist. That knowledge plus rims/hubs/spokes and about 10 hours got him some pretty sweet wheels. He said he was so cross-eyed and frustrated by the time he was done he didn't even go ride them, he just drank like 5 beers and went to sleep.

The worst thing that ever happens to spokes happens at the factory, twist lacing is nothing compared to a 90* bend and peening.

Sure, fatigue wise, but it still doesn't change the fact that you're no longer keeping the steele in a linear path from the rim to the flange. Just seems iffy. I'm talking about taken67's build most... some of the others shown still keep the material relatively linear.

these are crazy. not fixed... but yeah...

http://www.specialized.com/OA_MEDIA/2007/bikes/TM_SW_SL_SRM_Carbon_Red.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r308/Grampy1/twisted1.jpg

I love this....... (not mine....yet....I found it on the web.)

looks so awesome.

http://www.corearoadbike.com/preparetowin/20060603/9.jpg

not mine, but i love the 3 leading 3 trailing.

someone needs to post that crazy doiley looking hub that was on ebay a while back, that thing was R-E-donkulous!

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e389/bobbyip/000_0269.jpg
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e389/bobbyip/000_0268.jpg
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e389/bobbyip/100_0011.jpg

A very cheap 36 3 lead 3 trail for my fixie mtb. You can see the freewheel wheel in the background.

killsurfcity and shogun's posts show the two ways of doing #L#T, weaving the spokes or not weaving them. Of course, there are intermediate amounts of weaving you can do, but these show the two extremes really well. I'll leave everyone to make up their own jingus theories about which way is better.

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c284/taken67/bluetwo.jpg

I don't think these are crow's feet, one more twist of the spokes would do it though.

whoa! Shogun's wheels gave me a *****.

love the crows foot and chicken wire wheels guys any info on calculating spoke length for either and here are mine


http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/2466/img7899ta1.th.jpg (http://img90.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img7899ta1.jpg)
http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/6476/img7903tt3.th.jpg (http://img95.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img7903tt3.jpg)
http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/6933/img7901gu3.th.jpg (http://img134.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img7901gu3.jpg)
http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/5341/img7902vn8.th.jpg (http://img223.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img7902vn8.jpg)

http://web.syr.edu/~mjgiorda/3333.jpg (http://web.syr.edu/~mjgiorda/333.jpg)
click for large. sorry for weaksauce picture quality.

This thread brings up a question I've been meaning to ask for a while. With the rise of unconventional wheels like those by Rolf, the Shimano's with a minimal number of spokes that are side-by-side in pairs, etc, I'm curious if one is able to source the bare rims and build up a fixed wheelset with the hub of their choice. I'm assuming these would most likely be Phil's since they'd be the most likely hub available in the spoke count necessary for these sort of rims. All technical discussion aside, I like the aesthetics of this style of wheel and am curious if it's possible...anyone?

could you somehow use a 36h rim with a 24h hub and miss a spoke hole, eg 2 filled 1 free? I have a spare 36h wheel if you want me to try?

http://static.flickr.com/33/67052571_d18c17ec4a_b.jpg

love this wheel, and the bike it's attached to...

could you somehow use a 36h rim with a 24h hub and miss a spoke hole, eg 2 filled 1 free? I have a spare 36h wheel if you want me to try?

it can be done this way there is alot of math involved to get everything to line up but yes it can be done

I have a friend with an 18 laced to a 32 hole rim

This thread brings up a question I've been meaning to ask for a while. With the rise of unconventional wheels like those by Rolf, the Shimano's with a minimal number of spokes that are side-by-side in pairs, etc, I'm curious if one is able to source the bare rims and build up a fixed wheelset with the hub of their choice. I'm assuming these would most likely be Phil's since they'd be the most likely hub available in the spoke count necessary for these sort of rims. All technical discussion aside, I like the aesthetics of this style of wheel and am curious if it's possible...anyone?


I would contact both velocity and phil wood about your idea they my be able to custom drill some things for you but it could get price but hey its custom and one off right ;)

I don't think these are crow's feet, one more twist of the spokes would do it though.

wrong wheel...the first one is the crow's foot and there is no twist

3 leading and 3 trailing with a twist.
http://fixie-king.dk/Galleri/blandede_bolsjer/hjul/twist%20(10).JPG
And a lot more here:http://fixie-king.dk/Galleri/blandede_bolsjer/Jumbos_cykler.htm

Sure, fatigue wise, but it still doesn't change the fact that you're no longer keeping the steele in a linear path from the rim to the flange. Just seems iffy. I'm talking about taken67's build most... some of the others shown still keep the material relatively linear.

uh the ones i built have one twist, unlike the post above that looks like a wheel on acid.

The Reynolds DV track uses a Rolf-like low spoke count rim and paired spokes with Phil hubs...

http://www.reynoldscomposites.com/images/items/dv46%20track%20front-b.jpg

Well, taken67's wheel is definitely not crow's foot. That kind has one radial spoke per group so whatever way you twist it it won't become crow's foot. We could call it 1twist if you must find a name for it. It looks pretty nice, though:)

Twisted spoke wheels are great. Great fun to build, and great fun to ride. They look fantastic as well.

These are cool. They are amazingly light, magnesium track tubular wheels from American Classic. A guy I worked with had them on his bike, and they are just too awesome. Stiff as all hell, really light (like super... 1105 grams or something for a wheelset), and they look fantastic:

http://img348.imageshack.us/img348/2268/tracktubulargj4.jpg

it's not exotic per se, but it is a 135mm hub, and that's rare here. Makes it exotic in my mind.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o148/pyze-guy/IMG_8742.jpg

Liking the new wheels, tommy. this is Neale btw. want to do some riding this week?


Let's see some sexy wheel set's! I'll start with two I built.http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c284/taken67/philtwo.jpg

Here's one:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/images/record-rear-hub.jpg

it's not exotic per se, but it is a 135mm hub, and that's rare here. Makes it exotic in my mind.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o148/pyze-guy/IMG_8742.jpg


the brown nishiki above has a set of three leading three trailing wheels on it the rear hub is a 135mm spaced hub ss cassett one side bolt on fixed cog on the other 53mm chainline

About the only exotic lacing here that's going to give any benefit is the one wheel with spoke head washers.

2 questions

1) do those twisted spoke arrangements squeak?
2) is there any risk of spokes wearing dangerously thin at the twist?

i ask because it seems that there would be a bit of movement/separation at the twist as the wheels roll

http://www.campagnolo.com/pics/PISTA.jpghttp://www.campagnolo.com/pics/GHIBLI_1.jpg

About the only exotic lacing here that's going to give any benefit is the one wheel with spoke head washers.
Let's see, how can I put this nicely?

Duh. No one said there are any benefits other than aesthetics to the exotic pattern. It still stands that a high spoke count and spokes that are normal to the hub center will be the strongest. Low spoke counts will be slightly lighter, and aero-spokes will give a slight aerodynamic advantage. But then again, most of us are in this forum, at least partly, for aesthetic reasons.

I guess I failed at nice.

My favorite rims ever. Campagnolo Atlanta 1996:

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c45/MriKel/CANNONDALE_LOOKS.jpg

Let's see, how can I put this nicely?

Duh. No one said there are any benefits other than aesthetics to the exotic pattern. It still stands that a high spoke count and spokes that are normal to the hub center will be the strongest. Low spoke counts will be slightly lighter, and aero-spokes will give a slight aerodynamic advantage. But then again, most of us are in this forum, at least partly, for aesthetic reasons.

I guess I failed at nice.

i thought that was pretty nice, actually. good on you.

Damn, all I do is build custom wheels and I don't have any pictures here to show them off...let me get some flicks!

oh, and if you know how to build a wheel properly, you have nothing to worry about as far as wheel failure. 3L3T, 2L2T and crow's feet are just fine.