Originally Posted by
waterrockets
The Mavic R-Sys would like a word with you...
As mentioned above, when it's not blowing up, the spokes work in tension and compression. The only holes it pokes are a huge swirly one in the air (the biggest I've seen tested), and the holes in your legs when the spokes all eject during a spontaneous de-lacing.
I'll give you the "bicycle rim" technicality on the R-Sys. It's more of a wagon wheel than a bicycle wheel. Probably higher drag though.
I will award you a good try on this one however I must point out as you have alluded to, it has not been a great success, if that is what you get with a wagon wheel design, no matter how light, I think I will pass. Also and this is just a personal theory, I believe they were forced into using spokes that would also be used in compression do to the amount that carbon spokes elongated under load in tension. I believe it was a design compromise. We already know that stainless steel will after a time fatigue and break eventually. Now we will replace the stainless steel with carbon fiber, a substance that is even more brittle under certain conditions. Then, if that wasn't enough, we will double its work cycle to include opposing forces, compression and tension. Just sounds like a recipe for disaster. This being said I have never looked at one up close or anything just something my brain was chewing over while I was riding.