Originally Posted by
Dave Mayer
Actually, high spoke count wheels with wide (11-speed) freehubs suffer.
So you understand the high dish of these wheels leads to drive-side spoke tensions being double non-drive side. Not good. But you also need to know that the non-drive spokes have to maintain relatively high tension under rider weight and pedaling torque, which both tend to loosen spokes once per revolution. If spokes get close to going slack, then the wheel is floppy, and spoke nipples start to unwind.
So if the non-drive spokes need to be tight, then the drive side spokes have to be double tight. Simple geometry.
So you need beefy rims that can handle the high spoke tensions, and tension differentials between the drive and non-drive sides. This is why current rims are so heavy, compared to what was common in the 80s, with 6/7 speeds. Current rims are pigs, adding weight at the worst possible place on a bike.
But every 7 years we need to add another cog to the cassette... Progress! Planned obsolescence!
Interesting that more spokes makes the issue worse. Never knew that.
I guess my lack of issues is even more lucky than as I am tempting fate with rider weight and high spoke counts.
Ill keep pressing my luck I guess as my next bike will be with a gravel frame I will braze together that will once again be 11speed. No plans to get rid of any of my 30+ year old frames modernized to 9sp though.
I get the argument again planned obsolescence in cycling. I see it and dislike it too, but 11sp road hubs just doesnt register for me as being planned obsolescence.
- It has helped allow gravel bikes to explode as proper gearing is now used for that style riding.
- It has allowed 1x to become popular in CX(and some gravel bikes) due to the smaller jumps compared to a 9sp drivetrain.
- Furthermore, its not like old gearing was all that great. 52/39 mated to a 12-25 cassette just isnt ideal for many(most?) cyclists. That should be obsolete and the new common setups are what should have been around back then. But again, the jumps would have been huge, so 11sp helps ensure some of the jumps(besides the largest cogs) are smaller.
11sp doesnt require us to stop using older tech. On of my road bikes is a frame from '87, a drivetrain from '89, a wheelset with hubs from '92, and 7sp Microshift STIs. All that stuff is still working great.
Planned obsolescence isnt nearly as big a deal as what many make it to be. This is an industry that needs continual change to generate revenue for companies to stay in business. Auto industry, computers, cell phones, etc- all rely on continual change to generate revenue. If that revenue isnt around, those companies arent around.