Originally Posted by
steelbikeguy
Jim's bike did have a lot of cool bits, but not the Hi-E rims (and presumably spokes). He did have the Scott Superbrakes.
I expect the Universal #68 sidepulls on mine are lighter, but not as cool as Scotts.
Also my Stronglight cranks are a little lighter than Jim's Campy.
Were the Hi-E "siamese" spokes really aluminum? Harlan's literature claims huge weight savings, but somehow doesn't explicitly say "aluminum"
Siamese spokes came in both alu and steel. The steel ones were some super-thin high-strength wire, with the threaded ends for the nipples silver-brazed on! Not scary at all! (OK sounds terrifying to me, except I
mostly trust Harlan's engineering. But with Siamese spokes, if one breaks, it's like two spokes breaking, on opposite sides of the wheel. Maybe they never break, but I'm more comfortable with tech that's been used on millions of bikes for many decades.
The aluminum ones that I had were larger diameter, with threads just cut into the alloy at both ends, dogleg bend in the middle. I don't know which was scarier, steel or alloy. Let's just say I never rode that front wheel with the scary rim laced to the scary hub with the scary spokes. I don't know if the guy who bought the bike ever rode it, I kinda hope not. I'd feel bad if he face-planted!
-Mark B