Originally Posted by
Nightshade
Since the front axle on any bike is basically a threaded rod it is inherently weak due to the threading process. A threaded rod will not live under the side/twisting load when leveraged on only one side. It must be supported on both sides to live under load.
Not entirely true. There are BMX front wheels which have 14mm (.55") and 15mm (.59") diameter axles. And if that's not strong enough for ya, you can replace the original axles with cromoly units. Tadpole trike builders use these as front wheels to support 250 pound riders.
Assembled wheel w/14mm axle:
http://aebike.com/page.cfm?action=de...=30&SKU=WE2518
or just the hub:
http://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Master-F...1918581&sr=8-8