How does one true this strangely 32 spoked wheel?

Why would one design a wheel like this, is it purely for looks and just as reliable as a standard 32 spoke?




https://www.schwinnbikes.com/usa/bike...orterra-3-mens

https://imageshack.com/a/img51/5601/7pt6.jpg

Thanks!

The same way you true any other tension adjustable spoked wheel. Just that with the open rim sections the truing will be less able and more rim condition dependent. Andy.

And yes, it's purely for looks. There is no structural advantage to that spoke pattern.

However this is a disadvantage. Just another example of style trumping function.

It's probably less structurally sound due to the many unsupported rim sections (unless the rim is reinforced and unnecessarily heavy). And they can be a pain to true – the sections with no spokes will be hard to true if they go out, and the sections with spokes have the nipples so close together, you'll run into spoke wrench clearance issues. It's not a smart design at all and especially stupid if done for aesthetic reasons.

I have worked in wheels like that and I dont want to tell you the PITA they are when the problem is just in the area where you dont have spokes. Sucks!.

terrible wheels , aesthetics only
if the untrue area is in a spokeless section, i tell the customer its dead, buy a new (normal) wheel
if desparate, you might fix it by bending the rim itself, but really, new wheel

+100

Purely for looks, terrible design. Besides being much weaker than a normal wheel, these are probably extremely heavy also.

Thanks for confirming what I expected to hear.

I'm good at truing rims on my road bike, but this was a frustrating beast. Took a rim that was striking a pad and at best made it into a "wave" that misses the pad. But in doing so, and feeling somewhat disorientated because what I expected one action to result in caused another, created a second "wave" on the opposite side that just misses the opposing pad. And am leaving well enough alone; it's a lot less precise than I expected but as a city kickaround I guess it's within limits.

I don't think this rim is any heavier than a double wall in its class, it's just a strange spoke pattern. Other than the wheels, the cycle has met it's needs well.

Long time lurker, first time poster.

Cheers!

Wheels like that need a dumpster.

I think this is just an attempt to make inexpensive wheels look like lightweight "aero, high performance" wheels. Used to lure in the unsuspecting buyer believing these are better than some conventional 32 spoke wheels.

If you really want to true up a rim like that, with the untrue spot in an area where there are no spokes, then two things:
1) The rim is bent.
2) Unlace it, bend the rim so it's as flat as can be, then lace it back up. That's the only way to get an evenly tensioned wheel- where the spokes aren't trying to make up for a bent rim.

Use a banjo tuner:

I have use a hammer to true wheels like that, the guy smack them right where you dont have spokes, find 2 piecese of wood and whack it with it and the hammer. If you have a jump in there dont even bother trying to fix it.

Someday. Not going to trash working wheels on a city beater until they're unserviceable. Admittedly, the spoke design does make it easy to secure and compressing bicycles on a trailer receiver mounted carrier bar is a lot easier. And I don't know for sure but the dumb looking design might make the bicycle less appealing to a thief.

Thanks again for the insight.

My WH-R540s and my gf's cat made me think any wheel a cat is inclined walk through is pretty cool.

I might have to amend that unless it turns out that cats have surprisingly good taste in bike parts...

With a good eye and a bit of experience you can often tweak the rim pretty successfully on the wheel, with the spokes de-tensioned if there was much there to start with...

+1

+1

Quick question to the OP; does the wheel have more spoke eyelets than the ones used? (can't see clearly in the pictures you posted)

I ask this because the wheel itself is the Weinmann zac2000, and I couldn't find one that had the above pattern.

Telly, generally what happens is that bike factories ask the stuff to the wheel manufacturer with their specs, since sure they bought like zillions of those wheels for weimmann doubt it will be a problem to drill the wheels like the client wants. And generally speaking nobody will buy a wheelset where you see holes not used. Those wheels are drilled with that pattern.

Might have sounded like a silly question, but I do remember some local bike company having a peculiar spoke pattern like the OP's on a standard 36h rim with the holes covered by a long circular sticker on the rim itself.

No clue man, but doesnt surprise me at all

A fellow boilermaker. One of my favorite tools, unless a bigger one is handy!