Aerospoke History - Early vs. Later Versions
 

I recently acquired an 8-speed Aerospoke wheelset for a Zunow Z-1 ProForm restoration I'm working on. I know any mention of these wheels tends to bring out strong passions in folks, but seeing as they first appeared in the late 80s/early 90s, I think they are certified vintage at over 30 years old now. The bike I'm basing my restoration on can be seen in the following scan from a 1990 Japanese handmade bicycle book:
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...fe4d07839e.jpg

For the longest time I didn't think the above bike was using Aerospokes; since they were skinnier "spokes" I thought perhaps they were Gipiemme Tecno or some other obscure 5-spoke wheel. Then I translated the page from the book and confirmed they were Aerospokes. I cam across a video in Japanese on YouTube that confirmed there seems to be at least two versions of Aerospokes out there: an early version with skinnier spokes and a later version with the spoke width more commonly seen:

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...dc3e9df673.jpg

Does anyone know the history of Aerospoke, and specifically the differences in these versions? I.e. what year did they first appear, what are the differences in the materials used between the first version and the later ones? Were these early versions tubular (it looks like it)? Any other reminiscing / info on them is welcome.

Sorry, I can't assist in any way. But those thin ones are much more elegant. When will you post about your bike?

The front slightly smaller?

I always considered the later the beefier ones, the answer to 200+# wanting to go fast.

bring up controversy? Madfiber. I liked that concept.

I got my hands on a set of road Aerospokes that have the block futuristic logo, but seem to be the thinner ones. I've noticed the logo on mine say "Made in the USA" below the Aerospoke logo, whereas later ones have the "made in USA" bit in the "E" at the end of "Aerospoke".

The Zunow restoration will likely take many months. I'm planning to have Cycloretro pantograph a complete Campy Record 8-speed group with Gen 1 brake shifters and Delta brakes, and have Joe Bell do the paint, with the Aerospokes and crankset painted to match. I'm going to go with the zebra-striped look shown in the photo (achieved by passing a brazing torch lightly over the surface of the paint, and then clear coating it) but instead of green I'm going to go with a candy purple. I have two sets of original vintage decals from the era, so I'm pretty certain that my restoration will be very close to the pictured bike, although the components will differ a bit. I know it's heresy around these parts but I'm not interested in having another downtube-shifter bike and Record 8 Delta is a period-correct choice for the early 90s. Also, the pictured Zunow is built with a Sugino 75 road group. I spent two years tracking down a complete groupset of that stuff a decade ago and have no desire to hunt down another set.

Classic and Vintage is always in time. I am now getting into early carbon stuff, and your build is fantastic.

Excellent description. But I'd still like to se before/after/progress pics. :)

Much respect for all your builds and I get it where your vision seeks for this one, but...

Kageyama certainly was maximizing embellishments with Aerospoke's yet slugged the brilliant frame. His 'genius' ideology just wasn't on this one.

Harsh, heavy 1274g front / 1440g rear, disrupted handling in crosswinds, drag climbing, annoying whoosh noise. The singled speed / fixed kids got hooked on them. Lol

And yes, you're not pulling any stops on that build and will be fun to see it finished.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d502f47c24.png

I've never ridden Aerospokes before and this build gave me the excuse to try them out. I know they are pretty universally panned outside of the fixed-gear community, but hey, there are a lot of other vintage components with dubious value. Aerospokes just happen to be more well-known thanks to their resurgence in popularity a decade ago. I've owned both vintage Spin and Specialized carbon tri-spokes in the past, as well as modern Chinese carbon tri-spokes, and didn't like the ride on any of them. Maybe I'll hate the Aerospokes, too, but I'll have fun in the process.

I promise there will be a very detailed article with lots of photos when it's done! And maybe some in-progress updates on the forum, as well.

Just a reminder, the iconic Lightweight full carbon wheels entered the market around 1992 and thus are c&v eligible :)

I've done some digging and have determined that there's at least three "generations" of Aerospokes:

1st Generation uses this logo:
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3b560588cd.jpg


Wheels of this generation are more svelte, in both the "spokes" as well as the the depth of the rim. Hubs are silver, and rear hubs are screw-on freewheel type. I've seen these wheels in both clincher and tubular versions. Examples:

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f32755a3e2.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2fd7356a5f.jpg


2nd Generation uses this logo:
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...88f280db2a.jpg
Note that the "Made In USA" part is below the "Aerospoke" logo. This is what sets it apart from the 3rd Generation logo. I have several Gen 2 wheels and they seem similar to the first generation. However, they use black-anodized hubs. 8-speed Shimano freehubs and screw-on freewheel hubs have been documented for these. I also tried to replace one of the hubs with a modern aftermarket hub that claimed to be compatible with Aerospokes. I found that the Gen 2 hubs are smaller in diameter (as is the corresponding hole in the center of the Aerospoke). The Gen 2 hubs are about 32mm in diameter, whereas the replacements were 37mm. I don't have a Gen 3 wheel to compare it to, but I suspect that the hubs are not interchangeable between the generations. Some examples of Gen 2 wheels:
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2a60ff16c.jpeg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d35f7f0c67.jpg

3rd Generation uses this logo:
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f974e59514.jpg
Note how "USA" is in the last "E" of "Aerospoke". These wheels feature thicker "spokes" and a deeper rim. These seem to be the most common model of Aerospoke seen these days, likely because this was the model being sold when the fixed gear scene drove a resurgence in popularity for the brand in the 2000s, leading to a lot of these being made. I also suspect this to be the case because most of the Gen 3 wheels I have seen have bolt-on front hubs, or sometimes fixed gear rear hubs. This would align with the fact that by the time the Gen 3 model was popular, Aerospoke's target market was not road bikes. Also, as mentioned above, it's unconfirmed since I don't have a Gen 3 on hand to compare it to a Gen 2, but I think the the hubs (and wheel holes for the hubs) are a wider diameter than Gen 2 models. Example:
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3c015b7f1.jpeg

Excellent research. Was the manufacturing moved from the US between the 2nd and 3rd generations?

I don't know much about the manufacturing process or company history, but I'm pretty sure they were always made in the USA. The factory was in Milford, Michigan. I'm not sure how much of the original tooling, etc. is being used by Encore, the company now making Aerospokes.

Edit - here's a whole gallery of photos of the factory:
http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/interviews/aerospoke/

Second edit - here's a photo of "the first three Aerospoke ever made" sometime in the mid-1980s. (The company was first incorporated in 1988.) Even with the lo-res, you can see the narrow rims.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...13918092ac.jpg

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d7c02c787.jpeg

here is the initial build I put together to check fit and mechanicals. I’m going to swap the handlebars for something with more reach, and the side-pull calipers for Campagnolo Deltas.

next steps are to ship the components off to Cyclo Retro in Australia for Zunow pantographs, and to find a frame shop in the USA that will do the painting and possibly some small frame repairs.

Very interesting with the paint stripped. I always wondered how they created those faired junctions. So it's all brazed metal? No bondo or fiberglass?

I first saw Aerospokes at the Great Lakes Triathlon Championship in 1988 or1989 near Ann Arbor, MI. That race was a 1.0 mile swim, 27 mile bike, and a 7.2 mi trail run in those early days. There were no deep-rimmed carbon wheels being raced in our area yet that I can remember. What made that race memorable was a contingent of about 5 Canadians who destroyed the bike course completely surprising some of the top age-groupers in our area. The names I remember best are Paul White, Richard Brown, and Carolina Heins. Though I wouldn't find out until years later, Heins glowing profile graced the cover of Triathlete magazine in 1987. They all podiumed as I recall and ran up to accept their awards carrying one or both Aerospokes (seemingly sponsored). I never saw an Aerospoke before that day, yet they were made in nearby Milford, MI as mentioned in a post above.

Yes, it's all brazed metal, no bondo or fiberglass. I initially thought that there might have been a bondo layer that was stripped from this frame. Then I got my hands on NOS example of the same frame, with original finish, in a smaller size. Looking at it, there doesn't seem to be any bondo or other fillers, so I don't think that was ever part of the frame structure. I have some up-close shots if you're interested. The coolest detail, in my opinion, is the bi-laminate lug work on the headtube.

Yeah- let's see those pictures! It's pretty crazy how much handiwork went into making these fairings with all metal, without any Bondo.

Here’s some up close photos of the frame:

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e5afe58e1.jpeg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...721d4b609.jpeg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e63cf3334.jpeg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c9dfb73a2.jpeg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3f399ad7b.jpeg

there are two small holes in the BB junction area. I’m going to have a frame builder take a close look but my hunch is that with amount of brass in there, it doesn’t affect the structural integrity. Note in the bottom photo the hole on the left is intentional; the shift cables are internally routed and they exit at the base of the downtube.