The Bike Fridays I've seen usually use two different sizes for headsets: 1 1/8" for the mass produced models, and 1 1/4" for custom models.

I agree somewhat about the proprietary parts issue. If nothing ever goes wrong with them, there's no problem having/using them. In fact, the proprietary issue only comes up if you like to tinker or mod the bike, or if you have to repair one of those parts. Other than that, many people seem to be concerned mainly about add-ons.

Yes, I've done that! I took the Shimano Nexus dynamo hub off my old commuter and put it in my Downtube Mini. I used the original rim and spokes, which were a little bit too long, so I had to innovate a bit, and it's a most unusual looking wheel. I know someone's going to say it's a complete boondoggle, but it's holding up fine so far.

I'd try to explain, but a picture is worth a thousand words....

Well that's a new "twist" on the old spoked wheel.

I've never seen anyone do that before!

Speedo

:eek:

I just bought a speed pro tt, its exactly what i wanted and expected. . . . . handles hills well both up and down *able to provide input to the bike even on declines*. . . .

+1

PM124 ... and whoever else is interested ...

Here are the wheels on the Pocket Crusoe.

http://picasaweb.google.com/geofgee/...38721448914354

http://picasaweb.google.com/geofgee/...38725743881666

The second picture is a little out of focus ... but every three spokes follow the pattern (spoke to the left, spoke to the right, empty). I am a little tired now, but it looks like the spokes follow the angle of a three cross wheel. It does look like all of the spokes are identical. And given the identical pattern around the wheel, it would make sense that the spokes were the same size.

Yes, they should all be the same size. You can do a 2-cross, 3-cross, 4-cross, whatever. Lacing a 24-hole rim to a 36-hole hub is really pretty simple. People have also put a 40 hole hub in a 36-hole rim, as in this thread:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=295881
or a 40-hole hub in a 32-hole rim, as in this thread:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...05#post3857505

Sheldon Brown has an article on this, wouldn't you know it:
http://sheldonbrown.com/mismatch/
What the guy did there is a variation on the "crow's foot" pattern... where there are groups of spokes going tangent-right, radial, tangent-left. If I had a spoke cutting machine, I would want to try this.

Things get really weird when you have a big and wide hub in a tiny rim and the number of holes are mismatched. BF member Cyqlist did such a wheel build on his Mobiky, you can get there from here:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...34#post4380034

What I did was a variation on the "snowflake" pattern, which is alleged to dampen bumps to some degree, which I found intriguing. In the snowflake pattern the spokes are twisted all the way around, but I only twisted them half way. See these threads:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...wflake+pattern
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...wflake+pattern

All this seems pretty advanced and pretty theoretical and pretty esoteric, but given the limited availability of certain rim sizes with certain numbers of holes, and the same for hubs, it's something a lot of us are going to be considering. For example, if you want to put a NuVinci hub in your 16" folder, you're probably going to be building an interesting wheel.

That is interesting and informative RHM. Thanks.

-G

Very nice! Thanks! Too bad I've already done 32 to 32! That's waaay too many spoke for a 349. It's kind of like smiling with too many teeth. Probably minimal performance/weight penalty though.

RHM, that is too cool. People already look at us strangely on the little bikes. Even better with twisted spokes.

The next wheel I build will probably be 36 to 24 now that you all have helped. Hopefully, that will be a ways in the future.