Hullo

I ride a folding bike . That is irrelevant to my question. I just needed to get in the door.

I ride a bike with 20 x 1 3/8 wheels. I recently bought a 20 x 1 3/8 complete front wheel with spokes that instead of criss crossing go in a straight line from the eyelet on the hub to the hole in the rim.

No spoke crosses another spoke. (Happy Easter)

I am not complaining because this wheel wasn't made by someone who crochets in their spare time.

But as a front wheel to be used on a very fast steel folding street bike, if I whack the front brake on, will the whole wheel twist like a jam roll and compress to the point that I need save a search on ebay for dentures? ie Where is the structure on this wheel? Is it just designed to spin spin spin?

Regards

'the stowaway'

how many spokes ?

For a Rear wheel Id still use at least 1 cross , as there is torque windup to deal with ..
but you dont have to basket weave them over each other ..


rim brakes on front radial spokes should be fine ..

You don't mention the type of brake on the front wheel. If it's a typical brake acting on the rim you should be fine with the radial spoking without any criss-crossing of spokes. However, if you have a hub brake (either drum or disk), then applying the brake will apply a torque to the wheel which radial spoking is not designed to resist.

They call that "radial" lacing, and since it`s the fasionable way to do things these days, radials are maybe more common than traditional style for the front. Whether that or crossed is "better" for a front wheel is a stinky question, but as long as it`s reaonably well done, it isn`t a problem in itself.

u right
I like radial on short spokes, the more crossings the more the spoke gets bend from the nippel who exists the rim more or less straight ( Less straight with a Sapim Polyax nippel which has a more rounded base at the rim and can swivel )
Now I also like 2 cross on disc equipped wheels....

best thor

Right. Thanks. It is a front and I have rim brakes.
I get the hub brake fighting the rim direction thing.

So I guess radial patterns are only possible because of stronger rims and spokes?

Man i love my rims!!!

Strange but true:
it`s actually the hub that supposedly needs to be compatible. Look at a the line that a spoke makes as it crosses between the hole in the hub and the nipple. With crossed spokes, there`s a little wedge of alminum that would need to sheer off in order for it to rip out. With radial lacing, there`s only a little bridge of material holding everything together. I`m sure that stouter rims are less prone to go Boing! than fufu rims under the high tensions that are needed on very low spoke count wheels too, but just being radial laced doesn`t necessarilly mean it has few spokes. And fighting on behalf of any little wheel, regardless of how its laced, is the fact that there`s less leverage trying to pull it apart than on a wheel with larger radius and the spaces between each spoke and the next wil be much less than for an equal number of spokes on a big wheel... which is why it can be a booger to get clumsy fingers between them to manage a tire pump. How the heck do those BMX kids with like 72 spokes on a 20 or 24 inch rim manage !?!

FYI,Ixi's have disc fronts and coaster rears and are radial-laced on both ends. Haven't heard any horror stories.

"And fighting on behalf of any little wheel" HAHHHA