Any question answered...

I don't know how they work, but they can't go out of true. Once they're made, that's it. They stay the same shape unless you break them.

But how??

Magnets

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Imagine the spokes as a flat surface (canopy in the illustration) bounded by the rim which is a rigid hoop (perimeter posts/stays in the illustration). By lifting the centre of the canopy, you create strain which generates tension in the canopy which is reacted by hoop compression in the rim (tension in the guy ropes in the illustration). On Lightweights, the two spoke assemblies are manufactured flat and attached to the rim, then pulled apart at the centre and braced by the hub barrel (centre post in the illustration) which is inserted after tensioning.

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So we’re pro carbon spokes if they’re laminated? Anti if they’re laced traditionally?

Cannondale hollowgram 35 wheels… the bearings on mine seem to need replacing there’s play when the wheel is in the frame and spinning the wheel off the bike they feel really gritty, I’ve found an online source saying the bearings are 6903…

Any recommendations as to which ones I should get? Bike is mostly a summer bike if that helps…

Thanks tester, the canopy analogy makes sense of it. So it's not Elves and Pixie dust inside the rim?

It's just hard to get my head around the fact that they effectively stay true forever then. It makes them even cooler to me now.
7k though... I'm holding out for a Planet-X style 85% off sale.

Some disc wheels (eg Campagnolo Ghibli) are made in the same way. Unreal to ride.

Unreal to ride

Aye, this is what I’m really wondering about now.
Had never really gave it much thought beyond “oh fancy wheels look fancy”
Would be cool to actually ride them, but without paying for them.

I borrowed a Ghibli and a Lightweight in 2016 but I did have to ride a National Madison Champs (humblebrag) to do so! I was so worried about totalling £5k's worth of other people's wheels....

Thread drift photos

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It's just hard to get my head around the fact that they effectively stay true forever then. It makes them even cooler to me now.

Carbon doesn't stretch (plastically) or creep like steel does. If the spokes don't ever change length and the rim cannot deform and there are no spoke heads to come undone, then the wheel can't go out of true.

Here is an old article about Lightweight wheels that explains their construction

https://pezcyclingnews.com/technspec/lightweight-wheels/

i have a beanbag which i think has a polyester corduroy cover and the seams have split. I’ve done a (probably not amazing) job stitching it back and have put some fabric glue as well, but don’t trust it not to split - is there a fabric tape that i can put over the seam inside the bag for extra protection?

Is Gorilla tape the best option or is there something better out there?

Great legs!

That article was good. Nice to see that it was originally just two old boys in a workshop. lol'd at the kitchen oven in the background.

Perv

Halcyon days

pm me

You can sometimes get very 'cheap' Lightweights on ebay if you buy used ones for tubs and rim brakes. All the instagram cyclists want rid of them.

I went to a party at the factory once. Production was split between two buildings so that none of the employees would know how the wheels were made.

Gold electroplating kits: anyone tried one? They look lots of fun. https://eplating.co.uk/product/100ml-22ct-gold-brush-plating-kit/

They even have an olive drab zinc plating one, for all your out of context MILSPEC needs https://eplating.co.uk/product/olive-green-drab-zinc-plating-kits/

My frame has the passivate finish.

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Do other countries apart from English speaking ones have basic nicknames like Tommo, Jonno, Smithy, Nashy etc?

basic nicknames

Depends what you mean. Many languages have diminutives, e.g. Alexander=Sasha in Russian.

There's loads of people with y/o nicknames where I work, which I suppose are perceived as a bit dull because they are so common and unimaginative. When I think about it though, maybe they are simple but also rather affectionate. Just interested in simple examples, Alexander to Sasha is a fair bit more sophisticated than Jimmo or Dobbsy.

Alexander to Sasha is a fair bit more sophisticated

Russian dimunitives certainly have more complexity than just adding o/y to the first syllable of a surname. You can also have diminutives of diminutives, e.g.
Сергей
Серёжа
Серёжик

Елена
Лена
Леночка