Big-guy Radials

Hey, first thread so please go easy on me!

I'm a 6'6'' guy riding an XXL Langster (2009 silver). I'm interested in swapping out the front wheel/rim for something a bit low profile (Shimmy RS10 perhaps). However I've been told by someone at Action Bikes that, at my size (15St/90Kg), few radial spoks would handle the pounding.

Is this true!?

Furthermore would a slim-rim, radial spok'd wheel make my bike look fit for a tit!?

BenJam

Don't do the radial.......its stupid.

and weak.....like Tony Blair.

i had a 28 spoke radial front wheel on a Hope hub and i'm 14 stone, didn't have any problems. they don't take as much abuse but you'll probably be fine.*

*i said probably. i don't want a 15st guy chasing me down to speak with me about a broken front wheel.

i recognise that alias! hi ben.

sorry i didn't get back to you, been fucking manic doing thesis. give me a call.

i had a 28 spoke radial front wheel on a Hope hub and i'm 14 stone, didn't have any problems. they don't take as much abuse but you'll probably be fine.*

*i said probably. i don't want a 15st guy chasing me down to speak with me about a broken front wheel.

Funnily I weigh more than 15 stone lol....I wouldn't touch radial for shit personally, I think its purely an aesthetic thing.

not another radial fucking lacing thread?

I know tell me about it rich........everybody.....altogether now....:

USE THE FUCKING SEARCH.

Funnily I weigh more than 15 stone lol....I wouldn't touch radial for shit personally, I think its purely an aesthetic thing.

to be honest you're right. the weight saving is unnoticeable for regular riding whereas the lack of strength will make itself known at the drop of a hat. its not worth it as its way more expensive for what is ultimately "just for the look of it"

If its a factory built radial wheel like a mavic or campag I wouldn't worry about it as they are meant to be run like that. I wouldn't get a set off wheels built up radial though. I'm 6'6 as well but I wouldn't bother using lightweight wheels on a commuting bike as they would just get wrecked

I'll second that. I have a radial Mavic front that came with my bike, and it has taken a fair pounding from me (over 3k miles) with no ill effects. I started out fairly gingerly, treating it very preciously, but soon became less concerned. I'm not at big as you though - only 6' 5".

I know tell me about it rich........everybody.....altogether now....: USE THE FUCKING SEARCH.

I'm glad there's still people on here keeping this place respectable while I'm "busy"*.

*no comment Object ;)

Helpful Hippy says: I weigh more than you and my Mavic Cosmos radial on my winter bike which gets caned through the Chilterns regularly is still going strong. If I was building my own wheels up though I'd still go for a 3x option because they feel far more solid and they 'probably' will last longer.

What about me? Should I get a radially laced wheel?

:) :D :))

I've created a new thread to address such specific issues with radial lacing and larger gentleman

http://www.londonfgss.com/thread20448.html

Gayer lacing... No offence...

you calling me a benny?

Isnt a radial wheel stronger for vertical & steering forces?

And crossed wheels stronger where there is torque from the hub?

to quote some random guy of tinterweb:

"Radial spoked (cross 0) wheels have the spokes going straight out from the hub. This pattern is only suitable for front wheels that don't use hub brakes. They are very cool-looking, and are often a good choice for the ultimate in performance, because they are slightly lighter and, in theory, may have a very slight aerodynamic edge.
There are two things to watch out for with radial wheels. Because the nipples point straight inward from the rim, they can turn more easily in most rims than when they are bent to a slight angle by a semi-tangent spoke pattern. This ease of turning increases the risk of them unscrewing themselves on the road. To prevent this, nipples on radial wheels should not be lubricated, and it is a good idea to use a spoke adhesive such as Wheelsmith Spoke Prep or one of the milder flavors of Loctite ® on them.

The other potential problem with radial wheels is that since the spokes are trailing straight outward on the hub flange, they can possibly rip the outer edge of the flange right off along the line of the spoke holes. This is most likely to happen with small flange 36 hole hubs, because there is less metal between the spoke holes. If a used hub is re-laced radially, the notches left by the old spokes can act as stress risers, further weakening the flange.

Many hub manufacturers specifically recommend against radial spoking for this reason, and will not honor warrantys on hubs that have been spoked radially.

Some folks will say that no bicycle wheels should be radially spoked for this reason, so do this at your own risk. In my experience, it's generally OK with good quality hubs that have forged shells.

If you want to take your chances and try a radial spoked front wheel, I would advise avoiding using thick spokes and very high tension. Since front wheels are generally pretty trouble-free compared with rears, you don't need super-high tension on a front wheel that uses a reasonable number of spokes.

Bicycle folklore has it that radial-spoked wheels give a "harsh" ride, because the shorter spokes are less "stretchy" than the longer spokes used in semi-tangent wheels. This is hooey!

Wheels with hub brakes and drive wheels should never be radially spoked. Due to the near perpendicular angle of the spoke to the hub's tangent, any torque applied at the hub of a radial spoked wheel will result in a very great increase in spoke tension, almost certainly causing hub or spoke failure."

to quote some random guy of tinterweb:

"Radial spoked (cross 0) wheels have the spokes going straight out from the hub. This pattern is only suitable for front wheels that don't use hub brakes. They are very cool-looking, and are often a good choice for the ultimate in performance, because they are slightly lighter and, in theory, may have a very slight aerodynamic edge.
There are two things to watch out for with radial wheels. Because the nipples point straight inward from the rim, they can turn more easily in most rims than when they are bent to a slight angle by a semi-tangent spoke pattern. This ease of turning increases the risk of them unscrewing themselves on the road. To prevent this, nipples on radial wheels should not be lubricated, and it is a good idea to use a spoke adhesive such as Wheelsmith Spoke Prep or one of the milder flavors of Loctite ® on them.

The other potential problem with radial wheels is that since the spokes are trailing straight outward on the hub flange, they can possibly rip the outer edge of the flange right off along the line of the spoke holes. This is most likely to happen with small flange 36 hole hubs, because there is less metal between the spoke holes. If a used hub is re-laced radially, the notches left by the old spokes can act as stress risers, further weakening the flange.

Many hub manufacturers specifically recommend against radial spoking for this reason, and will not honor warrantys on hubs that have been spoked radially.

Some folks will say that no bicycle wheels should be radially spoked for this reason, so do this at your own risk. In my experience, it's generally OK with good quality hubs that have forged shells.

If you want to take your chances and try a radial spoked front wheel, I would advise avoiding using thick spokes and very high tension. Since front wheels are generally pretty trouble-free compared with rears, you don't need super-high tension on a front wheel that uses a reasonable number of spokes.

Bicycle folklore has it that radial-spoked wheels give a "harsh" ride, because the shorter spokes are less "stretchy" than the longer spokes used in semi-tangent wheels. This is hooey!

Wheels with hub brakes and drive wheels should never be radially spoked. Due to the near perpendicular angle of the spoke to the hub's tangent, any torque applied at the hub of a radial spoked wheel will result in a very great increase in spoke tension, almost certainly causing hub or spoke failure."

Your random guy is Sheldon, in case you did not know already! RIP and believe everything he says...

Gaydial...

Isnt a radial wheel stronger for vertical & steering forces?

And crossed wheels stronger where there is torque from the hub?

Well, not that anyone really gives a shit cos radial is purely for looks, but...

Radial is the stiffest lacing for force that is applied normal to the tangent of the wheel. Essentially this means up/down forces when you are actually riding. Sideways/torsional forces are handled less well, the spokes may wish to loosen under uneven tension but that's not really a problem on a well built front wheel, as the hub never applies primary force to the rim.

As you say, when force is applied directly to the hub, radial is not good at all. It makes sense, if a rotational force is applied directly to the hub and all the spokes are normal to that force... well one can imagine that the spokes will not transfer that rotational inertia to the rim at all efficiently.

I ride a radial front though and it's great, don't do it on the back and you'll be fine.

Are crossed wheels stronger when the hub applies torque? Well yes, but not stronger per se, more that the crossed wheel allows more efficient power transfer from the hub to rim without the caveats implied by radial.

Basically, for front (non-driven) wheels radial is fine, for driven (rear) wheels it is not.

wow what a lot of action! Josh; understand of course about your thesis but I might need a hand replacing my bars and brake soon if you have 30 mine (I'll come to you). Also some people aren't particularly nice to a newbie to FGSS. What happened to the warm welcome bestowed on new joiners to join in the excitement. I hear FGSS is becoming a trend so that must be it... Anyways thanks those of you that gave some advice. I'll stick with a regular spok and get some lower profile rims instead. These ones look like they were nicked off a Deloreyan

benjam, i'm normally very personable and a happy chappy, but the amount of radial threads lately has forced me into creating a parody of said threads.