Author Topic: Soldering spokes together  (Read 3832 times)

Psychler

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Soldering spokes together
« on: 24 May, 2013, 12:12:54 pm »
I read somewhere recently [an old bike maintenance book from the 50's] that soldering wheel spokes together where they cross can make a wheel a lot stronger without adding any real weight.

Any idea if this is so?

I'm gonna limp to the pub and drink 'til the rest of me is as numb as my arse.

Vince

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Re: Soldering spokes together
« Reply #1 on: 24 May, 2013, 01:16:45 pm »
The technique as far as I know was to wrap a length of copper wire around the crossing spokes and solder that. I did have a pair of track wheels this was done on and I don't think it made any difference.
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Biggsy

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Re: Soldering spokes together
« Reply #2 on: 24 May, 2013, 03:11:36 pm »
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woollypigs

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Re: Soldering spokes together
« Reply #3 on: 24 May, 2013, 03:50:21 pm »
I had a rear wheel mended by John Jones of http://jonesprecisionwheels.com/jpw/about/ who did the wrapping around the crossing spokes with wire trick, he use to do that when building wheels for track racing. In hope to get me a stronger wheel, since the Harry Rowland build wheel snapped 11 spokes in a row (9 on the non drive side).



Sadly I broke before I really got to test this wheel build, only put 1000 or so miles into it.
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Kim

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Re: Soldering spokes together
« Reply #4 on: 24 May, 2013, 05:11:57 pm »
I know nothing about this other than it being one of cycling's great holy wars.

My uninformed opinion on the matter (always the best kind) is that if motion at the crossings were a problem, there would be signs of wear on well-used wheels.  There may be an argument for the side-effect of restraining a broken spoke, but if you're going to solder them then replacing spokes becomes significantly more difficult.

Actually, I know more about solder than I do about wheels.  It tends to suffer brittle failure and plastic deformation.  I can't imagine it lasting very long in this application if it were actually needed.

Re: Soldering spokes together
« Reply #5 on: 24 May, 2013, 05:20:46 pm »
Remember, Stainless steel does not solder - the method is to wrap a wire around the crossing of the spokes and solder that.
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Psychler

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Re: Soldering spokes together
« Reply #6 on: 24 May, 2013, 06:19:46 pm »
Remember, Stainless steel does not solder - the method is to wrap a wire around the crossing of the spokes and solder that.

That's why I couldn't understand that it would work.
I'm gonna limp to the pub and drink 'til the rest of me is as numb as my arse.

Re: Soldering spokes together
« Reply #7 on: 24 May, 2013, 06:26:08 pm »
That's why I couldn't understand that it would work.

Jobst Brandt is very clear that it doesn't  ...

Like Kim says, a holy war ...

andygates

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Re: Soldering spokes together
« Reply #8 on: 24 May, 2013, 07:10:13 pm »
If you take apart a venerable wheel, sometimes you do see a little paired notching between the spokes, indicating that there is some rub over time.  But that's a wheel with years of service, and not generally built "bastard tight", which is how I'd build a race wheel.
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Biggsy

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Re: Soldering spokes together
« Reply #9 on: 24 May, 2013, 07:43:44 pm »
And spokes don't break in the middle even when notched.  (Rare exceptions excepted).  (Not that that's related to the main aim of tying and soldering).
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