Showflake wheels?

LittleSkink
LittleSkink Posts: 31
edited May 2015 in MTB workshop & tech
In my 'youth' I built and rode some great bikes and loved to experiment - probably one of the more interesting things I had were snowflake pattern wheels. Certainly pretty and a bit stiffer than normal build for no real weight penalty

No one seems to have them any more . . . maybe I am an analogue watch in a digital age . . .?

Comments

  • njee20
    njee20 Posts: 9,613
    The forces from disc brakes make things 'interesting', particularly on the back.

    They're not really stiffer, and they're a load weaker. Show bike only.
  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    Difficult to build for absolutely totally seriously no advantage.
    Try replacing a spoke.
    I don't do smileys.

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  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    In a similar way to radial spoke, they don't like disc brakes, they were stiffer but not stronger, but modern rims are much stiffer anyway.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • bikaholic
    bikaholic Posts: 350
    Custom items that are time consuming to make and maintain, generally, do not make enough money to justify the effort spent on them. Items which are easy to assemble and which roll easily off the production line in mass quantities, generally, do.

    Consequently, you won't see many snowflake wheels about these days. Therefore, much of what has been said about snowflakes and snowflake disc wheels is largely anecdotal - there just isn't enough snowflakes put through real world testing to provide a definitive answer as regards to strength, stiffness and resilience.

    If you like snowflakes, then, build and ride them. Experiment, document and report back your findings - there is a lot of fun to be had along the way.
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    You don't need to build and test a snowflake wheel to see it's problems when used with a disc brake, you just need to look at it, it's physics, the spokes are too radial to cope with the twisting forces in a robust manner, it also adds weight (longer steel spokes) which I'd rather have in a more robust rim for a better wheel.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • cycleclinic
    cycleclinic Posts: 6,865
    No gain only possible pain.
    http://www.thecycleclinic.co.uk -wheel building and other stuff.
  • njee20
    njee20 Posts: 9,613
    bikaholic wrote:
    Consequently, you won't see many snowflake wheels about these days. Therefore, much of what has been said about snowflakes and snowflake disc wheels is largely anecdotal - there just isn't enough snowflakes put through real world testing to provide a definitive answer as regards to strength, stiffness and resilience.

    Well, no, that's not really true is it... Whilst niche snowflake and such lacing patterns had quite a following in the 90s. Then discs came along and they fell by the wayside. Not really a coincidence, nor is it anecdotal. Snowflake wheels stopped being 'popular' (insofar as they ever were) because they don't really work with modern bikes, not because people suddenly got too busy.

    See also radial lacing on MTB wheels...

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