Road front wheel on track

petr.bauch
petr.bauch Posts: 6
edited June 2018 in Track
Why are front wheels on track bikes so robust? There is no power transfer going directly through the front wheel, there no breaking forces present, and neither are there any potholes on the velodrome. Or am I missing something? Would not a wheel with 20 spokes, low flange hub and qr axle be adequate (and lighter)?

Comments

  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    There can be some fairly high lateral stresses, depending on the angle of banking. Weight isn't really an issue on velodromes, but lots of riders use lightweight wheels anyway. QRs are not allowed though.
  • moonshine
    moonshine Posts: 1,021
    the reason QR are not allowed on track are the levers can gouge the boards in a crash.
    Zipp do a allen bolt fastening skewer that allows you to use a road wheel on the track. ;) I used it at the World Masters and had no complaints during scrutineering :)
    https://www.zipp.com/accessories/detail.php?ID=119
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zipp-Track-Fro ... B005CSUQ7M
  • imafatman
    imafatman Posts: 351
    Imposter wrote:
    There can be some fairly high lateral stresses, depending on the angle of banking. Weight isn't really an issue on velodromes, but lots of riders use lightweight wheels anyway. QRs are not allowed though.

    Yeah I think this is the primary reason. It's quite easy to bend a wheel if you exert lateral forces and those will be quite high as you transition from the flat section to the bank at 60kmh or whatever silly speed they go at.

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