[DVBC] Article by Drew Know in Today's Road Bike Rider Newsletter

[Chaga, Debra]

I was just reading my weekly Road Bike Rider Newsletter when I found the
following posting by our own Drew Knox.  I guess we'll be asking for
autographs on his next ride!

 
7.  VIEWS YOU CAN USE
 
Unsolicited eBook review by roadie Drew Knox of Wilmington, Delaware:
 
"Add Roger Musson's Practical Guide to Wheel Building to the RBR
all-star list of eBooks. 
 
"I've built maybe 35 sets of wheels, studied four different books, tried
half-a-dozen different lacing patterns, been privately tutored, and even
attended a wheelbuilding clinic. Still, Roger added to my store of
knowledge with a dead-on explanation of why he laces spokes from
outside-in first (his is the best way), how to find the key spoke, and
he uses very clean, understandable drawings. 
 
"The last is no small thing. Instead of photos or anatomically correct
drawings, Roger collaborated with the artist to stylize the wheel so the
rim holes and lacing patterns are much more apparent than from any
single angle.
 
"I used the eBook last week to teach my friend, John, how to lace and
build a wheel. I think he would have done just as well without me, which
is to say the eBook is a fine teaching aid for beginners as well
reinforcing or correcting old habits. 
 
"If I had to pick just one wheelbuilding book to recommend, this would
be it."
 
Thanks, Drew! A Practical Guide to Wheel Building contains 94 pages with
84 illustrations. The author is a pro wheelbuilder in Great Britain who
contends that anyone can use his eBook to competently build, maintain
and repair wheels for the road or trail.
 
Here's a passage that illustrates Musson's insights. You can read
another excerpt ("Spoke Twist"), see the table of contents and place
your order for delivery by e-mail today by clicking
http://www.roadbikerider.com/wb_page.htm
 
Excerpt:  SPOKE BREAKAGE
 
A spoke can break for no apparent reason with a clean break across the
spoke elbow. This is due to a fatigue failure in the spoke material
caused by the fluctuating load on the spokes as the wheel rotates. A
fine crack will appear and start to propagate across the spoke over a
period of time, ultimately leading to a fracture. 
 
Spokes do not break due to the power exerted by the rider, it is because
the spokes are already in a severely weakened state due to fatigue
cracks, and an extra push on the pedals will be sufficient to snap the
un-cracked remainder of the spoke. It tends to occur at the spoke elbow
because this area has the greater concentration of stress. 
 
This type of break should not happen in the first place and can be
virtually eliminated by using the correct building technique described
in the Building section (aligning the spokes and stress relieving).
 
If a spoke has failed through fatigue then carefully examine the other
spoke elbows on the same wheel and you may see hairline cracks appearing
on apparently sound spokes (see the photograph) -- their days are
numbered too.
 
If only one spoke has broken then replace it but mark it with tape and
monitor the wheel's progress. If other spokes start to break then it may
be worthwhile rebuilding the wheel with a complete set of new spokes.
With all the care you lavish on your building you cannot legislate for a
manufacturing defect in the spoke material that subsequently causes it
to fail, although this is very rare these days.
 
It's quite common to hear and read about spokes snapping. The wrong
advice people give to cure spoke breakages is to use bigger spokes,
either going to plain gauge (because they look stronger) or using fatter
butted spokes that usually go by the name of tandem spokes with a
diameter of 2.3 mm at the hub end rather than the standard 2 mm. The
correct advice is to examine your building technique and make sure you
stress relieve the spokes.
 
(Next, Musson investigates wear and damage to rims and hubs. He notes,
"Rim damage is the most common thing to look out for on a wheel so it
pays to check them regularly." With his instructions, a faulty rim can
be replaced so easily that you won't even miss a ride.)
 
o^o  o^o  o^o  o^o  o^o  o^o  o^o  o^o  o^o  o^o