Thought your customers might enjoy.
-Slick
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The modern tangential spoked wheel was an invention of James Starley, who -- along with his son Matthew and his nephew John -- was largely responsible for the modern bike. Originally, wheels were radial spoked, that is the spokes ran straight from the rim to the nearest part of the hub, but Starley discovered that tangential spokes (the spokes run at an angle to a part of the hub which faces another part of the rim) were much stronger, especially for the driving wheel.
If you look at a wheel, you will see that the spokes on each side cross other spokes (they are usually laced together rather than just crossing; that is, each spoke goes over one spoke and under the next). Most wheels are three cross (3X), although rear touring wheels are often 4X, and some tandem wheels are 5X. When wheels are crossed and laced, the spokes help strengthen each other, rather than standing alone.
In addition, when you are braking and accelerating, the tangential spokes help distribute the load better. Nonetheless, the spokes that most often break are the eight or nine (out of 64 or 72) that directly transmit the driving force from the rear wheel.
-Slick
----------
The modern tangential spoked wheel was an invention of James Starley, who -- along with his son Matthew and his nephew John -- was largely responsible for the modern bike. Originally, wheels were radial spoked, that is the spokes ran straight from the rim to the nearest part of the hub, but Starley discovered that tangential spokes (the spokes run at an angle to a part of the hub which faces another part of the rim) were much stronger, especially for the driving wheel.
If you look at a wheel, you will see that the spokes on each side cross other spokes (they are usually laced together rather than just crossing; that is, each spoke goes over one spoke and under the next). Most wheels are three cross (3X), although rear touring wheels are often 4X, and some tandem wheels are 5X. When wheels are crossed and laced, the spokes help strengthen each other, rather than standing alone.
In addition, when you are braking and accelerating, the tangential spokes help distribute the load better. Nonetheless, the spokes that most often break are the eight or nine (out of 64 or 72) that directly transmit the driving force from the rear wheel.
