titanium spokes

[David (Toucan)]

i really had no idea.....i though i was building a nice light, strong wheel. i'm not exactly rich either.....just a single guy (when i bought the wheels) who's been working hard since i was 13.

i think i may have a bad batch though....if you look at all the heads they don't look like they were pressed properly. they have this circle in the center of them, not smooth over the spoke head. they could be deffective.....
most of them have this "ring" on the heads but not all.....

this "ring" is not present on any other wheel i have.....

reguardless.....not worth the money which is why i made the post.


edit: i'm at about 24-25 lbs so im not exactly riding the lightest bike in town either......
i might be riding the only flat bike in town, but not the lightest

im at 25.5 pounds with a DK signal frame, 1 piece cranks, metal pedals, stock seat, stock dk signal pegs and thats about it


oh yeah.... and i can ride street on my bike no problem

[pulsar]

my boat is sinking here, i broke another last night......rode my session out with my wheel rubbing.

very bad timing....i have no time for this right now....i need it to work...

looks like i'll be replaceing every other one with spokes from an old super pro i have. it's a shame because them super pros are an awesome wheel set. i'll have to put them back when i can afford spokes.

damn wheel's going down like a hooker on a saturday night......

[pulsar]

i'm in back wheel hell........

i tried your idea Paradoxium and replaced every other spoke with steal ones and i thought i was good......right up to the end of my session, i was just about to leave before i decided to see how hard whoppers from the back pegs would be.....just playing around seeing how it would be when bam, the back wheel hit sideways and blew some spokes out. i was so pissed i didn't even really look at the wheel till last night.......six spokes blew right out.

at this point i think i need to just re-do the whole wheel. i think you guys are right with the un-even tension......

is there any wheel doctors out there in the event that i can't get this thing round again after a re-spoke? i'm going to give it a go......

[Ken NJ]

this is why they say wheel-building is an art...  you can take comfort in knowing your skills are improving with each broken spoke you replace  

i have 32's(spokes)on a particular wheel-set and i can never seem to get them tight like i want them.. i feel your pain..  all you want to do is ride but you gotta wrench first...

[pulsar]

its definatly an art......something that just takes time to get good at. i think anyone who rides a lot should know how to build a wheel.........this is where i'm at...

i have a spare......i got an old nankai laced to a super pro rim i could run for now.....thank goodness otherwise i'd be screwed......

[Paradoxium]

I don't think ti spokes can hold up to whoppers at all unless your super dialled, even then, you wont land perfect every time. The wheel landing sideways from attempted whoppers is brutal.

[pulsar]

yeah...i probably would have been alright had i not done that.....

i'll build a stronger wheel before i attempt those again

[pulsar]

I'm giving wheel building a go........I'm almost done, hopefully I can make it round. I took some spokes out of an old super pro, its got a free wheel laced in I'll never use so....

We'll see.....this should get me by till I can pick some spokes up.

[Flatride]

Ti spokes hold up whoppers just fine, believe me

[pulsar]

I think mine were bad.....some of them had circles on the heads. Could have been the heads were not pressed right.

The opperation was a sucess. I built my first wheel.....with old parts but none the less. The first time I laced it up I had two long spokes and three short...two long, three short. I did something wrong so I took it back appart and started over again. Got it right the second time. Its pretty damn round to, not too bad for my first wheel. It made some horrible pinging noise for the first few runs as the spoke set but then quieted down and everthing looks good. We'll keep an eye on it and give it some more after a session or two.


My wheel is back....I am whole again.

[diesel1ne]

speaking of titanium and its properties, would it be a smart idea fro a freecoaster axel, or would it snap, would you choose it over a hear treated cromo axle?

[the beard]

Pro wheel builders get technical on spoke tension when the build up wheels, making sure each spoke is carrying an even load. This gauge, made by Park Tools is just under $50.  I don't run exotic wheels, but if I went to TI, I'd definitely look into this, or a tuning fork when building: