A graceful beauty.

From Revolution Cycles, a new shop in Columbus, Ohio. They’re apparently too busy building gorgeous bikes to activate their new web site. Expect more from Jared Cavileer and friends.

Please don’t read further if you are not a spoke engineering nerd.

One of the best examinations of wheel physics and spoke performance is a 1996 paper by Henri Gavin, Bicycle Wheel Spoke Patterns and Spoke Fatigue.

Its findings and predictions stimulate numerous revisits every year in forums and exchanges that explore the principles of bicycle wheels. On page 11 he refers to spoke testing conducted at Stanford in 1984 and 1985 by Wheelsmith. My brother Jon and I were developing a superior spoke at that time and the convenient and friendly presence of Stanford in our neighborhood led to some ground breaking research. Spokes were tested and some conclusions reached. Recently, Charles Ramsey speculated what would be the ideal spoke design, one in which breakage at the elbow was as likely as at the thread.

Spoke surface texture and microstructure.

In June of this year (2010) we shipped a pair of Elegant tubular rims to Donald Dickson in Virginia. He built them up on NOS Campagnolo large flange hubs from the 1970’s that he found on eBay.

“I must be the only person in the country riding the Ghisallo rims,” he said. No, it just seems like that since so much of the cycling world follows in each other’s footsteps. Check the previous post, you’re not alone.

On Oct 9, Donald rode a local Ultra Gran Fondo from Mexico City to Acapulco on the toll highway.

70km/hr in Mexico on a 1983 Schwinn Superior

On account of problems with the route, the riders were portaged 140km, so the total became 240km. Not bad. “Plenty of compliments on the aesthetic factor. The ride is smooth.”

Sometimes, to be ahead of the crowd you have to go in another direction.

Some days life can seem pretty ordinary, even boring. But now and again, each of us manages to break up the monotony with something heroic. Some more than others.

Last year, Tom Inskeep, from Maryland, bought a set of wood wheels. I sensed he was taking them for more than a decorative, restoration look. In fact, he had a wild scheme in mind: equip his bamboo Calfee with wood rims and race New Hampshire’s legendary Mt. Washington Hill Climb. 526 starters. One on wood rims.

Bamboo and Beech!

Well, he trained on this new rig and finished in the top third. Bravo! It’s enough to climb the mountain. Doing it on a largely wood bicycle puts the achievement into another category of heroism. This is the stuff Tom’s grandchildren will someday remember him for.

He owes it all to wood!

Take two bits of wisdom from Tom’s exploit:

(1) Wood rims are genuinely functional. They’re fast, smooth, and fun. Tom didn’t deserve a handicap in the hillclimb. His bike and wheels were fully competitive.

(2) Make sure you’re planning something heroic for yourself. What defines heroism? That’s for you to decide. But grab something bold, unconventional, and memorable. Your life and family deserve the stimulation. If it involves wood rims, send me the story and a picture!

While many of you admire and some ride wood rims, nearly no one has seen how they are made. So, you can imagine my pleasure when Antonio sent me a 20 minute movie in which he and his father, Giovanni, demonstrate their craft.

Watch some familiar wood working machines and some built 100 years ago, expressly for wood rims. There’s nothing like true artisans with the tools of their trade.

We’re grateful to Daniele Di Lodovico, a doctoral student at the University of Washington, for his partial translation of the Cermenati’s description. Kristina Hjertberg applied the subtitles.

In this three clip session, you’ll see the basic method for building a Ghisallo rim. Naturally, the details vary from rim to rim. Lately, the highest performance tubular rims are made from equal thickness, 4mm laminations with cotton cloth between each. These are thin enough to bend dry.

Of course, you can’t see the decades of experience that guide these masters in selecting wood, orienting and matching grain, wetting and drying laminates, and shaping the final rim. It’s as non-automated, a hands-on process as you will see: the handiwork of a family of dedicated artisans, in the name of cycling. Each rim contains a generous portion of their life and wisdom.

Just click each link, Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3, and enjoy!