Friends, I see here is some interest about purchase folding wheels.
I feel possibility to make brand new foldable wheel kit ( the rim, hub Kris Holm Spirit ISIS, particular folding spokes, manual, + Hi Tec present from me) Current calculate is 280€ + shipping.
Ask me in PM.
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Ok, it just occured to me that I have some OLD bikes in my living room (1890’s Crescents) and the hubs are just tubes with a row of 18 keyhole shaped holes on each end. The spokes are straight with a ball on one end and the nipple on the other. Put the ball in the hole and slide it into the slot. No slipping through a flange and fastening the nipple, just loosen nipple and slide up and out the hole. This or a similar version would make the reassembly of a three part rim imaginably easier and quicker. Just a thought. Think Pullstar spokes!
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Hi,
the next my folding 29" rim, narrow one, 27mm.
So, I save 400g. in weight in comparison of 46mm rim and get possibility to use and 29x3 trial tire, and road slick 700x35 on the same rim. It tested already, with success. Attentive viewer can see my invention, “know how”, curwed cut line. It lets to ensure correct position of rim sectors ends.
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Hi,
now I’m testing folding spoke. It should be promising project. If it will be enough reliable, assembling of folding wheel becames much easier. 36" wheel owners will to get ability to use shorter, easy accessible spokes.
Do anybody hear about folding or two parts consist spokes before?
Yes, of course.
From my hometown and the university where I studied:
https://pirope.net/
Or from the US:
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In 2019, Adventure Unicyclist organized a tour in Cambodia with unicyclists from all around the world: Austria, France, USA, Mexico and Canada. All with 36er. I departed from Montreal, in one huge snow storm of its kind, took 4 planes to reach Siem Reap and came back without any problem and not even having to spend the least penny for that. They lost my backpack between Toronto and Montreal on the travel back but not the uni.Every attendant wanted to see what was in the bag and everybody was very kind.
Hi,
I did mean about two parts spokes, not about rope soft one.
This is my current constructin.
It is easy available for hand make, and works well.
Although I begin to think, that not so often we need to dissasembly and assammble the wheel, to think about to save several minutes or not.
Meanwhile I have techology now, know how.
Riding test on video. Folding rim and one folding spoke are there installed:
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Here is Ali Clarkson’s latest video – on homemade “rope spokes” with Tarty Bikes. I haven’t watched it all yet since it is quite long but it should be pretty interesting.
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You’d probably be best off using the forum’s inbuilt upload function for images - for whatever reason I can’t see that image either on here or by visiting where it links to.
Images show up fine for me. Also, the rope spokes seem cool and perfect for this, however near the end of the video it is mentioned that you need to true the wheel multiple times after riding for a bit until it really starts to hold as the rope stretches. This would probably be an absolute pain to do even somewhat frequently. But to take an idea from that video, perhaps the copper wrap could be soldered to the inner spoke for a little piece of mind and to keep things from working loose.
I especially made so thin and small copper wrap for testing. Only one turn of very soft wire. I wanted to check, is it enough for fixing the loop. Yes it is enough. So I know, that there is not so much force doing. Meanwhile, the loop wlthout any wrap opens a little after tension.
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I think something like this would be perfect
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Or— a little silver braise. (solder on your copper)
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I don’t think I would bother with folding spokes for space saving, the spokes are shorter than the frame or the rim sections if split in three.
For joining two spokes into a longer spoke I’ve cut a section to add to a short spoke and rolled new tread then joined the two sections with a brass nipple. You can see an example in my 32" wheel project. It worked OK and everything is strait so you aren’t adding any new points of flex into the system. I wasn’t the first to do this, but I don’t recall who else was doing it.
The rope spokes are cool but I don’t think I would want to deal with them settling each time on repeated builds. Perhaps a great option for odd wheel sizes that won’t be rebuilt often though!
Love this idea too - so, that’s 3 possible decent options for the spoke problem.
I think the folding spokes make a certain amount of sense. Done right, they should allow him to collapse the wheel by only unlacing a few of them.
Indeed, if you look at the folding penny farthing you will see that none of the spokes are removed at all, or retensioned when the wheel is put back together. This is the time saver
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My idea about folding spoke had only a goal to make assembling process so easy as possible. Short part of spokes always left on the hub, long part easy removes and installs back. For me, it is not pleasant work to input common spoke into a hub holes and to bend it to provide it between another spokes. My construction lets to do it very easy. I don’t need now to bend spoke every time, and I can easy install or remove any of spokes in any time. Of course here no differense in demensions for storage.
The way with extra thread of couse is reliable, but it is not available for home make, if you have not thread roller machine.
I’ve used Sapim Double Square nipples on the last few wheels I’ve built (‘conventional’ use not for joining spokes!) – they would probably give a bit more thread engagement for this type of application, I think they only come in aluminium though.