Slowpoke Rodriguez
'Lil Knee Scuffer
I'm restoring a 26" 1960s Firestone 500 for a friend. I have 2 old middleweight wheelsets, both sets are laced with 36 spokes, X3 pattern.
One set was laced with swaged spokes of 1.4 mm diameter (mid-length). There are two radial dents in the rear wheel (almost 180 degrees apart) that need to be pulled out prior to re-truing, dishing, and final tensioning.
The other set was laced with straight gauge spokes that are 2.0 mm diameter. Other than being cosmetically inferior to the first set, there are no obvious structural deformities in this set.
I've read that swaged spokes make for a stronger wheel than do straight gauge spokes, but does a greater straight gauge spoke diameter become superior at some point, all else being equal?
These bikes seemed so bomb-proof when we were kids. However, my buddy weighs 250 lbs now. Does anyone have concerns about either wheelset being safe for a 250 lb rider? He probably will just take in-town neighborhood rides with it every few days at most.
One set was laced with swaged spokes of 1.4 mm diameter (mid-length). There are two radial dents in the rear wheel (almost 180 degrees apart) that need to be pulled out prior to re-truing, dishing, and final tensioning.
The other set was laced with straight gauge spokes that are 2.0 mm diameter. Other than being cosmetically inferior to the first set, there are no obvious structural deformities in this set.
I've read that swaged spokes make for a stronger wheel than do straight gauge spokes, but does a greater straight gauge spoke diameter become superior at some point, all else being equal?
These bikes seemed so bomb-proof when we were kids. However, my buddy weighs 250 lbs now. Does anyone have concerns about either wheelset being safe for a 250 lb rider? He probably will just take in-town neighborhood rides with it every few days at most.