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#1
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machine built wheels?
I am not new to bicycles. I was a pretty active rider back in the 70s but
lost touch with things over the last 30 years. I have seen several references to "machine built wheels". What does that mean? I can't really see a machine clever enough to just put steel parts in one end and wheels come out of the other. Please enlighten me. LB |
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#2
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"Leonard & Peggy Brown" wrote in message ... I am not new to bicycles. I was a pretty active rider back in the 70s but lost touch with things over the last 30 years. I have seen several references to "machine built wheels". What does that mean? I can't really see a machine clever enough to just put steel parts in one end and wheels come out of the other. Please enlighten me. LB Most high-end (alloy and other exotic materials) wheels are assembled by hand... However, the wheels (often steel) on "mass market" cycles haven't been built by hand for some time now. An automated machine presses the rims, threads the spokes, aligns the nipples and tightens them automatically, then rolls the assembled wheel to check if it is true. I saw it on a segment of "How it's made" on Discovery channel. I once worked for a Dept Store that introduced a "racer" model with 27x1 1/8" wheels. ALL of these bikes came back within a few days or weeks with warped rims. Turned out the wheels had been assembled on a machine that was set up to assemble the larger 27x1 1/4" inch wheels. No wonder we got such a good deal on them... |
#3
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Leonard & Peggy Brown wrote:
I am not new to bicycles. I was a pretty active rider back in the 70s but lost touch with things over the last 30 years. I have seen several references to "machine built wheels". What does that mean? I can't really see a machine clever enough to just put steel parts in one end and wheels come out of the other. Please enlighten me. See http://www.bmd.nl/wh/wh_uk_lacing_cc.htm and http://www.hollandmechanics.com/f3/products/machines/MACHINES.htm. -- Tom Sherman - Earth (Illinois) |
#4
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Leonard & Peggy Brown wrote: I am not new to bicycles. I was a pretty active rider back in the 70s but lost touch with things over the last 30 years. I have seen several references to "machine built wheels". What does that mean? I can't really see a machine clever enough to just put steel parts in one end and wheels come out of the other. Please enlighten me. The issue with "machine built" wheels is that they're generally delivered under-tensioned. Riding wheels like that often causes spokes to go slack enough to unscrew nipples as they are loaded by the rider's weight. It's not uncommon to find rattling-loose spokes after a ride or two. Machine-built wheels can be fine if they're brought up to ideal tension and stress relieved (see bike FAQ &/or articles on Sheldon Brown's site). |
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