q for SusiJ or anyone else who knows a good supplier for dial guages?

I want to build a wheel jig, partially for truing, but mainly to
measure deflection under load so I can test wheels for stiffness. The
plan is to make a horizontal "fork" of sorts out of unflexium
very-stifforundium (probably a couple of hunks of square section
steel), that I can pop an axle into, put a standard tyre & tube on the
wheel, inflate to a standard pressure and then hang various weights off
the rim with a hook and measure how much the wheel deflects with a dial
guage. I'll also weigh each wheel *with* its supplied skewer. I'll try
and review every wheel I get my hands on and build up a (free) database
of the results. I'm sick of the useless "it feels stiff" crap that
gets published in the bikeporn mags and want to have some hard data.
The cranks test in the latest Ride is a step in the right direction,
but no-one that I know of is doing this sort of testing on wheels.

Most of it's pretty simple, but I have NFI as to where to get a good
dial guage from, and google hasn't been all that useful (about 30 mins
or so of looking, but not really having the right keywords I think).
This was the best I found :

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Magnetic-Base...cmd ZViewItem

but maybe there's something better or more suitable around? any
suggestions?

I would also look to book "the bicycle wheel", which did a lot of this
sort of testing, obviously the wheels used would now be different but
the approach is very academic and is likely to explain the testing
methodolgy as well.

In aus.bicycle on 5 Mar 2006 20:22:41 -0800
Bleve wrote:
Most of it's pretty simple, but I have NFI as to where to get a good
dial guage from, and google hasn't been all that useful (about 30 mins
or so of looking, but not really having the right keywords I think).

www.transquip.com.au often has them.

www.blackwoods.com.au should do as well, but are harder to deal with
as they don't have prices online from memory.

Zebee

PiledHigher wrote:
I would also look to book "the bicycle wheel", which did a lot of this
sort of testing, obviously the wheels used would now be different but
the approach is very academic and is likely to explain the testing
methodolgy as well.

Yeah, good idea. I've been meaning to add that one to the library for
a while. I've got "the art of wheel building", but it's a bit
touchy-feely and lacking in any hard analysis.

In aus.bicycle on 5 Mar 2006 20:43:46 -0800
Bleve wrote:

Thanks, thanks Zebee too, looks like the first link you posted has some
good stuff.

Watch out - if you are at all a tool junkie they are very bad for you.

THe Kincrome stuff is very nice quality and they keep having these
specials....


Zebee

On 06/03/06 at 15:22:41 Bleve somehow managed to type:

snip


but maybe there's something better or more suitable around? any
suggestions?

RS Australia in Salmon St. Port Melb. sell a bit of that sort of stuff.
Have a look at www.rsaustralia.com - all products - tools/storage -
inspection/measurement and I'm fairly sure you'll find what you're
after. Alternatively just go to http://tinyurl.com/j9weu



--
Humbug
BE A LOOF! (There has been a recent population explosion of lerts.)

Bleve wrote:

I want to build a wheel jig, partially for truing, but mainly to
measure deflection under load so I can test wheels for stiffness.

Any engineering supplies will sell you one.
They even come with magnetic bases,
I've used them for recentering jobs I needed to turn on a lathe.

Zebee Johnstone wrote:
In aus.bicycle on 5 Mar 2006 20:43:46 -0800
Bleve wrote:

Thanks, thanks Zebee too, looks like the first link you posted has some
good stuff.

Watch out - if you are at all a tool junkie they are very bad for you.


mmmm, tools ....

Lots of 2nd hand ones at
http://www.pcwi.com.au/Secondhand-Used-Equipment.asp. That was the third hit
from searching Australian pages for "dial gauge" at google com.au.

"Bleve" wrote in message
ups.com...

[snip]
Most of it's pretty simple, but I have NFI as to where to get a good
dial guage from, and google hasn't been all that useful (about 30 mins
or so of looking, but not really having the right keywords I think).
This was the best I found :

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Magnetic-Base...cmd ZViewItem

but maybe there's something better or more suitable around? any
suggestions?

"Zebee Johnstone" wrote in message
.. .
In aus.bicycle on 5 Mar 2006 20:43:46 -0800
Bleve wrote:

Thanks, thanks Zebee too, looks like the first link you posted has some
good stuff.

Watch out - if you are at all a tool junkie they are very bad for you.

THe Kincrome stuff is very nice quality and they keep having these
specials....


Zebee

Don't tell me that. All my good tools are Kincrome and I rather like them.
Tempting me into buying more is evil.