Radial wheel question

Hroth Gar said:

I have a radially spoked front wheel that was built for me
some years ago, but has few miles on it because it's only
used for time trialling. It's a Campag Omega V rim (the
"aero" type) on a Shimano 600 front hub - which I believe
is forged, so it should be pretty strong. There are 32
spokes, which are DT d/b.

Quoted message said:

Having seen a few nasty pictures of failed radial wheels,
what are the chances of the hub flange being torn off in
my lifetime - I'm fairly average weight at about 180lb? If
it's likely to be a problem, which hub manufacturers
actually guarantee their hubs for radial spoking?

That depends on the hub and how it was made. Phil Wood hubs,
for instance, are made of aluminum plate that can take the
loads. Most others are castings or forged castings. That is
they are cast and then forged for increased density.

Quoted message said:

I know the aerodynamic advantages of radial spoking are
minimal over 10 miles, but as I can't afford any real aero
wheels. I'll take whatever few seconds' saving I can.
Anyway, it does look nice.

There is NO aerodynamic advantage in radial spoking.

Jobst Brandt [email hidden]

Zog The Undeniable said:

I have a radially spoked front wheel that was built for me
some years ago, but has few miles on it because it's only
used for time trialling. It's a Campag Omega V rim (the
"aero" type) on a Shimano 600 front hub
- which I believe is forged, so it should be pretty
strong. There are 32 spokes, which are DT d/b.

Having seen a few nasty pictures of failed radial wheels,
what are the chances of the hub flange being torn off in
my lifetime - I'm fairly average weight at about 180lb? If
it's likely to be a problem, which hub manufacturers
actually guarantee their hubs for radial spoking?

I know the aerodynamic advantages of radial spoking are
minimal over 10 miles, but as I can't afford any real aero
wheels, I'll take whatever few seconds' saving I can.
Anyway, it does look nice.

**********

Quoted message said:

There is NO aerodynamic advantage in radial spoking.

Jobst Brandt

Jobst is right. At the same time I also like the appearance
and have used (and used up) several radially spoked wheels.

Your level of risk is increased riding them, but personally
I accepted the risk, figuring the increment was small,
especially since I know how to inspect and maintain my
equipment. The only thing that makes be a little uneasy is
that the failure mode can be catastrophic. Ouch.

Two radially spoked wheels of mine did fail in the spoke
flanges. One broke out a section with a loud bang, but the
wheel didn't collapse. (Hard braking on a rough surface.
Yikes.) The other cracked silently and was found during
inspection. Both had 36 spokes.

--
Ted Bennett Portland OR