Danger!! Spoke damage!

[toddjlyons]

Well, 1200 miles of happy motoring on my wife's '58 Schwinn until I saw her rear wheel wobbling. Checked it and found several loose spokes. Tightened them and proceeded on another trip. Wobble reapeared. When we got home I found that we had eight broken spokes! The compression rubber had held them in but, it was it's own worst enemy. When you compress the sprocket onto the spokes it causes a friction point on the vintage spokes that basically "file" each other until they break in two.
I've rebuilt the wheel with thicker spokes and went ahead and put a "shmear" of grease on the crossing point of the spokes. Please be aware of this, I can see this as a major flaw in these applications. TJ

 

[Porkchop]

I started mounting a new engine on my 1972 Schwinn Collegiate a few weeks ago. I took both wheels to the bike shop and had the wheels checked out and trued. I noticed after mounting the sprocket with the rag joint, that all the spokes on that side of the wheel are now loose. I've have stopped on this build due to the fact that I do not want to ruin a very nice vintage bike. I just have a feeling withn the first few miles, my rear spokes will snap. Oh well, let's go find another bike to build.

 

[machiasmort]

Some of our Brother's Zip tie them together!

 

[Just_Gasit]

I just started using the hub adapter. It adds to the cost but so far it has been more than worth it. I went with the Manic Mechanic version and have been very pleased so far. As for my "rag joint", the rubber had deep cuts into it from the spokes (I did check it often and tighten the bolts as needed) I'm not sure how much longer it would have been functional. It had about 400 miles on it. The rag joint only uses 50% of the spokes, this can't be that great.

 

[HoughMade]

I'm thinking of getting one...but I would never use 14 ga spokes...too flexible.

 

[Turtle Tedd]

manic mechanic sprockets and adapters are the main option for these bikes...no stress whatsoever on spokes from the sprocket mount (adapter)... not expensive for precision made in USA

 

[Mountainman]

best to stay away from that type of system -- rinky dinky
MM

 

[Turtle Tedd]

rinky dincy

best to stay away from that type of system -- rinky dinky
MM

MM you mean the rag joint system dont you??

 

[V 35]

Live Fast also makes a clamshell type hub. Either way, make sure you buy sprocket with hub adapter, the rag joint sprocket probably won't work. Live Fast and Manic Mechanic
sprockets don't interchange. I put a smear of loctite red on hub before installing adapter.

 

[RedBaronX]

When I was taking apart my old bike build to switch the motor components to another bike, I found two broken spokes on the rear wheel... I've got a Manic Mechanic hub adapter and sprocket on the back wheel now...