spokes and wheels

[ourhearts]

well, i just bent my rear wheel last night and now i must replace it, especially since the bike can't roll without the motor drive chain rubbing on the tire at certain points in the rotation. this is for a coaster brake cruiser, so im looking into either a standard 36 spoke wheel, but with 10 gauge spokes, or something a lil more flashy like a set of 72 spoke wheels, and i assume they have 14 gauge spokes. my question is, which wheel do you think is stronger? and if anyone can recommend a cheap place to order them from then please do so. thanks.

 

[azbill]

go with a 36 with heavy spokes
a 72 will give you a hard time mounting the sprocket
(you need smaller bolts to fit between spokes)

 

[ourhearts]

thats what i figured. do you have any comments on how they compare strength -wise?

 

[azbill]

I know downhill mtb guys use 36 so I would say that's stong enough
those things take some BIG hits

 

[ourhearts]

i meant the 72 spoke 14 gauge versus the 36 with 10 gauge spokes.

 

[gone_fishin]

"do the math" ...it boiled down to metal for me...no matter how many 14g spokes you have, no matter how much "stronger" the 14g/72 may be (and i'm not sayin' it is) than the 10g/36, that wouldn't make it "stronger longer."

if you're factoring "looks" into the equation, then it's a trick question, and only you know the answer.

 

[ourhearts]

appearance is always a factor, but reliability is always the determining factor. anyway, i don't really understand what you're saying.

"do the math" - well, correct me if i'm wrong, but the more spokes the better. any force the wheel shall incur will be dispersed more evenly than a wheel of a lesser spoke count. just like our brake, clutch, and throttle cables. they're wound with small gauge wire instead of one single thick wire. force dispersion, i believe. also, the 72 spoke wheel, assuming it has 14 gauge spokes, has at least twice the amount of spoke metal content than the 36 spoke wheel with 10 gauge spokes. i see two advantages that the 72 has over the 36. it makes sense in my head, but its only in my head. i don't have real life experience in this situation and i am uncertain if my proven logic applies to bicycle wheels specifically. that's why i'm asking.

and what would make either wheel "stronger longer"? i would assume the one that was stronger from the start would be stronger longer. as long as i buy from a reputable dealer with quality merchandise.

i'm gonna check out a bike shop tomorrow so i can get back on the road. so, if anyone has any thoughts please comment. thanks.

 

[bamabikeguy]

Here's the longest 10 gauge vs 12 gauge thread I've been in, funny thing, "Big Ruh" ain't been MB.back since they beat the horse to death.

http://www.motoredbikes.com/showthread.php?t=6497

After I do the $35 wheel/ziptie dealio, the broken record, I'm kinda out of the loop.

 

[ourhearts]

thanks for the info. also, i want to make clear that i'm not worried about spokes breaking from the rear sprocket due to the torque of the engine, but moreso from hitting potholes and whatnot at 30 mph. i live in chicago and these streets are tore up. i've never broke a spoke because of the engine torque. i've had a wheel that had roughly 1,000 engine powered miles on it. it's downfall was a bumpy train track. also, you could always get your rear sprocket welded to the hub.

 

[gone_fishin]

even 200 14g spokes will always be 14g, therefore all of 'em will have the same shelf life, which will always be shorter than the shelf life of a 10g spoke...so, my layman's opinion is that a wheel with 10g spokes would be "stronger longer"...did that help clarify what i was trying to say?

(i keep telling myself i do not have to get involved in every topic here, sometimes shupping and listening is best, someday i may learn that lesson...nah, i doubt it)