Wireing Spokes

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Has anyone ever heard of "Wireing Spokes for added Strength"?

"Back in the day", I read that if you wired the "X" of spokes where they pass each other, it would make them stiffer and stronger.

[taber hodaka]

Never heard of that before, but I can say that in motocross or cross country races a flat tire took a little time off of the clock, like you loose. Wireng the spokes kept the long broken spoke from puncturing the inner tube. In the old days we wired them and others went to snap ties. --------------- Clarence

[Stever]

Yes, lots of us did that (saw it in Dirt Bike or someplace like that, so it was cool). I used stainless lock wire, wrapped a couple of times then twisted. Back then we rode 50 or 75 mile hare scrambles, I thought of it as kind of a belt and suspenders type thing for reliability, so that if a spoke happened to loosen or break, the wire kept it in place to prevent further damage. I never bothered with it much for MX, the spokes get checked every moto anyway, right? Only did it to prep for the occasional hard, rocky track that was liable to be extra tough on wheels.

One downside, it interferes with the nice sound and feel you get from lightly tapping the spokes with a wrench as you check the wheel, I like that method for instantly finding a spoke that is loose or tightened more than the others.

As for adding strength, I doubt that it has much if any effect. A well maintained spoked wheel is already incredibly strong.

-Stever

[Bullfrog]

Keep in mind that the hub "hangs" from the rim on the spokes which are on top. Of course, all the spokes are equally tight - but the major loads on spokes are in tension (which tends to pull them straight). The spokes on the bottom (at any given time) are not in compression - so they aren't actually "stiffened" by being supported at mid-span. However, as already mentioned, if a spoke breaks it will likely be firmly controlled by the spoke wiring, reducing the chance of a flat.

The photo is of wiring done on the rear wheel of my ISDT Qualifier bike sometime in the 1970's. The complete wheel is still in service (quite reliably, thank you very much) now. The wheel saw many hundreds of miles (perhaps several thousand) of practice and competition in the 1970's . . . between then and 2005 I don't really know what it might have been doing. But in 2005 (or so), the wheel returned to "go fast" and enduro riding . . . and is still in good, reliable condition.
Ed

[ossa95d]

I agree with everything that has been said about the primary reason for wiring spokes is to keep a broken spoke in place and from causing harm. It's true that under ideal smooth riding conditions the top spokes are simply in tension, however pounding over ledges, roots, and rocks can put substantial side hits and loads on the whole wheel assembly. I believe wiring the intersection of the spokes does provide some structural rigidity and resistance to flex or damage from lateral side hits to the wheel assembly. Like Ed we wired our spokes, probably starting around 1969 or 1970.

[Bullfrog]

Excellant point, Pop!

Ed