Update to Damon Rinard’s Spocalc Spoke calculator — new advice on fatbikes and hub motors, more spoke calculators for mobile devices added to the list at the bottom of the page, correction of a minor math error (display of bracing angle for radial spoking).
Tag: wheelbuilding
Damon Rinard pages edited, updated, reformatted
Damon Rinard, who now works for Cannondale, had to turn his Web pages about bicycling over to Sheldon Brown back in 2001 when hired by an earlier employer. Rinard’s pages contain a wealth of information on bicycle design, and the renowned Spocalc bicycle spoke length calculator. Rinard even describes how to build a carbon fiber bicycle frame at home, and it’s easier than working with steel. His pages on improving aerodynamics are a real eye-opener. We have improved the translations of several articles originally written in German, checked links and reformatted the pages to make them easier to read in a modern browser.
Spoking for large hubs, improved
The article on special spoking patterns for use with extra-large hubs (for example, electric bicycle hub motors) has been improved with patterns which avoid twisting the hub shell for two of the hub and rim combinations. The article includes all the information needed to use Damon Rinard’s Spocalc (also on the site) to calculate spoke lengths for these patterns.
Check spoke tension by ear when building a wheel
Check the level of spoke tension by ear — unless you are tone deaf, a musical pitch reference (pitch pipe, tuning fork, smartphone app etc.) is all you need to tell whether you have brought spokes up to the appropriate level of tension when building a wheel. It’s faster than using a tensiometer!
Spocalc revised
The page for Damon Rinard’s spoke calculator has been revised, with an updated list of online spoke calculators, several comments and links, and better formatting. Now also includes links to spoke-calculator apps for iOS and Android smartphones!
Measuring hub and rim for spoke-length calculation
New page on how to measure a hub and rim to get the numbers to enter into a spoke-length calculator.
Jobst Brandt pages updated
Harriet has reorganized the Jobst Brandt pages — formatting for easier reading, placing them into categories and in sequence, fixed broken links. Brandt’s trenchant comments demolish a number of bicycling myths, and bring an engineering perspective to issues of mechanical design and performance.
Addition to wheelbuilding page
New information in the wheelbuilding page about removing the bend from spokes where they exit the hub flange…
