Suggest me a strong 26" rim ~40mm width

[Chalo]

Out of interest what are your thoughts on the Park TM1 spoke tension meter? I am thinking of getting one for future builds and maintenance.

It's a valuable tool, precise enough for its job, and easy to use. But for small diameter wheels and hub motors, it's often not possible to find space in the spoke pattern to get a reading. So if either of those things is what you're most likely to be building, then buying the tool might not be worth it.

 

[Bush mechanic]

Good point, not much open length, but should be OK in a 26 inch wheel. Thanks once again. Will see if I can pick one up at a good price.

 

[amberwolf]

Here's hoping your DM30 comes with eyelets. They can be ordered either way from the manufacturer, but Weinmann's USA distributor (J&B Importers) always brings them in without eyelets.

I wonder if that's also true of the Alex DM24? (the two I have are eyeletless, and I think both came from A2B Metro Ultramotor wheels; I know one did--it's the one whose spokes just disintegrated without any warning one ride home)

BTW, I would like to add eyelets to them. I have not researched it yet, but have you seen this done or done this?

 

[Chalo]

I wonder if that's also true of the Alex DM24? (the two I have are eyeletless, and I think both came from A2B Metro Ultramotor wheels; I know one did--it's the one whose spokes just disintegrated without any warning one ride home)

Alex DM24 rims did come with and without eyelets, but most that I've seen had them.

BTW, I would like to add eyelets to them. I have not researched it yet, but have you seen this done or done this?

In principle it should be possible to grommet your own rims, but it would be a complicated and time-consuming process. It would be hard to get all the holes uniform. Much more expedient and probably more effective would be to use conical nipple washers and spokes that are longer by 1-2mm.

 

[amberwolf]

Do the washers do the same job of reinforcing the holes that the eyelets / grommets do? (I know it's probably not much, but anything that distributes the forces better to minimize cracking at the hole under stress will minimize spoke tension loss and failures).

The eyeletted rims I have used in my cargo applications have had far less problems with spokes (just two broken, IIRC, both on a single wheel) than non-eyeletted, but I have never had the opportunity to setup a test on otherwise identical wheels with and without, under the same conditions, for wheels that I built and know the conditions of, just to see what happens. So I don't know that the eyelets have anything to do with the results, but:

The one noneyeletted wheel I used on the trike's rear end in recent times is the only one that suddenly and completely failed; I don't know what previous stresses it had seen, and I don't know how it was built, etc., and I couldn't see any defects around the nipple holes, so there could be several unrelated reasons for the failure.

Anyway...just curious if it could make any difference to the structural integrity of the rim around the holes, especially in high stress applications like mine.

 

[Chalo]

Do the washers do the same job of reinforcing the holes that the eyelets / grommets do? (I know it's probably not much, but anything that distributes the forces better to minimize cracking at the hole under stress will minimize spoke tension loss and failures).

Double eyelets (sockets), done right, are best by far. If they're properly dimensioned and consistent, they can share some tension loads between inner and outer rim walls. They're increasingly rare in new rims.

In my estimation, most single eyelets are mainly bearings to provide a better surface for the nipples to engage. There are probably some that distribute loads better than a plain hole, and all of them distribute loads over a slightly larger perimeter. That alone should lower stresses a bit. But the main thing is that they keep the brass or aluminum nipple from galling the rim's structural metal when it turns with tension on the spoke. A washer can do that job.

With plain drilled rims and no washers, the best you can do is to use effective lubrication, preferably a solid lube like moly disulfide, graphite, or PTFE. As long as it's present it should also help prevent the rim's structural metal from galling and initiating cracks.

 

[amberwolf]

Thanks...I can't recall seeing double eyelets on anything I've handled.

When I get down to having to use the bare drilled rims I'll try washers.

 

[calab]

Is that a handle bar stem attached to the seat post on that red small bike with mid drive.
Skateboard deck is a nice touch.

 

[Chalo]

Is that a handle bar stem attached to the seat post on that red small bike with mid drive.
Skateboard deck is a nice touch.

Yes, it got a short handlebar installed for the passenger after the photo was taken. The "skateboard" is called a Snapdeck and it's a customary part for the Xtracycle Free Radical.