Alloy vs laced wheels ?

[RandyO]

what is the advantage to having laced wheels off road

I'm told that is cause they are easier to repair, but my expereince is that is costs more to have someone true a laced wheel than it costs to have McWheel repair an alloy wheel

[Kitt]

then find a new guy to lace them or do them yourself! I have a guy back home that laces wheels for $50/ea

[Paul_E_D]

Yes, but the alloy wheel will now bend a lot easier than it did the first time. Spokes hold the wheel in shape better because the entire "circle" is under tension. Think of a how big the hoop is on a bicycle. You'd need some beefy nonspoked wheels to match the strength of the spoked ones. Or you'd need exotic materials and $.

[RandyO]

then find a new guy to lace them or do them yourself! I have a guy back home that laces wheels for $50/ea

but can relacing repair a damaged rim ?


and by $50 are you telling me its only a half hour job, or have you found a guido that works for $15/hr

I'm trying to determine the advantage of getting a spare set of wheels that are wire for my V-strom to mount more off road oriented tires, I didn't find it cost effective for my SV, seems the biggest benefit is you get braggin rights for spending $2500 on a set of custom wheels

I understand with wire wheels, that I stand a better chance of cobbling a repair out on the trail should I have a catastrophic wheel incident

how much more maintenance are wire wheels, do you have to constantly check spokes for tightness? how often, alloys are pretty much maintenance free

[Kitt]

well spoked wheels are definately stronger than CHEAP alloy wheels... both will become weaker once damaged though (fatigue, regardless of alloy). You can true a wheel by tightening spokes, but not all damage is fixable... the good news is, a new hoop and spoke set can be found for your hub for the $200-300 range probably for those ridiculous repairs.

It's not hard to check the spokes by hand, if they feel loose, tighten em up.

you can probably true a wheel in 30 min, but a complete lacing takes a bit longer (especially if you don't do it often)... If it's your first time, expect a 50% success rate.

I'm sure there's some spoked wheels you can just fab spacers to and fit them to your bike... it doesn't have a cush drum at all, right? IF it does, you may find a KTM wheel that will retain that for you.

[seth399]

most good wheel builders won't want to repair/relace a rashed rim. How often do you plan on dinging rims until they are no good?

[The Crashing Tomato]

The question isn't; which is better? It is; how agrressive are you when riding the Strom off road?

Are you on fire roads? Are you trying to climb the side of an uncharted mountain? Are there rocks blocking the trails?

the plus side of alloys cancels the negative of laced, and vice vresa.

Reese's Dark or Reese's regular?

[Kitt]

most good wheel builders won't want to repair/relace a rashed rim. How often do you plan on dinging rims until they are no good?

this is because it takes more time... the labor involved in truing a wheel if they have to remove the spokes is more than buying a perfect rim and lacing it... but you can most def true it without doing anything more than spinning it on a stand and tweaking the spokes in the right order.

[GixerJockey]

Reese's Regular

[seth399]

this is because it takes more time... the labor involved in truing a wheel if they have to remove the spokes is more than buying a perfect rim and lacing it... but you can most def true it without doing anything more than spinning it on a stand and tweaking the spokes in the right order.

true, assuming there aren't crazy flat spots to get out

[Kitt]

true, assuming there aren't crazy flat spots to get out

not everyone taco's their wheels and blows out axle blocks!

[seth399]

not everyone taco's their wheels and blows out axle blocks!

my WHEEL is perfectly fine, its the swing arm adjuster that snapped and fucked up other stuff including my damn sprocket aha.