AdamR28

Apparently so - this stuff is used in sailing rigging, so it's designed to be abrasion resistant. The eyes will need to be longer to allow a spoke key to fit on (though I have got nipples with a 'double square' so you can build from the back - https://www.spoke-store.com/photos/original/sapim-double-square-secure-lock-alu-nipple.jpg) and I'll need a way of stopping them rotating (easy enough). But yes, creating the spokes accurately will take a long while - the reason Berd charge so much I'm sure, given the relatively low material cost.

Functional fitness / strength is always impressive I find, seems to build less bulky muscle. Just meant that Dave is a beast! Tested one to 200kg and it holds fine. The eyelet at the 'rim' end has deformed a little though. The spoke stretches by about 3mm at this tension. Normally you'd build an MTB wheel around 100-120kg. The jig below has a 2:1 ratio so the steel spoke is half the tension of the rope one. Also tested spoke tension increase after standing on a bike - it was too small to measure. So I think my estimate of 200kg maximum spoke tension during riding (having started at 120kg) is way over what they'll actually see.

Muscle is heavier than fat Yeah I reckon we should try towing a car Ben!

Yeah, there looks to be some sort of gluey stuff. Thanks for the heads up on that, will investigate... A long rolled thread doesn't work on its own, I just fell on my arse trying The welded eyelets works to ~145kg though! Normal spoke tension is about 100, a quick bit of maths reckons one single spoke might see 200kg maximum during a very bodged landing... I plan to make a jig to test that full 200kg load, but for now...

Yeah... ha. Pretty sure this is why Berd charge what they do. Its a lot of labour just to make the spokes! I guess as a DIY project you can write it off as enjoyment. In related news... for the rim end I'm toying with welded eyelets, so made a crude jig to test the idea. Welding spokes is tricky! But comes out ok and pretty repeatable with some practice. They will definitely need load testing though! Berd make the spokes to a length, and I think they glue them to keep everything put when not under tension, but you can quite easily adjust the length of the 'bury' when doing your own. Will need a jig to hold the hub, and a fake spoke hole at X distance away, then make the spokes to fit that. Weight savings are said to be between 100-200g a wheel, depending on wheel size and previous spoke type. The main thing I'm interested in is ride quality though, apparently they damp vibrations significantly. Not really sure how it becomes so strong in tension... This stuff is 12 strand and rated to about 30% more tensile strength than a quality 2.0-1.8-2.0 butted stainless spoke, which is very impressive considering it floats on water! Also tried the "Chinese finger cuff" technique for fitting a spoke inside the rope. It pulls out with a plain spoke, but if you roll a bunch more thread on there it seems to hold well. Not sure if that will damage the fibres though. More tension will create more clamping force too, as this stuff "collapses inwards" under tension, and it appears to be the method Berd use at the rim end. Investigative times ahead...

This stuff is proper cool!

Bit of a bump but... these ended up on my radar again today, and I ended up down a bit of a nerdy spoke rabbit hole for a few hours. Long story short, I've bought 40m of this and going to attempt to make some, just for personal use: https://southeastsailboats.co.uk/products/marlow-sk99-d12-max-2mm

Hope / Hunter silicone lube works great.

There isn't a lot of choice for 24" tyres that deal with mud, but the DHR is a good shout: https://www.tartybikes.co.uk/24_inch_tyres/maxxis_minion_dhr_ii_24_inch/c85p10803.html

Covid tax...

I think it will work out lighter than 15mm, while still offering 90% of the benefits. And it'd be expensive to swap now. You can easily convert any hub that's bigger than 9mm down to 9mm with a simple sleeve, fitted inside the hub.

Dead good Next up, Flipp rides a shopping trolley better than I ride my M5.

Depends on pads and clamps, but assume no more than 38mm - you can just push the pads all the way back though and measure the gap between them.

Tried a few, brakes always end up rubbish (needing new pads and rotors to get back to full performance) afterwards.

None of them are fine IME.

That's great info, thanks Peter! I bitched out and bought something a bit less spendy / easier to get (thanks, Brexit), but great to know that they are still durable even given the amazing weight.

Tasty front hub! Have you used one on a trials bike (or other bike) before? I'm interested as to how the bearings hold up...

Nice! Try them in 160 and see how you get on first. If you need them to sit a bit lower in the travel just use a bit less pressure and an extra token or two - though I found the Lyrik to sit quite low down anyway. Worst case you can just chop 20mm off the air shaft and they'll be 140s.

As well as the Fox, RS Pike (slightly lighter) and Lyrik (slightly beefier) are worth a shot. The DVOs are decent for the money as well.

About the same as a pair of pads.

I also doubt you can remove / refit the steerer, but I'd have thought cutting the headshox one and welding a normal one in would work fine.

Happy to post you the HD if thats easier, I was only going to wipe it and drop it off at a charity shop anyway.

Nice. I have an old external HD full of old trials vids, a few thousand I think, and wanted to find a home for them

I agree thalidomide is a special and rare case of the medical industry making a monumental cock up, but the time it took to make the link was pretty scary (approx 5 years IIRC). Perhaps our recording and reporting is significantly advanced now, so this wouldn't happen any more. I don't believe - from my own personal experiences - that we do genuinely know (or have been told) what the full and complete risks from any of these Covid jabs are yet; whether through misreporting, cover ups, lack of awareness of people of their own bodies, or another factor. Would abnormal heart rhythm be classed as a long term side effect? And could that cause someone to drop down dead 10 years in the future? Same (slightly rhetorical) question for a blood clot, which could be lodged somewhere non-critical for years then free up and block a passageway either to or from the brain or heart. It'll be interesting to see what happens with my mums leg, thats for sure.