titanium spokes anyone?

[ejonesss]

i was doing some searching into ways to prevent the chain jam that seems to want to wrap around the granny gear and get wedged between the frame while under load i would try by using standard chainrings instead of the ones used by the chinese motorized bike kits

i came across the site

http://bikemotive.myshopify.com is the store

bikemotive.com/ is the site

at the store i saw http://bikemotive.myshopify.com/products/tigr-bike-lock-made-from-titanium-metal-alloy-bikemotive

tigr (that's right not a typo tigr) bike lock it is a titanium loop bound closed by heavy duty lock piece with a very high pick and bump resistant key (so the makers claim) sells for $200

i saw some youtube videos on the lock and they showed it being attacked with bolt cutters and even the 6 foot 100+pound bolt cutters would only nick the titanium loop but did not cut it.


ok now to the spokes:

if titanium is that strong and light couldnt spokes be made from titanium and not break so broken spokes would not be an almost daily or weekly thing with titanium spokes?


does titanium even come in wire form that could be made into spokes?

 

[ian.mich]

Spokes are designed to be strong but their elasticity is very important. Spokes are supposed to be tightened down so much that they stretch, so that even when the rim bends the spokes stay tight and effective. Many have laced 20lb+ hub motors using 14g stainless spokes and don't report any breakage. So Titanium's ability to stretch would need to be tested against SS's. Likely the spokes are not the weakpoint of today's wheels, but titanium rims would be interesting.

http://www.cyclingforums.com/t/472903/titanium-vs-stainless-spokes
someone here claims titanium is weaker, but more research should be done.

 

[cware05]

I have run dt Swiss titanium spokes on one of my mtb's (not electric) for about 12 years now and I weigh between 100kg- 115kg and have only ever snapped one on the rear from a really messed up landing on the bmx track, they were 32 hole mavic 217 rims carbon ambrosio hubs and alloy spline drive nipples one of the first sets of wheels I ever built still taking punishment, only thing you would need to watch is twisting when doing the final tighten as titanium reacts different to stainless and needs lots of pressure relieving.

sizes shouldn't be a problem as they are really popular in bmx racing in all sorts of funky colours.

 

[chisixer6]

Years ago, I had titanium spokes on my 17" HED wheel, I think it had 18 spokes total. this was the most expensive front wheel that I ever had. 18 spokes were about $50, Hed rim almost $300, Mouton 17" slick tire $150, this tire can be pumped up to 150psi, was used on the Mouton streamliner racer in the early 1990's HPV races. only thing cheap was the shimano 105 front hub and the inner tube.