why is it intertwined instead of arranging it in parallel? does it affect much of the safety? or is for aesthetic purpose?
2006-09-21 17:50:42 · 5 answers · asked by grabejud 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Motorcycles
It's called lacing, and it's the reason that a spoked wheel is so strong. Laced wheels are a beautiful thing, and there is so much physics going on with each revolution that it boggles the mind! Let me try to explain a little:
Spokes do NOT hold the bike up like little pillars between the rim & hub (think old-school wooden wagon wheels). Instead, the hub literally HANGS from the spokes coming out of the highest section of the rim.
Bicycles with rim brakes can get away with "radial" lacing (straight out from hub to rim) because the braking forces as well as the tire's contact patch are out at the rim itself. But look at the back wheel, where the gears are, and you'll see that rear bicycle wheels are NOT radially laced. This is because radial lacing would allow the hub to "twist" forward or backwards against the spokes/rim as torque is applied to the hub (when pedaling).
Anytime that disc brakes are used, there will also be a force at the hub (braking) trying to twist in the opposite direction as the tire is trying to force the rim to go. A radially laced motorcycle wheel would literally twist itself apart and buckle the rim very quickly with acceleration and braking.
The lacing, often in a 2-cross or 3-cross pattern (named by how many other spokes a single spoke crosses between the hub and rim) has every other spoke pulling tangentially against each other, which evens out the forces put on the hub flanges and keeps the wheel intact.
If you only had a rear brake, you could radially lace the front wheel for show. But any other situation requires a good lacing pattern and the skill to properly true and tension the wheel.
2006-09-22 12:04:33 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The interlaced spoke pattern gives the most strength to the wheel without added un-necessary weight. As with the bicycle, from which motorcycle began, designers try to maximize strength and minimize weight, especially un-sprung weight.
Radial lacing could work, but you would probably need two or three times as many spokes. There are some neat alternate spoke patterns out there that work well on a bicycle, but they carry a combined weight of maybe 200 pounds. Even a mid-size cruiser with one rider goes 700 pounds plus.
The radial lacing and fan patterns, while aesthetically pleasing, just don't offer the strength that the old traditional cross-two or cross-three pattern does on a motorcycle. And besides it would be a royal pain to true.
2006-09-22 10:43:16 · answer #2 · answered by frieburger 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If they weren't, the wheel would spin, but the hub wouldn't!
The crossed spokes give it torsional strength - If you laced a wheel up with no crossed spokes, you would be able to grab the inner hub in one hand, the wheel in the other, and twist them opposite directions.
The two spokes that cross each other make the wheel rigid.
Had a buddy when I was growing up that actually tried a straight across lacing on a rear bike wheel - he mounted it, got on and stood on the pedals, first push and the wheel twisted, next thing he knew he was on the ground and we were all laughing. :)
2006-09-21 19:08:18 · answer #3 · answered by ducatisti 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't have any proof, but it seems like they are offset to provide stability for the hub, keeping it in the center of the wheel. If they were all lined up parallel, there would be nothing keeping the wheel from collapsing under side pressure (leaning). Like I said, no proof, it just makes sense if you think about it.
2006-09-21 17:55:30 · answer #4 · answered by Rather be Fishin' 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
motorcycle spokes are intertwined to give the wheel more strength. the more angles working against each other ,the stronger it will be.
2006-09-21 18:14:56 · answer #5 · answered by bill b 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋