From what I've read, it seems all the Class 5 rigs have custom 26" wheels. I'm not really interested in making my own wheels (hate playing with glass & epoxy), so I'm wondering if people have experimented with other options.

Regular mountain bike wheels just fold under the side loads, but what about some of the beefy through-axle MTB wheels that are coming onto the market? They're typically 20mm in dia and could be converted to a single sided attachement. I know someone who has built a tadpole style trike with them and swears by their strength.

Like this:
/images/misc/forum-image-missing.gif

As for rims I'm assuming the welding of 2 steel rims together is for strength as well? Has anyone tried pugsley wheels? They're a recent thing too, using huge tires and very wide rims to roll easier on sand and snow: surlybikes.com/bikes/pugsley



Let me know what you guys think about these ideas, or if there's other options out there I'm not aware of.

Thanks!

-Gabriel

PS: Hi, I'm new here!

Yeah, the wheels would probably eclipse the cost of the rest of the vehicle. Still better than wasting a bunch of my time gooping together a set of crappy fiberglass wheels though.

Well! Mr Motzart, I wouldn't go as far as to say the custom Fiber Glass wheel are Crappy.. The job may well be a crappy one but the products of our boys in WA are turning out are Cutting Edge Wheels and they are constantly improving them and simplifying them for some manufacturer to come along steel the technology and claim it is their experimentation..

I can understand your thinking as there is a lot of work involved and Precision of part placement.. Half the joy of the wheels to many folk.. Some would just prefer to walk into a shop and purchase.
Point being, Some Times to win races you have to be prepared to go beyond the accepted to become fast enough and then again a product may not necessarily be better but will give the confidence to go that extra Mile to Bag the Competition..

With spoke wheels you have to think not of axial pressure i.e load directly through the axis of the wheel and tire but of side torque (Twisting the axle against the axis of the wheel) The dynamics of this action (Laying your wheel at 45deg and loading straight down) will place far greater pressure on the Rim where the spokes pass through. There is also a problem with Motor Bike wheels in the weight of Rubber at the the outer perimeter of these wheels where I believe the Centrifugal Forces begin to make it harder for the LY to turn, hence the experimentation with wheel.. The whole question comes down to "What do I intend to do with my Land Yacht"?? Keep in mind the heavier the wheels the slower the acceleration and the difference between winning and losing..
Ron

OK Motzart,
I may have been a little techy on the subject but primarily I wanted to get the point over as to why they are making wheels from fiber glass.. Mate providing you can get a big enough sail area you could use 18 wheeler wheels, damned! if I'd sail anywhere near you but it could be done.. If there is a product stronger and lighter than CF or FG and easy to use as well as not too dear bring it on..
I wouldn't try to talk you out of motor bike rims, that is your choice but I see no reason not to point out any drawbacks.. (( By the way, What is the biggest Drawback in the world???) so that y ou can make an informed decision.. Info' is one thing you can't have too much of.. (A Blue Whales Foreskin)[}:)][}:)]

When things settle down here for Paul and the others they will find time to Expound the Delights of building your own gear.

Ron..

PS, Haven't seen you on the forum before so Welcome and get involved.. We all have Pearls of Wisdom to drop now and then.

Well, a quick look disregarding cost, they'd be about $500 USD per wheel. Eeesh!

Surly Large Marge Rim - Black/Silver 26 x 32 Hole DH
Chris King ISO Disc 20mm Front Hub - Red 32 Hole - 110mm Spacing
DT Swiss Champion Spokes - 2.0mm Black
DT Swiss Alloy Nipples - Red 12mm

Note these are bicycle wheels, not moto wheels so their weight is much lower. This expensive high-end option with the pugsley rims comes in at around 1600 grams. Most of that is in the 65mm rims, which you'ld only need for sand, not salt flats I'm thinking. The Pugsley tube and tire adds another 1500 grams, putting the whole setup at around 3kg, which it looks like is comparable to the custom wheels being built.



But choosing the cheapest options with a rim over 30mm wide and a 20mm through axle it comes to $126 USD. Not too bad really for a custom wheelset.

SunRingle Estate Rim - 26" x 32h (Black)
Shimano SLX M667 20mm Axle Centerlock Front Hub
Wheelsmith Brass Nipples - Silver 12mm
Wheelsmith Stainless Spokes - 2.0mm Silver

The cheap option is about 1100 grams for hub, rim, spokes, and nipples. Add another 420g for kojak and a tube and it's only 1500g for the whole shebang.

Universal Cycles (I'm lucky, they're in portland as am I) has a pretty neat wheelbuilder tool: www.universalcycles.com/wheelkit.php

C'mon Mozart,
Don't Yak about it! Do it![}:)] Procrastination is the Bane of the doing man. Go for it and Pic's or it hasn't happened..
Ron