Steve Neago wrote about cutting off spokes in the "wells" of sew-ups. For wired-on rims, I have an old Eldi that does the job, but it won't reach down. I don't think I could find a static tool, like wire cutters, that would be very effective and last very long in that confined space.
Now, Steve said his goal is to save weight. Let's assume he wants to shorten 36 spokes, 3 mm (about 1/8") each. Or, removing 99 mm total spoke length from the wheel. Now, a 14 guage DT 295mm spoke, with head, weighs <7gm (Just weighed one). To compensate for the weight of the head that's not being trimmed, let's let it be considered a 300 mm spoke. So the saving from removing a total of 99 mm of 14 ga spoke is about 2.3 gm, or 0.1 ounce.
Now, Steve, if that's what you want to do, have a great time. And I realize that rotating weight matters more than stationary weight. But I bet that 3 gm is a fairly small fraction of the shipped weight variation among tires of the same pretty-good model, to say nothing of the variation from tire model to tire model. Indeed, I got a bunch of the Clement Futuras that American Cyclery sold in batches of 50, via Wayne Bingham, and pretty sure I measured tire-to-tire variations of 10 - 20 gm on these. Continental sew-up glue is 25 gm/tube (two wheels worth?); Tufo tape in box is about 35 gm, maybe also 2 wheel's worth? (Being a wise-guy, I suspect that my wife relieves my bald head of more than 3 gm each time she runs the hair clippers through what's left, just for perspective).
Harvey Sachs McLean VA +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++= Hello,
I am building a set of vintage lightweight 700c tubular road wheels where I have a slight excess spoke threads (1/8") protruding within the rim after the wheel is built.
To save on weight, I need to cut off the excess threads within the rim while the spoke is mounted. Does anyone know where I can find a tool that can extend within a drilled tubie rim to cut the excess spoke length? I vaguely remember such a tool that was shaped like a chicken beak used to cut these spokes when I worked in a bike shop 25 years ago.
If one of these spoke cutters is not currently available, could you recommend a vintage manufacturer and model of this type of spoke cutter? I realize that selecting the correct length of spokes is required, but this is for a Teledyne Titan "weight weenie" project bike that I am constructing where minimal weight is needed...
Thanks, Steve Neago
Cincinnati, Ohio