CX500E / 650E spoked wheel conversion.

[ericclapham]

       Saw this ad on Gumtree and have ordered a set. Will report further when I get them.

[bahn88]

so you'll use your own sourced rims?
Are you planning to make this tubeless compatible?

[ericclapham]

Yes, Certainly will source the rims.     SS, alloy or chromed ? Tube or tubeless ? SS or chrome spokes ? 17" Front wheel ?? ................Decisions, Decisions......Haven't got that far yet. Only ordered the kit today.

[Onetrack]

Be aware that although the ad says the wheels of the 500e are the same as the 650e wheels they are not.  The drive flange estrangement for the rear wheel is quite different and not interchangeable between the two models.  Be sure to order the correct one for your CX if the kit includes the hub.

[ericclapham]

Thanks for that useful little snippet of information. I wasn't aware of any difference. However, I'll have to remove the hubs from the wheels currently fitted to the CX500E so it shouldn't be a problem.

[ericclapham]

       The conversion hub plates arrived yesterday. They appear to have been laser cut from high grade 4mm. SS plate. They do require ( quite a bit ) of additional work, though..........Countersinking and de-burring and also bevelling the outboard  facing,outer circumference of each plate to clear the angle of the spokes to the rim. The seller suggested I'd be able to do this with an angle grinder or a belt sander !!!  I don't think so and will be asking a favour of a lathe - owning friend to complete that operation. I have alloy rims coming from Italy.

[jhovel]

Hi. You are right. That needs to be done properly on a lathe....
I'd be happy to help but I'm in Bendigo Victoria. Use my offer as plan B if you can't find anyone in Adelaide....
I get worried whenever someone calls something "high grade" without specifying WHAT grade.... there is no such thing as "low grade" stainless steel, so what have they actually used? 304, 316... What?
Anyway, the outsides need a long shallow chamfer turned to the outside edge of the spoke hole countersinks so the spokes don't rub on there. A lathe is the only way to do that right.
Yell out if you get stuck.

Sent from my WP5 Pro using Tapatalk

[ericclapham]

Thanks, Joe for your kind offer. Hopefully, I'll be able to talk to my friend about the required lathe work this weekend and we'll see what he has to say and I'll take it from there,      As for the 'high quality SS,' that is just a presumption on my part !

[CX PHREAK]

See if a magnet sticks to it enthusiastically.
  The higher the grade the less attraction.

[jhovel]

See if a magnet sticks to it enthusiastically.
  The higher the grade the less attraction.

Mark, what makes it "higher" - in your opinion? Less magnetic attraction means less iron in it. The tensile strength of stainless steel varies widely - above and below low carbon alloy steel. The strongest stainless steel is 440C - which happens to be magnetic.... but also brittle, but is commonly used in aircraft structures....
Stainless steel comes in 5 groups 3 out of these 5 are magnetic.... This is a very complex topic and magnetism is just a "side effect" of the molecular and crystalline structure of the metal. So don't use a magnet to determine strength....
There are no "higher" or "lower" grades of stainless. All of them have "high" usability grades for their specific purpose (corrosion resistance, hot strength, cold strength, ductility, weldability etc etc). Have a look at: https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2874 for a basic description.

[muzza]

what is required in the lathe to chamfer  the edges of the spoke hole ? I am a little confused here - why can you not use a drill and chamfer tool?

[Seagrass]

The face of the hub plates needs to be chamfered to match the trajectory of the spokes from the hub plate to the rim.

The spoke holes can be done with a counter sink tool as suggested elsewhere.

Seagrass

[Onetrack]

Why don't these plates come ready for use, if you have to finish the machining, chamfer edges and finish the spoke holes you might just as well start with a flat plate of metal and cut them out yourself.

[ericclapham]

Well One-track, Manufacturing a set of these from a sheet of SS using the very basic hand tools I have at my disposal would entail an AWFUL lot of drilling,cutting, filing and elbow grease ! I doubt that the end result would be anywhere near as accurate.   From what I gather, the seller subs out the cutting of the discs as he does not have the facilities to do so himself. However, I'm sure if asked he could also organise the countersinking, edge-bevelling etc to be done BUT that would doubtless entail a substantial hike in the price.
      The photo shows the bevel on the outer circumference. Not really required on the front pair but just to match the rear.