HOW-TO TIE & SOLDER SPOKES • A LEGACY OF BIKE ...

How-To Tie & Solder Spokes
By Brad Quartuccio, mechanical wisdom by Scott Wickham Jr.
Tied and soldered spokes were once a final touch
from the finest mechanics upon the highest quality
wheels, but have for the most part faded into
obscurity. Seen only rarely these days, many cyclists have
never personally laid eyes upon a set of tied and soldered
wheels, let alone question the history of the practice or
learn to tie their own.
Cycling lore has it that wheels can feel stiffer and more
responsive to the discerning rider after having been tied
and soldered. The explanations given vary, most culminating
in an effectively shorter spoke that is less able to vibrate
and move in relation to its neighbor. Attempts to quantify
any structural difference between a tied and untied wheel
have all come up short, with no measurable differences
yet detected. History points to a possibly more practical
origin; in the days of high-wheelers with longer spokes and
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lesser manufacturing the tie was to help prevent a broken
spoke from becoming entangled.
There are adherents to each school of thought, those
that swear by tied and soldered wheels and those that dismiss
them as nothing but a myth. Sometimes tradition has
its place no matter the empirical evidence. Tied and soldered
spokes have been around forever in bicycle terms
and there is no reason not to carry on the tradition; here’s
one mechanic’s method of finishing his best wheelbuilds.
Materials: Besides a finely built wheel with clean spokes
and a few items common to any workshop you’ll need the
following: beekeeper’s wire for the tying, thin gauge rosin
core solder, soldering flux, and a common propane brazing
torch. It should go without saying, but you’re playing with
fire and could get burned. Wear some safety glasses and
proceed with caution.
Photos by Brad Quartuccio