I hate cleaning laced wheels so I'm considering having them powder coated. I'm wondering what happens when you need to true them up later on down the road. Does the pc flake off or get messed up by the wrench? What about replacing tires? Does that scrape off the pc?

 

Anyone?

 

I can only guess that the coating might flake or get chipped off the nipples. I'm not 100% clear on the exact problem. Regardless of how they're treated they will still need cleaning. I just stopped trying to clean my oem spokes but the chrome rim cleans up real nice. Eventually I'll switch out to stainless steel or chrome spokes. A better place to get the answer might be the powder coater himself.

 

Thanks Pat. When you don't clean the spokes they'll eventually rust, and just hosing them off doesn't work (as you likely figured out). I'm thinking powder coating would allow me to just hit them with a brush and a hose and I'm done rather than the detailed, one at a time, cleaning you need to do with chrome spokes.

Not sure how stainless spokes might clean up - would be interested in hearing that as well.

 

The OEM spokes I believe are just zinc or cadmium plated, or something equally as cheap. The surface is relatively coarse or rough and seems to behave as a dirt magnet. Polished stainless or chrome spokes are nice and smooth though and should clean up easier.

After I posted my first response, another potential problem with powder coating occurred to me. What about the threaded portion of the spokes? I'm not sure how that would be handled. I don't know enough about the details of the threaded areas but it seems like it would be possible for the powder coating to interfere with adjusting the spoke. Not enough pc would leave exposed bare metal and look like kaa-kaa.

 

Powder coat is tough stuff..think laced wheels can be done,just check the spokes don't touch anywhere where they cross over..the adjustment nipples can be taped up,just adds labour time (leaves them chrome after pc'ing). May have a little trouble trueing the wheel if you ever need too but honestly...how often do you do that ???????

Only other option is to break your wheels down,have the hub and rim pc'd and buy black spokes.

Regards sumpnut

 

Contact Joe Knapp about powder coating the wheels. He is a forum sponsor here.

 

I had my rear wheel coated without breaking them down. The PC guy told me I would not be able to true the wheels again without replacing the spokes or removing the coating from the threads. I have not had to do it, but I assume he is correct. If I have to go to the trouble of getting the wheel trued I planned on replacing the spokes anyway, so it was not a problem for me.

 

Thanks, overhead. That's the kind of first person experience I was hoping for. Not necessarily a deal-breaker, but something to consider as I weigh pc vs. cast wheels.

 

where do you buy black spokes?

i see lots of places for spokes with rims & hubs.. but where do u buy just blacks spokes?

J.