In this article, you will learn more about Sapim CX-ray spokes and the reasons why ICAN Cycling wheels use Sapim CX-ray spokes.
Before we talk about some of the main star spoke Sapim CX-ray spoke, we need to understand some basics about spokes.
What is a bike spoke
Bike spoke is a piece of steel, a wire, a spring or, what we like best, the connection between the hub and the rim. Being the link between the hub and the rim.
Spokes is a important part of bike wheels you can not ignore!
Spokes, we all have them on our wheels but do we even know what they do? We think of them as an essential part of our wheelset, they look like metal toothpicks between the axle and the rim. They are the unsung heroes of a wheel.
For some of us the dynamics of these small metal rods seems to be complete magic, although spokes only have a couple of simple jobs: they transfer all of our power we put through the hub to our wheels and their main purpose is to keep your rims true.
How do they do this feat? The rim is evenly pulled towards your hub by the spokes. Tension is put on the spokes through the nipples.
But are all spokes the same? We do not never think about the work spokes do and the technology behind them. Luckily there are some major manufacturer out there that specialize in spokes and nipples. The article you can read: Do you really know the spokes?
Who manufactured the Sapim CX-ray spokes
There are many bicycle spokes manufacturers all over the world. However, the quality of spokes produced by each manufacturer is different. The spokes produced by Taiwanese spokes manufacturers are of higher quality, such as CN and pillar. At present, the company with the largest market share of spokes is Sapim.
The multiple functions of spokes
- Carry: spokes carry the weight of the bicycle as well as it load.
- Absorb: spokes absorb the irregularities of the road and ensure the comfort of the rider.
- Transmission: spokes transmit acceleration and braking effort of the rider.
Types of spokes
There are two different forms of spokes available, J-bend spokes and straight pull spokes.
J-bend spokes are the most common option and the most traditional available. The naming comes from the typical form the spoke has, it bends at the end and they are laced up a hub with regular flanges. Because of their form replacing a spoke is a bit of a hassle, you’ll either need to remove the cassette off the wheel or the disc rotor. But since J-bend spokes are so common you’ll more than likely find a replacement that will fit your wheel in any bikeshop.However they have one slight weak point, that is the bend itself. In all honesty, personally I haven’t broken a single J-bend spoke yet…
On to straight pull spokes, you could argue that these spokes are a bit easier for wheel building thanks to the aligned holes on the hub that allow you to drop the spokes in the right place on your rim. This makes them also more convenient for replacing a spoke, you might not need to move any parts on your wheels. However there is a small negative point for straight pull spokes, the hubs can be a bit more pricey due to the fact that they are more intricate to machine.
Spoke design
After you’ve chosen the type of spoke, you’ll need to think about spoke design. There are a couple of options: straight gauge, butted, double-butted, triple-butted and even bladed ones.
Butting refers to removing material from the spokes, effectively it will like a spoke will have more material on certain places to retain it’s strength and will have less material on other places to save weight.
We’ll take a look at the three main types:
Straight gauge
These spokes maintain the same gauge throughout the complete length of the spoke, allowing for a stiff but heavier wheel build. They also have the shortest fatigue life which means they wont last quite as long as other spokes. Commonly these spokes are used in builds for gravity riders or a freerider, they need the extra stiffness and don’t mind the extra weight.
Double butted
Double butted spokes are thicker at the ends of the spoke and thinner through the center. They have their specific use for two reasons: first of all, they offer a more responsive ride quality and second they extend the life of the spoke by absorbing high frequency road vibration. Because of their design they last longer than a straight gauge spoke. Sapim offers a wide array of double-butted spokes in their line-up.
Bladed spoke
Bladed spokes are most commonly for their aero advantage, but they have far more important function. The spoke is first drawn as a butted spoke and then pressed in a special mold to give it it’s specific form. This process aligns the grain structure of the metal and then compacts it which means it’s a light, stiff and responsive spoke. The extra stiffness in your wheel build is great for putting the power down, when you put all that torque through your wheel. But they are also fantastic under braking. They also have a high fatigue life, twice that of any butted spoke. It implies you can have an even lighter wheel with fewer spokes but still maintain the same properties as a regular wheel. Another advantage of bladed spokes is that they have a little amount of flex which makes your wheel somewhat more compliant. This is excellent when you pair them to a stiff rim, like a carbon fiber rim.
It can be seen that spoke plays an important role in the wheel braking system. At present, many series of ICAN Cycling wheels use Sapim CX-ray spokes, including:
Why choose Sapim CX-ray spokes?
Sapim is a Belgian company founded over more than a century ago, in 1918. Today they provide us with the best quality spokes due to their dedication, extensive experience and their commitment to innovation. This is one of the many reasons why Sapim spokes are used by a lot of well known brands in their wheel building.
For any performance build, this is the spoke you want in your wheels and Sapim offers the best bladed spoke on the market, the CX-Ray spokes.The CX-Ray spokes still receives one of the best results in fatigue testing of any spoke. Its unique strength and flexibility make the CX-Ray suitable for most bicycle disciplines.
The middle section of the spoke is drawn then pressed in a special mold to form its specific profile. CX-Ray spokes are used by top bike racers and triathletes around the world. Even downhillers use them, recognizing their strength and flexibility. Special alloy treatment and sophisticated production make this all possible. The CX-Ray fits in all standard hub holes.
This is why we trust Sapim spokes, one of the world leading spoke manufacturer. It make our carbon fiber wheelsets outstanding in performance.
The features Sapim CX-ray spokes
- No extra hub hole design; hub manufacturer‘s guarantee is unaffected.
- Almost as light as Titanium.
- More long lasting than any other spokes on the market.
- Extremely high fatigue test results.
- Special alloy treatment and sophisticated production.
- The best aerodynamic eliptic spoke available.
- Produced from high-tensile, fatigue-resistant 18/8 stainless steel conforming to the Sapim quality standard specifications.
Technical specs
Weight: (64 pcs x 260 mm lg) 272 g
Quality: AISI 302
Strength on middle section: 1600 N/mm2
Dimensions
Length: 135-310 mm
Diameter: 2.0 - (0.9x2.2) - 2.0 mm
Elliptic aero part
Information source： https://www.sapim.be/spokes/aero/cx-ray
Review of Sapim CX-ray spokes
After reading all this explanation the main question remains to be answered:
Are Sapim CX Ray spokes worth it? Are sapim spokes good? How about sapim spokes？Is the Sapim CX-ray spokes stronger？
To us as a wheel building company, most definitely. They are very cost effective spokes, easy to work with as they don’t easily tend to wind up when tightening them on a rim. Plus all the riding and weight advantages you get as a rider, it doesn’t matter if it’s on the road or XC-racing or gravel riding, you will feel the difference. We want to give our customers to have the best riding experience possible, that’s why we provide most of our wheels with Sapim CX-ray straight pull spokes.
View this video,you will know why you should choose Sapim CX-ray spoke
Now you already know the advantages of Sapim CX-ray spokes. Would you choose to use Sapim CX-ray spokes to assemble your wheels? What spoke assembly wheel are you currently using?
