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Bike Wheel

Bike wheels are essential to the locomotion of a bike, whether it is pedal driven, electrically powered, or gasoline powered. Without wheels there is no bike to power. The first bike wheels were modeled after barrel hoops, and affixed with solid rubber tubes around the exterior. To provide structural integrity, metal rods were run from the inside of the hoop to the center of the wheel, similar to the spokes on wagon wheels.

As cycling progressed as a competitive sport, the bike wheel was reinvented continually. Today wheel materials range from steel to aluminum alloys to carbon fiber, with the first generally being the least expensive. Spokes have grown smaller and more numerous, but recently a counter trend has started in high end biking.

The extreme high end of racing bikes carry bike wheels with just a few spokes that are large and bladed, rather than small and round. The most common numbers for spokes in this wheel design are three or five. The intent of the design is to cut down on the air resistance caused by the spokes. Sure enough bikers sporting these wheels have broken many of the biking world’s records.

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