"Bicycle Wheels"

"Going Around With Bicycle Wheels..."

  ...Bicycle wheels shine; they get a lot of attention, and they should because they're what get you from one place to the next.  Hubs, spokes, and rims all makeup the bicycle wheel.

Rims for bicycles have come a long way.  Before, they were made of steel, but now you usually find aluminum rims everywhere.  Aluminum has several advantages over steel: it's light, strong, and doesn't rust.

Reinforcements in the bicycle wheel rim are called ferrules or eyelets and they keep the rims from cutting into the tire.  Alex Rims has Stainless Double Eyelets that protect the tire, as well as the rim's spoke hole.

Spokes come in two styles, plain gauge and butted.  How well your bicycle spokes work depends on their tightness, not on their thickness.  One technique some riders use is to pluck the spokes to listen to the pitch: if the spokes sound like they're in tune, then they probably have the right amount of tension.  That's a way to blend music with cycling!

Now we're talking about hubs, for the front and the rear of the bicycle.  The hub shells are usually made of strong aluminum and have a lifetime warranty.  For instance, Phil Wood's mountain bicycle hubs have a lifetime warranty against damage from parts or workmanship.

Rims are usually of two types, tubular and clinchers, and they match the type of bicycle tires you have.  Tubular rims have been popular because they are strong and easy to mount.  There's the Ambrosio Thesis Tubular rim, with Total Quality Braking surface. 

But clincher rims, like clincher tires, have caught up.  They are lighter and stronger than before.  Sun's clincher rims are one example, with only 330 grams of weight.

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One thing to remember is that the two ends of any bicycle rim have to be joined in some way.  The three options include welded, pinned, or sleeved (two small aluminum rods join the ends together) rims.  Some riders prefer welded, believing that this is the strongest joint, while others buy pinned because it seems the lightest.

Manufacturers have been experimenting: Syncros has rims that are sleeved and pinned, an innovative technology.  For example, their FLR DS23 rim has a strong joint and comes in black or white color.

And, like any other bicycle part, rims have to match the bicycle.  You can get rims for road or mountain bicycles.  Alex Rims makes the T-Cell mountain bicycle rim, which has a horn design to encourage water and dust to slip away.  T-Cell also comes with the latest double-wall design.

If your bicycle has rim brakes, then you need super strong rims in good condition,  else the brakes can destroy the rims.  On the other hand, if you have disc brakes, you probably need disc rims.  These rims work in just about any weather, but maybe a little costly and heavy.  One example is Alex Rims'  FD 28, a rim that has stainless steel eyelets.

Campy Rims has rims with either side wall treatment (SWT) or high performance wall (HPW).  The HPW has an insert at the joint, which leaves a seam, but is great for wet weather.  On the other hand, the SWT  is welded without an insert and machined, leaving no seam.

Technology gives us a wide variety of bicycle wheels and rims and you should take the time necessary to choice the ones that will be best for your biking activity. Bicycle Wheels...

Choosing a Bike >>

Ride for Life...
Chip Clark
Famous Bike Guy

   Bicycle Wheels.

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