Free Sample
The Complete Handbook of Bicycle Wheels
For Mechanics, Shop Owners, and Cyclists Who Need to Understand, Select, Build, and Maintain Wheels That Work
by Alumigogo Books
Chapter 1: Understanding Bicycle Wheels
A bicycle wheel is a load-bearing structure designed to distribute weight, absorb impacts, and transmit rider power to the ground. Unlike a car wheel, which is largely a single rigid casting, a bicycle wheel is a system of discrete components—rim, hub, spokes, and bearings—that must work together under tension and stress. Understanding how these parts function as a system is essential for anyone who buys, builds, maintains, or troubleshoots wheels.
At the broadest level, a wheel has one fundamental job: carry the rider and bike weight over a path of travel, absorbing forces from terrain while remaining true (straight and centered). How well it does this depends on the materials used, how those materials are configured, and how precisely the wheel is built and maintained. A wheel that is poorly designed, built loose, or allowed to deteriorate will lose roundness, develop wobbles, drag on brakes, and eventually fail.
Rim and Tire Interface
The rim is the circular metal (usually aluminum or carbon) structure that the tire sits on. Its primary job is to support the tire and transmit the rider's weight to the spokes and hub. The rim's shape, thickness, and material determine how it distributes force, resists deformation, and tolerates brake friction.
A tire sitting on a rim is held in place by air pressure, not by a mechanical lock. When the rider's weight is applied, the tire bulges slightly at the contact patch—the area where the tire actually touches the ground. As the