Triathlon Training

Bicycle Wheel   by Sara Smith

Replacing your bicycle wheels is one of the most cost-effective upgrades you can perform. Your bike will climb, sprint and stop better with a lighter wheelset.

Typically, bicycle wheels consist of 4 main components – the rims, the hubs the spokes and spoke nipples.

Rims

The part of the wheel that your tire fits onto are the wheel rims.

There will be a number of small holes to accept the spokes and a larger hole for the tyre valve. On more expensive rims the spoke holes may also have brass eyelets to strengthen the hole and spread load.

On road bike wheels, the side of the rim will have machined braking surfaces. The braking surface sometimes has a groove in it (a ‘wear indicator’).

Most modern MTB wheels will use disc brakes. The brake disc will be bolted to the hub.

Rim Materials & Construction

Typically, bicycle wheel rims are made from aluminium. During manufacture, the aluminium rim is extruded and then chopped into lengths. These lengths are bent into circles and then the ends are pinned together to join them.

Lighter wheels mean that your bike will accelerate faster and hill-climbing will be easier. Some cheaper bikes will use steel for rims and hubs. Steel rims are heavier and wet weather braking can be poor.

Top of the range wheelsets for triathlon and time trialling often use carbon fiber in their construction.

Hubs

The centre part of the wheel is the hub. The bearings that allow the wheel to spin are housed in the hub. The axle also runs through the centre of the hub. The spokes of the wheel are laced into holes in the hub flanges.

Spokes

Spokes are basically lengths of wire with a screw thread at one end and a bend (the ‘elbow’) at the other.

The cheapest spokes are plain steel. Rust-free stainless steel can also be used to decrease weight.

To decrease spoke weight further spokes can be ‘butted’. This means the spoke is fatter at the ends (where most stress happens) and narrower in the middle.

Aerodynamic wheels will use flat bladed spokes to lessen air resistance. Flat spokes cut through the air better than round spokes.

The more spokes a bike wheel has, the stronger (and heavier) the wheel will be. The fewer spokes a wheel has, the lighter and more aerodynamic the wheel is. Spoke counts range from around 20 (a front wheel suitable for racing) to 48 (a rear wheel suitable for touring with very heavy luggage or a tandem bicycle).

The larger the number of spokes, the longer the spokes should last before breaking – stress being shared among more spokes.

Spoke Lacing Patterns

Spokes are fitted to a wheel in various patterns. Most common is the 3-cross or 4-cross pattern. This means that each spoke crosses 4 or 4 others between the hub and the rim.

On a radial-spoked wheel, the spokes do not cross any others – this allows fewer spokes to be used and saves weight. Usually only front wheels use radial spoking and then usually only on high-performance bicycles. A radially spoked rear wheel would not effectively transfer the drive-torque from the sprocket to the wheel rim.

About the Author

Author of this post is associated with
Road Bike Wheels UK .

You can buy
Pro-lite Bracciano wheelsets can be bought from his website
Competitive Cyclist Reviews Reynolds Carbon Wheelsets

Triathlon aero wheelset HED Jet clincher 700c $0.00

Zipp Ballistic Carbon Hub 24H triathlon screw on freewheel fixie track $0.00

Pro Lite Carbon 90mm/700cc.Shimano 9/10 speed.Triathlon Wheelset.Brand New . $0.00

Zipp 808 700c clincher carbon SRAM Triathlon bike bicycle wheel wheel set $0.00

ZIPP 900 CARBON DISC 700C TT TRIATHLON WHEEL TOTAL PACKAGE-CERAMIC BEARINGS! $0.00

2010 HED Stinger 6/9 Tubular Carbon Wheelset-808-404 Wheels-Road-Triathlon TT $0.00

2010 ZIPP 606 Tubular Carbon Wheelset-808-404 Wheels-Road-Triathlon TT $0.00

ROL Wheels Race SL Road Bike Wheelset – Shimano $625.00 The ROL Wheels Race SL is truly a world-class wheelset! Fast becoming a favorite among regional racing teams around the country, we designed it to dominate the competitive field of high-end wheelsets. The Race SL is a perfect choice for the cyclist looking for precise handling, stiffness and ride quality. This hand-built wheelset is perfect for road racing, criteriums and triathlons. Weight: 672g …

Zipp 808 Rear Firecrest Tubular Wheel SRAM/Shimano $1,349.93 Zipp Speed Weaponry 808 Firecrest Rear Wheels Designed for triathlon, time trials, sprints, breakaway artists and flat to semi-hilly coursesNew Firecrest rim offers better lateral stiffness and aerodynamic performance than Zipp’s previous rim shapes27mm at the widest point188 hubs allow bearing preload to be adjusted while clamped in the dropout188 hubs feature a stiff, 17mm alloy axle and an aero…

A-Class ALX320DX 650c Tri 16/20h Black Wheelset $329.58 The A-Class ALX320DX/ALX320DX TRI Wheel Set is available in 700c and TRI 650c, both built with aluminum axle butterfly-shaped hubs.Butterfly-shaped hubs with AL-7075 axle and cassette bodyRim is 26mm tall and 19.3mm wide, CNC-machined sidewallRim manufactured with Alex EXA aluminum materialClincher rim includes alloy quick-release skewerShimano 8, 9 and 10 speed compatible cassette bodyCampagnolo …

Triathlon Revolution $21.04 Mountaineers Books – Triathlon Revolution – 106155

Speed 4R Triathlon Belt $50 The Nathan Speed 4R Triathlon Belt: The best gets better.

Triathlon and Multi-Sport Shoe $129.95 This entry-level, triathlon/duathlon racing shoe has the best balance of rigidity,

IRONMAN Triathlon 100-Lap Flix Watch $74.95 This is the Timex IRONMAN Triathlon 100-Lap Flix Watch.

Lake CX211 Triathlon Shoes $110 Lake CX211 Triathlon Shoes. The CX211 tri shoe from Lake is made for fast transitions and comfortable bike rides.