Bicycle wheel Bicycle wheel A bicycle wheel is a wheel, most commonly a wire wheel, designed for a bicycle. A pair is often called a wheelset, especially in the context of ready built "off the shelf" performance-oriented wheels. Bicycle wheels are typically designed to fit into the frame and fork via dropouts, and hold bicycle tires. The first bicycle wheels followed the traditions of carriage building: a wooden hub, a fixed steel axle (the bearings were located in the fork ends), wooden spokes and a shrink fitted iron tire. A typical modern wheel has a metal hub, wire tension spokes and a
The Bicycle Wheel The Bicycle Wheel The Bicycle Wheel is a treatise on wheelbuilding by Jobst Brandt. "The Bicycle Wheel" is an educational book that explains the structural theory of a wire wheel, and teaches the practical methodology of building bicycle wheels. The book is made up of three parts. Part one, 'Theory of the Spoked Wheel', examines how a wire wheel supports various loads, what causes wheel failure, what aspects of a wheel confer strength and durability, discusses each of the individual components that make up a spoked wheel, and examines wheel design. Part two, 'Building and Repairing Wheels', explains how to