| For most casual riders a wheel which is strong and | | | | does play an important part. For example, take a look |
| durable while being lightweight and relatively cheap is | | | | at a mountain bike rim compared to a road bike rim. It's |
| the ideal combination. However, if you are a more | | | | much wider, and this gives it greater strength but at |
| serious rider then the answer to the question is a lot | | | | the expense of more weight. If you want to enhance |
| more complicated. Are you a hill climber, a time trialist, a | | | | the strength of your wheels then the best way to |
| track expert or a downhill expert? | | | | achieve that is to increase the number of spokes and |
| If you are racing then you might think the obvious | | | | then make them as tight as possible to help them |
| answer is a fast wheel. But what is a fast wheel? | | | | resist impacts and therefore damage to the wheel rim. |
| Again, it depends on the scenario. A fast wheel in the | | | | So what else do you need to look for when buying |
| world of hill climbing is going to be ultra light. But an ultra | | | | your next set of wheels? Well, the hub is another |
| light wheel is not going to be fast at all on the track or | | | | important part. It should be made of aluminum and it |
| during a time trial event, and it certainly won't be any | | | | should be forged rather than machined. Aluminum |
| good on gravel or a downhill course because lightness | | | | because it is lighter and easier to lace up with spokes |
| usually also means a lack of strength. | | | | due to the ability to deform the flange. You can get all |
| So, you need to decide on your purpose before going | | | | sorts of great looking shapes with a machined hub but |
| off and choosing a wheelset to buy. If you are a | | | | it won't be as strong as a properly forged hub. |
| specialist in a particular riding discipline then you might | | | | You will mainly have a choice of steel or aluminium |
| find your choice fairly easy to make but if you like to | | | | rims but you should steer well clear of steel rims. They |
| compete at multiple disciplines then you may want to | | | | will last longer due to the walls not wearing out due to |
| consider investing in several different wheelsets to suit | | | | braking but they are not effective under braking when |
| each purpose. | | | | it is wet. You can combat this slightly by having leather |
| Another thing to take into consideration is your body | | | | brake blocks but these will wear out exceptionally |
| weight. Heavier riders of more than say 180lbs body | | | | quickly. |
| weight will need to consider the strength of their | | | | Another thing to consider with rims is ceramic coating. |
| wheels. Strength for a heavy rider is likely to be more | | | | There are some advantages to this. For example an |
| important than lightness as in order to do well in an | | | | aluminum rim that has been given a ceramic coating |
| event or even to win it you need to guarantee that | | | | will last a lot longer than the bare aluminum rim. It will |
| you will finish the course. This is especially true for | | | | also be more effective at braking in the wet. However, |
| off-road events as the last thing you need is a dented | | | | there are also a couple of downsides. The first is the |
| rim. | | | | cost. Ceramic coated wheels are expensive. The |
| The strength of a bike wheel comes mainly from the | | | | second downside is heat. In an uncoated rim, heat is |
| spokes. You may find some people talking about the | | | | transferred to the metal of the rim and is then naturally |
| virtues of less spokes equalling less weight etc, but | | | | dissipated. A ceramic coating though prevents this and |
| that's not necessarily true because if you reduce the | | | | so the heat stays in the brake block and brake blocks |
| number of spokes then you will have to compensate | | | | can melt. This means you will probably need to invest |
| with stronger rims which means more material used in | | | | in special brake blocks which are able to cope with the |
| their construction which means more weight. Also, if | | | | heat. However, if you do this, you will find that braking |
| you are going to submit your wheels to impacts on the | | | | performance is not as good in the dry as with a bare |
| course, which is likely if you are taking part in a downhill | | | | aluminum rim. Ah, choices, choices. |
| event then you will need to consider spoke tension. | | | | So, as I said before there are no easy answers. It |
| The higher the tension, the more resistant to impacts | | | | depends what your wheel will be used for and it will |
| the wheel will be. | | | | depend on how much money you have to invest. |
| It's not all in the spokes though, the strength of the rim | | | | |