Wheels
Nothing is more important for the effortless progress of your bicycle as
its wheels. What exactly determines the optimal rolling of the wheels?
The following list summarises the main components of the wheel:
·
Bicycle tire without an inner tube
·
Tubular tire (for racing bikes with a special rim)
·
Traditional bicycle tires with an inner tube
·
Rim
·
Wheel hub
·
Spokes and spoke nut
At the centre of the wheel lies the hub, which rotates around a spindle
with the help of bearings. The hub is secured to the centre of the rim
with spokes. The tire consists of the following parts: tread, inner tube,
and rim strip. A new development is the appearance of rubber tires
without an inner tube, which have long been used on cars and
motorcycles.
The rim, spokes, hub, and tire are selected mainly based on safety and
reliability aspects. The wheels of your bicycle are exposed to a major
load.
Even if the wheel has been carefully assembled and trued, its spokes
will become loose with initial use. It is important therefore to have the
wheel re-trued at a specialist service centre after approx. 100-200 km,
as this greatly extends the service life of the wheel. The uniform
tightness of the spokes and the regular rolling of the wheel (it is not out
of true) must be checked during subsequent maintenance sessions, as
well.
Spokes
Spokes connect the rim to the hub. The wheel will reach its required
stability only if the spokes are tightened correctly.
Each spoke tries to pull the rim towards the hub. Since all spokes try to
do this at the same time and with the same force, in the end none of the
spokes will move the hub. When external forces arise, the hub, rim, and
spokes act in harmony. The arising force is distributed, and every
element needs to bear only a small part of it. The weight of the cyclist
slightly compresses the rim in the contact area with the road, which
takes the load off the spokes above it. The non-uniform distribution of
force is automatically balanced by the wheel, which places a larger load
on the other spokes.
Spokes might break if the wheel is subjected to great stress. As a result,
the tightness of spokes will not be uniform around the wheel, and the
rim will “knock” sideways or upwards.
Only by replacing the spoke(s) in question and re-trueing the wheel can
the desired performance of the wheel be secured.
Replacing a spoke and re-trueing a wheel requires dexterity and
experience. If you would rather not perform this setting by
yourself, turn to a specialist service centre!
The incorrect alignment of the wheel (e.g. it “knocks” or is out of
true) puts you in danger. With brake systems in which the brake
pads touch the side of the rim, the brake may get stuck between the
rims, which immediately blocks the wheel, causing a serious accident
risk!
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ENGLISH
