| The first bicycle wheels were from a horse drawn | | | | and aerodynamics and a very beautiful looking bicycle |
| cart, made of wood with a metal band round the | | | | rim. As with most things if money is no problem you |
| bicycle rim, very hard and very uncomfortable to ride. | | | | can go for the best, this would be an all carbon rim, |
| Then a man called Dunlop (Scottish) invented the | | | | strong and very light, but there are a few problems |
| pneumatic tire, this along with Macadam (another | | | | with these rims, first they don?t brake so well in wet |
| Scot) inventing the tar road surface made cycling a | | | | conditions and you must use special brake blocks for |
| lot more comfortable. | | | | carbon and they can be expensive, also the rim has |
| The bicycle rim, like the bicycle frame hasn?t changed | | | | to be perfectly round and not have any bulges in the |
| much in design, its still round and always will be. From | | | | rim wall as this will make braking quite erratic, carbon |
| the first wooden rims the next were made of steel, | | | | is a difficult material to work with and must be well |
| then alloy and now if you can afford it, carbon. Of all | | | | looked after. |
| bicycle parts the bicycle rim can make a big | | | | Types Of Rim To Consider |
| difference to how your bike handles. First the weight | | | | There are also two types of rim to consider and this |
| of your rim affects your sprinting and climbing as the | | | | depends on which kind of tire you want to use, first |
| weight will low you down, for a long, flat effort the | | | | there are tubular tires these are glued on to the |
| weight isn?t so important as when you get the | | | | bicycle rim, cost more and are difficult to repair after |
| wheels rolling the weight can help to keep them | | | | a puncture, but for racing they feel and ride |
| going. The shape of the rim can be important also, a | | | | wonderfully. Clincher tires have improved a lot |
| flat rim is best for climbing as aerodynamics are not | | | | recently and are nearly as good as tubulars for |
| so important on a hill, a deep section, aero, rim will | | | | performance and are easily repairable and more |
| help you cut through the air, but in a cross wind could | | | | reasonably priced. Most manufacturers make all styles |
| cause you handling problems. | | | | in both systems. |
| Bicycle Rims Materials | | | | So which should I buy? Not an easy answer, as there |
| The different materials used for rims are very | | | | is so much to choose from, years ago you went to |
| important also, steel is heavy and if damaged can be | | | | your local bike shop, picked out which hubs, spokes |
| difficult to pull back into shape, but because its so | | | | and rims you wanted and he would build your wheels, |
| strong it is quite difficult to bend in the first place and | | | | but now most rim makers also manufacture there |
| steel is cheaper than all the other materials. Alloy is | | | | own wheel sets, Mavic, Shimano and Campagnolo are |
| probably the most popular rim, it can be made in any | | | | probably the best known, check out there web-sites |
| shape and profile, flat or aero, but not too deep as it | | | | for all there new goodies, there are other brands and |
| would then weigh too much, most deep section rims | | | | if you go to your local cycle shop or look in the bike |
| are of a alloy braking section nearest the tire which is | | | | magazines you?ll find them. There is a lot to choose |
| then mounted to a carbon deep section for lightness | | | | form, but they are all round. |