Road Bike Wheels: What to Know
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Posted by freeamfva jack - Filed in Arts & Culture - 686 views
With a long list of tangible benefits, it's no surprise optimizing rolling stock is one of the most popular modifications undertaken by riders. The wheels on your bike literally keep you moving and have a considerable impact on your ride quality. Sure the drivetrain will push you along, and the frame will also have a significant impact on ride quality, but the wheels are the first element of the bike to feel road vibrations, surface imperfections and changes in terrain.To get more news about Carbon rims, you can visit zpebicycle.com official website.
One of the most important traits of a wheelset is its role in transferring your efforts on the bike to an outcome on the road, so matching the right wheels for your riding style is important, as is having a reliable set that still offers sound levels of performance.
So before you go shelling out for a shiny new set of hoops, give this buyer's guide a read for everything you need to know about road bike wheels.A bicycle wheel consists of four main components, all of which have an influence on weight, performance, and durability. Upgrading (or downgrading) these components can affect the ride quality, your effort output (speed) and braking performance so it's worth knowing a little about each, and how that relates to improved performance on the road.
Rim: The wheel's rim sits on the outside of the wheel and has two main functions; to hold the tire and provide a braking surface (for rim-brake bikes, not disc-equipped bikes). The rim width will affect the tire width which could have a significant impact on rider comfort, and the material of braking surface will impact braking performance.
Hub: The hub sits at the center and provides the axis of rotation. Within each hub, front and back, is the axle which attaches the wheel to the bike. On the rear wheel the hub features splines which a cassette attaches to. The bike's chain wraps around the sprockets of the cassette, and in association with the crankset and shifters, forms the bikes drivetrain which propels it forward. As well as propelling the bike forward, all road bike wheels (excluding fixed-wheel bikes) will use a rear hub with a 'freehub' mechanism which allows the bike to coast.
Spokes: Material that connects the hub and rim. The number of spokes will vary between front and rear wheels, the rear often featuring more spokes to improve strength and stiffness. More spokes typically means a stronger wheel but that comes with a weight penalty. Spokes are made from varying materials and come in different shapes to either optimize strength or improve aerodynamics, sometimes both. Most commonly spokes are made with steel wire, but can vary greatly in shape and diameter.
Nipples: Spokes attach to the wheel via a special nut called a 'nipple'. Nipples are important for adjusting spoke tension which will 'true' a wheel, making it straight when spun.