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		Rolling Support - Bike Spokes Spokes on a wheel give support and strength - both factors tied to MSE. They look simple - wires strung out to support a wheel. The design has been there for over a hundred years. But to understand the properties, behavior, and manufacture of spokes, one needs to delve rather deeply into the subject of materials science. What is so important about spokes? Support, weight, and drag. And a few other things. What are spokes made of? The obvious answer is steel, but there are two kinds of steel used: stainless steel and carbon steel. The choice depends on what the rider thinks is more important: corrosion resistance or fatigue failure resistance. Each factor is a fundamental of MSE principles. How are spokes made, and how does it relate to MSE? The manufacture of spokes begins with the process of wire-drawing, but it doesn't end there. Several MSE-related issues arise when drawing wire. Find out more. Why Spokes are important Spokes give a bike support while reducing weight and drag. A solid metal wheel would adversely affect the aerodynamics (when turning) and weight of the bicycle. Solid polymer wheels have been developed, but that is a recent advance limited to racing and a few other uses. The mainstay of the bicycle world remains the spoke. Spoked wheels have been around since the days of the horse and wagon. There is one important difference between a wagon wheel and a bicycle wheel, however - that is how the spoke attaches to the rim. In a wagon wheel, spokes are radially attached, but in a bicycle wheel they are attached tangentially. This difference drastically alters how the spoke bears the load of the wheel. The wagon wheel bears all its load through the compression of the bottom spoke. The bicycle wheel's bottom spoke is the unloaded spoke, with the load being distributed evenly across all the other spokes. Site related questions or comments? Contact crc@tms.org