Bicycle wheel
part · 1870 · Electric age
A light spoked wheel with a hub on bearings and a tyre.
What it is made of
- Spoke — has part. Spokes are tensioned between the rim and the hub and carry the load.
- Ball bearing — has part. The wheel hub turns on ball bearings.
- Pneumatic tyre — has part. The tyre softens bumps and improves grip.
- Hub gear — has part. Hubs with gears.
- Inner tube — has part. Inside the tyre is an inner tube: the air pumped into it makes the wheel soft.
Principles and materials it uses
- Steel — is made of. The rim and spokes are steel.
- Vulcanized rubber — is made of. The tyre is rubber.
Where it is used
- Bicycle — is part of. Two wheels: the front one steers, the rear one drives.
- Folding bicycle — is part of. Small-diameter wheels.
History: what it evolved from and what it influenced
- Spoked wheel — evolved from. The bicycle wheel inherited spokes, but in tension rather than compression.
What it is a kind of
- Wheel — is a kind of. A kind of wheel.
Things built in a similar way
- Ferris wheel — works like. A giant wheel with spokes in tension.