Analysis for design of spoked bicycle wheels

Analysis of spoke wheels has received no attention in contemporary technical archival literature, yet the modern bicycle begs professional attention. This issue is addressed using exact structural elements within the finite element method. Results important to design are presented for a 32-spoke tension wheel of radial and tangential spoke configurations and for a series of compression spoke wheels. Deflections and internal load distributions for fundamental rolling load inputs are given and compared. It is found that either wheel offers practicable structural performance, but each is unique and it serves little purpose to design one to meet characteristics of the other.