Cycling wheels vary in size, construction, and materials depending on their purpose. Road cycling wheels are taller, lighter, and thinner with flat spokes, while mountain bike wheels are wider and stronger. Some road cycling wheels are disc wheels made of carbon fiber, and some mountain bike wheels are designed for tubeless tires.
Cycling wheels will vary significantly in size, construction, and materials, depending on the specific purpose for which they will be used. Some cycling wheels are designed specifically for mountain biking, while others are designed for road cycling, leisure cycling, winter cycling or other types of cycling where a specific wheel design may be required. The three most common industrial sizes are 26-inch wheels, 29-inch wheels, and 700c wheels; 700c wheels are road-specific cycling wheels, while 26-inch and 29-inch wheels are commonly found on mountain bikes and leisure bikes.
Road cycling wheels are taller than mountain bike wheels and are also much lighter and thinner. This is done to promote aerodynamics and reduce rotational weight that can otherwise slow the rider down. Some road cycling wheels have flat spokes, which are flattened and positioned so that air can run over them with little resistance, much like an airplane wing. The lacing pattern of these spokes, or the position in which the spokes connect to the rim, will vary according to the specific wheelset, although a three-cross pattern is more common; This means that one spoke will cross over or under three other spokes before connecting to the rim.
Some road cycling wheels do not have spokes at all. These wheels are known as disc wheels and are often made of carbon fiber. The wheel is solid yet lightweight, and is designed this way to reduce as much aerodynamic drag as possible. These wheels are very expensive and are generally only used on certain types of racing bikes, such as time trial bikes. The front wheel on such bikes sometimes features a tri-spoke pattern, in which three large carbon spokes connect the hub to the rim instead of several smaller, skinnier spokes. These types of wheels often feature tubular tires, which are tires designed to act as both a tire and a tube. Such tires must be glued to the rim.
Mountain bike wheels are wider, heavier, and stronger than road cycling wheels because they’re likely to take hit after hit while out on the trails. Some mountain bikes, such as downhill-specific mountain bikes, feature extra-wide, high-strength tires to withstand the heavier impacts such a bike will experience. Racing mountain bikes often feature lightweight wheels, sometimes with bladed spokes, and some rims are designed to run tubeless tires; therefore, the inside of the rim has no openings, so air cannot escape when a tubeless tire is mounted on it.
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