A vehicle wheel having a rim, a hub, a plurality of spokes extending between said rim and said hub, rim and/or hub includes a spoke bed wall with an outboard bed surface, an inboard bed surface, and a spoke hole therethrough having a longitudinally inboard entrance. The spoke includes: a first spoke portion and a second spoke portion longitudinally inboard of the first spoke portion and laterally outboard of the first spoke portion, including a transition surface therebetween. The spoke extends through the spoke hole and at least a portion of the transition surface is longitudinally outboard of the inboard entrance and the spoke is connected to the rim and/or hub at the first spoke portion.

A hub is provided for a human-powered vehicle, and includes a hub axle, a rotating body, a bearing, an inner retainer and an outer retainer. The rotating body is rotatably mounted on the hub axle. The bearing rotatably coupling the rotating body to the hub axle. The bearing includes an inner race, an outer race and a plurality of roller elements. The inner race has an axially facing portion abutting an inner abutment of the hub axle. The outer race has an axially facing portion abutting an outer abutment of the rotating body. The roller elements are disposed between the inner race and the outer race. The inner retainer is coupled to the hub axle and abuts an axially facing portion of the inner race. The outer retainer is coupled to the rotating body and abuts an axially facing portion of the outer race.

A bicycle wheel rim made at least partially of a stratified composite material comprising structural fibers incorporated in a polymeric matrix. At least one opening, which passes through at least one first layer of composite material, is provided and at least one spoke attachment hole, which passes through at least one second layer of composite material, is also provided. The spoke attachment hole is completely contained within the opening in the first layer. A related manufacturing process is also described.

A bicycle wheel rim, comprising a wall made of composite material having a plurality of perforated spoke-attachment seats, wherein each perforated seat is delimited by at least one first area comprising an amassment of continuous structural fibers and at least one second area circumferentially spaced apart from said first area and comprising cut structural fibers. A process for manufacturing the aforementioned rim is also disclosed.

An insert for the rim of a spoked bicycle wheel that has a spoke hole. The insert has a portion configured to abut against a spoke attachment element with an enlarged head and a holding element that prevents movement of the spoke attachment along said longitudinal axis of the spoke hole.

Disclosed herein are systems and techniques for producing complex components using a reinforced thermoplastic material. The complex components can include contoured or curved outer surfaces, and in some cases define a cavity. In certain examples, one or more thermoplastic materials are arranged to form a wheel component, such as that adapted to define a rim of the bicycle. Thermal bonding can be used to join multiple reinforced thermoplastic materials to one another in order to form a cavity of the wheel component or other complex shape. In certain examples, a portion of a tooling assembly can be pressurized to maintain a shape of the cavity during thermal bonding and cooling. This can remove the need for a sacrificial bladder or other structure that would maintain the shape of the cavity, allowing for a seamless final component, optionally absent indicia of bladder exit or other seams.

A spoke attachment flange for a bicycle wheel hub and a method for mounting spokes on the flange are disclosed. The flange has an annular body with a plurality of seats for housing enlarged spoke heads. At least one seat has an access opening configured to allow the insertion of the enlarged head in the seat. An outlet opening on the annular body is configured to allow a stem of the spoke to exit from the seat. The access opening and the outlet opening are connected through a connection channel that extends from the access opening towards the outlet opening without reaching a radially outer surface.

The present invention discloses a carbon fiber spoke and a manufacturing method thereof. The carbon fiber spoke includes a spoke body made of carbon fiber, a screw bushing that is fit and connected with rim and a nut cap bushing that is fit and connected with the hub. Two end parts of the spoke body are provided with solid joints. The outside surface of the solid joint is provided with a first tapered section. The screw bushing and the nut cap bushing are provided with penetrable mounting holes. The hole wall surrounding the mounting hole is provided with a second tapered section. The mounting hole of the screw bushing and the mounting hole of the nut cap bushing are respectively fixed to the two solid joints; the second tapered section of the mounting hole and the first tapered section of the solid joint are fit and connected together.

A bicycle disc wheel includes two discs respectively formed of two composite material layers with a foam material bonded between the two composite material layers, a wheel frame arranged between the two discs in a concentric manner; and a spoke frame composed of a plurality of I-shaped ribs and sandwiched between the two discs. Each I-shaped rib is composed of a foam material and a composite material cladded on the foam material. Each I-shaped rib has a relatively wider opposite upper and lower sides and a relatively narrower middle section when it is viewed from the cross section, and the relatively wider opposite upper and lower sides of each I-shaped rib are respectively attached to the respective inner side of the two discs.

Disclosed herein are systems and techniques for producing complex components using a reinforced thermoplastic material. The complex components can include contoured or curved outer surfaces, and in some cases define a cavity. In certain examples, one or more thermoplastic materials are arranged to form a wheel component, such as that adapted to define a rim of the bicycle. Thermal bonding can be used to join multiple reinforced thermoplastic materials to one another in order to form a cavity of the wheel component or other complex shape. In certain examples, a portion of a tooling assembly can be pressurized to maintain a shape of the cavity during thermal bonding and cooling. This can remove the need for a sacrificial bladder or other structure that would maintain the shape of the cavity, allowing for a seamless final component, optionally absent indicia of bladder exit or other seams.