A method of manufacturing a lightweight wheel with high strength flexible spokes of the present invention, includes providing a rim and hub, and a plurality of lightweight, flexible and resilient spokes between the rim and hub made of fibrous material that causes the spokes to be both lighter in weight and stronger than comparable steel spokes. The wheel includes a nipple within the rim that receives the high strength spoke and allows for flexibility in adapting the spoke to wheels having differing shapes and sizes.

A process for manufacturing a bicycle wheel component, comprising the steps of providing a component having at least one braking area that cooperates with a braking body made by molding of composite material having structural fibers in a polymeric material, and post-molding machining of at least one region of the braking area by removing only polymeric material, without removal of the structural fiber, from the entire region so that the structural fiber outcrops at least in part from the polymeric material, and removing the structural fiber and possibly the polymeric material according to at least one groove within the region. A bicycle wheel component having a braking area of composite material, wherein in a region of the braking area, the structural fiber outcrops at least from the polymeric material, and the region comprises a groove through the structural fiber and possibly the polymeric material of the composite material.

A rim for a bicycle wheel includes a radially inner portion disposed along an inner circumference of the rim. The rim also includes a first sidewall and a second sidewall spaced apart from the first sidewall. The first sidewall and the second sidewall extend radially outward from the radially inner portion. The first sidewall includes a layer of a composite material. The layer of the composite material includes fabric plies of the composite material that are shaped as strips. The composite material includes a matrix of a polymer-based material and fibers of a reinforcing material. The strips include a first strip and a second strip. The second strip is adjacent to the first strip within the layer of the composite material. The second strip is nonparallel to the first strip.

An aerodynamic bicycle rim comprising: a circumferential outer portion comprising a circumferential outer surface, the circumferential outer portion adapted to seat a bicycle tire; a nose; and a set of sidewalls, each sidewall extending radially from the nose of the aerodynamic bicycle rim to a corresponding transition to the circumferential outer surface to form a rim body having a maximum rim body width that is greater than a maximum width of the bicycle tire. The aerodynamic bicycle rim is operable to seat the bicycle tire so that the aerodynamic bicycle rim and the bicycle tire form an asymmetrical cross-sectional shape.

The present invention relates to an energy transfer system, in particular in the form of an energy efficient wheel for use with a vehicle such as a bicycle, which energy transfer system is operable to convert potential energy in the form of the load applied by the weight of the person on the vehicle into kinetic energy in the form of driving torque applied to the wheel, the system including an inner hub and an outer hub eccentrically coupled to the inner hub, in addition to a rim connected to the outer hub via an array of spokes, wherein an actuator comprising a pair of flanges extends radially outwardly from the inner hub and an array of lever arms are hingedly mounted to the outer hub and engaged by the actuator such as to be hingedly displaceable by the actuator in response to relative movement between the inner and outer hubs, and a spring captured between each lever arm and one of the spokes.

A bicycle rim printing apparatus comprises a non-contact printer to print a non-contact printed deposit to an annular rim body, a rim holder to hold the annular rim body, and a rotational actuator to rotate the rim holder relative to the non-contact printer about a rotational axis.

A bicycle wheel includes a hub, a rim and spoke members extending between the hub and the rim; the hub comprising a plurality of hub members, wherein the wheel comprises three or more sectors, each sector comprising a circumferential rim section, an axial hub member and one or more spoke members extending between the hub member and the rim portion, wherein the wheel may be moved between a deployed configuration and a fully collapsed configuration, wherein in the deployed configuration the rim portions form a continuous circular rim of the wheel, wherein in the fully collapsed configuration the rim portions are arranged side by side in an axially adjacent arrangement, and wherein the hub members engage and form an axially expandable or collapsible hub.

An intelligent automatic processing apparatus for spoke holes of bicycle rims is revealed. The apparatus includes a seat pivotally connected to a machine body and provided with a rotary base. A rim is clamped and fixed by clamping jaws on the rotary base and a control unit drives an incline unit to incline the seat connected at an angle desired for control of slopes of holes being drilled. The control unit also drives a rotary indexing power source to rotate the rotary base at different angles according to the numbers and positions of spoke holes desired. Thus a drilling assembly drills the spoke holes on the rim. Thereby the spoke holes with various angles can be drilled on different positions of the rim by the control unit which adjusts positions and inclination angles of the rim accurately. Therefore, the drilling of the spoke holes is more convenient.

The bicycle hub assembly includes a hub axle, a hub body, a bearing unit, a lock member, and a tool engagement member. The bearing unit is configured to rotatably support the hub body around the hub axle with respect to the rotational center axis. The bearing unit includes an outer race, an inner race and a plurality of rolling members. The lock member prevents the inner race of the bearing unit from rotating relative to the hub axle. The lock member has an outer peripheral surface. The tool engagement member is configured to rotate the inner race of the bearing unit relative to the hub axle. The tool engagement member has an inner peripheral surface. The inner peripheral surface of the tool engagement member is disposed radially outwardly relative to the outer peripheral surface of the lock member.

A rim for a bicycle wheel includes a radially inner portion disposed along an inner circumference of the rim, a first sidewall, and a second sidewall spaced apart form the first sidewall. The first sidewall and the second sidewall extend radially outward from the radially inner portion. The radially inner portion includes a stack of strips of material. The stack of strips includes a plurality of strips and a hole through the plurality of strips. The plurality of strips are nonparallel to each other. The plurality of strips are positioned about the hole through the plurality of strips.