PCPaul wrote:
....

Good answer ;-)

I'd obviously much prefer to use the real thing, but paying £100+ for an
alloy wheel - no tyre, no bearing, no axle! strikes me as ridiculous.
....

As another poster noted, the bicycle wheel relies on the (inflated) tire
for much of it's integrity under load.

I think the only way you could make it work would be to have a tensioned
banding around the rim to serve the purpose--if you could arrange that
w/ sufficient stiffness and tension, you might have a chance.

In essence you would need a 12" hose clamp of the right width w/ the
tightening mechanism flush w/ the outer edge...ottomh, I'm not sure how
one would arrange that easily...

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