DIYbanter - View Single Post

B A R R Y

wrote:

No experience, but my thought is that the reason they went from iron
wheels to aluminum was price, not because less mass is better. More
mass in the wheels means better cutting for thicker stuff.

Right!

And I know
that bike wheels depend on the inflated tire for a great deal of their
cohesiveness. After riding for a half mile on a flat tire, I can
attest to that. :-)

Actually, the tire simply protects the wheel from direct impact damage.
With no air, you most likely collected impact damage to a marginally
built wheel. Once the rim is bent, the spoke tension gets tossed all
over the place, allowing the wheel to quickly disintegrate. The
inflated tire doesn't really add much strength.

If you ever saw what a good wheel builder can do to a correctly built
wheel, to check the durability with no tire installed, you'd surely be
impressed.