''The Bicycle Wheel'' is a treatise on

wheelbuilding Wheelbuilding is the process of assembling wire wheels (generally a bicycle wheel, but including wheelchairs, and some cars). The components of a wire wheel are the rim, spokes, nipples, and hub. Goals The wheelwright must ensure that the ...

Jobst Brandt Jobst Brandt (January 14, 1935 – May 5, 2015) was an American mechanical engineer, inventor, bicycle enthusiast, educator, and author. Early life Brandt was born in New York City, where his father, the German-born agricultural economist Karl B ...

Overview

''The Bicycle Wheel'' is an educational book that explains the structural theory of a

wire wheel Wire wheels, wire-spoked wheels, tension-spoked wheels, or "suspension" wheels are wheels whose rims connect to their hubs by wire spokes. Although these wires are generally stiffer than a typical wire rope, they function mechanically the sa ...

, and teaches the practical methodology of building bicycle wheels. The book is made up of three parts. Part one, 'Theory of the Spoked Wheel', examines how a wire wheel supports various loads, what causes wheel failure, what aspects of a wheel confer strength and durability, discusses each of the individual components that make up a spoked wheel, and examines wheel design. Part two, 'Building and Repairing Wheels', explains how to select components, how to build a wheel, and how to repair various forms of damage. Part three, 'Equations and Tests', provides a mathematical analysis of spoked wheels.

Reception

''The Bicycle Wheel'' is considered by many to be the premier resource on building bicycle wheels. Noted bicycle mechanic and technical expert Sheldon Brown called it "the near-definitive text on the theory and practice of building spoked bicycle wheels."Articles by Jobst Brandt
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bicycle Wheel, The 1981 non-fiction books Bicycles