The first bicycle wheels were from a horse drawn cart, made of wood with a metal band round the bicycle rim, very hard and very uncomfortable to ride. Then a man called Dunlop (Scottish) invented the pneumatic tire, this along with Macadam (another Scot) inventing the tar path surface made cycling a lot more comfortable.

The bicycle rim, like the bicycle frame hasnt changed much in design, its still round and always will be. From the first wooden rims the next were made of steel, then alloy and now if you might afford it, carbon. Of all bicycle parts the bicycle rim can build a big difference to how your bike handles. First the weight of your rim affects your sprinting and climbing as the weight will low you down, for a long, flat effort the weight isnt so important as when you get the wheels rolling the weight may help to keep them going. The shape of the rim can be important also, a flat rim is best for climbing as aerodynamics are not so important on a hill, a deep section, aero, rim will help you cut through the air, but in a cross wind could cause you handling problems.

Bicycle Rims Materials

The different materials used for rims are very important also, steel is heavy and if damaged could be difficult to pull back into shape, but because its so strong it is quite difficult to bend in the first place and steel is cheaper than all the other materials. Alloy is most likely the most popular rim, it can be made in any shape and profile, flat or aero, but not too deep as it would then weigh too much, most deep section rims are of a alloy braking section nearest the tire which is then mounted to a carbon deep section for lightness and aerodynamics and a very beautiful looking bicycle rim. As with most things if funds is no problem you might go for the best, this would be an all carbon rim, strong and very light, but there are a few problems with these rims, first they do not brake so well in wet conditions and you must utilize special brake blocks for carbon and they can be expensive, also the rim has to be perfectly round and not have any bulges in the rim wall as this will build braking quite erratic, carbon is a difficult material to work with and must be well looked after.

Types Of Rim To Consider

There are also two types of rim to consider and this depends on which kind of tire you want to utilize, first there are tubular tires these are glued on to the bicycle rim, cost more and are difficult to repair after a puncture, but for racing they feel and ride wonderfully. Clincher tires have improved a lot recently and are nearly as successful as tubulars for performance and are easily repairable and more reasonably priced. Most manufacturers build all styles in both systems.

So which should I buy? Not an effortless answer, as there is so much to choose from, decades ago you went to your local bike shop, picked out which hubs, spokes and rims you wanted and he would generate your wheels, but now most rim makers also manufacture there own wheel sets, Mavic, Shimano and Campagnolo are probably the best known, check out there web-sites for all there new goodies, there are other brands and if you go to your local cycle shop or look in the bike magazines you will find them. There is a lot to choose form, but they are all round.