Spoked wheel for a bicycle

Abstract

A spoked wheel for a bicycle is described herein, comprising a hub, a rim and a plurality of spokes that connect the hub to the rim. The spokes comprise a first set of spokes arranged on one side of the wheel, made up of spokes connected to a first portion of the hub, and a second set of spokes arranged on the other side of the wheel, made up of spokes connected to a second portion of the hub. The second hub portion is set at an axial distance from said first portion. The spokes of the first set are grouped together into pairs set at angular distances apart from one another with the spokes of each pair that have their outer ends set close to one another.

1 . A bicycle wheel comprising:
 a hub having an axis (X) and first and second portions on different sides of a median plane (M) which is perpendicular to the axis (X);   a rim;   a plurality of spokes, arranged in sets of spokes, connecting the hub to the rim;   a first set of said spokes connecting the first portion of the hub to the rim on a first side of the median plane; and   a second set of said spokes connecting the second portion of the hub to the rim on a second side of the median plane,   
     each set of said spokes arranged so that no spoke of the other set is interposed and that the spokes on each side of the median plane produce generally equal forces in opposite directions along the axis (X) that maintain the rim centered about the median plane. 
   
   
       2 . The wheel of  claim 1 , wherein the spokes of each group of spokes, viewed in the direction of the wheel's axis, have an arrangement that is specular with respect to a radial plane of symmetry. 
   
   
       3 . The wheel of  claim 2 , wherein in each set of spokes, the spokes connected to at least one of the two hub portions include a spoke which, when viewed in the direction of the wheel's axis, is set at the center between two sets, in said radial plane of symmetry. 
   
   
       4 . The wheel of  claim 1 , wherein spokes on the second side of the median plane extend radially from the hub to the rim when viewed along the axis. 
   
   
       5 . The wheel of  claim 1 , wherein the spokes of the first and second sets of spokes are arranged in pairs. 
   
   
       6 . The wheel of  claim 5 , wherein the spoke pairs of the first set are connected to a hub portion on the first side of the median plane and the spoke pairs of the second set are connected to a hub portion on the second side of the median plane, said hub portions set at an axial distance apart. 
   
   
       7 . The wheel of  claim 5 , wherein tensile forces of the spokes of each set of spokes have components of force in the direction of the axis of the wheel and are substantially balanced with one another. 
   
   
       8 . The wheel of  claim 6 , wherein tensile forces of the spoke pairs connected to the hub portion on the first side of the median plane are substantially equal to one another. 
   
   
       9 . The wheel of  claim 6 , wherein the sum of tensile forces of the spokes connected to the hub portion on the first side of the median plane and tensile force of the spokes connected to the hub portion on the second side of the median plane have their tensile force components in a plane containing the axis of the wheel, and wherein the components are in a ratio with respect to one another that is substantially equal and inverse to the ratio of the sines of respective angles of inclination with respect to said median plane. 
   
   
       10 . The wheel of  claim 4 , wherein the wheel is a rear bicycle wheel and wherein the spokes are oriented with all of the radially extending spokes on the same hub portion, so that one hub portion has twice the number of spokes than the other hub portion. 
   
   
       11 . The wheel of  claim 10 , wherein the hub portion with twice the number of spokes than the other is the hub potion corresponding to the end of the hub which accepts a sprocket cassette. 
   
   
       12 . The wheel of  claim 1 , wherein the spokes connecting the first hub portion to the rim and the spokes connecting the second hub portion to the rim have identical angular positions. 
   
   
       13 . The wheel of  claim 12 , wherein the spokes converge at a point on the rim. 
   
   
       14 . The wheel of  claim 1 , wherein the spokes connecting the first hub portion to the rim and the spokes connecting the second hub portion to the rim are alternately arranged between spoke pairs and single spokes on the same hub portion. 
   
   
       15 . A bicycle wheel comprising:
 a hub having an axis and first and second portions situated on either side of a median plane perpendicular to the axis;   a rim;   a plurality of spokes that connect the rim to the hub that are arranged in first and second sets, the spokes of the first set attached to the first hub portion and the spokes of the second set attached to the second hub portion; the spokes of the first set being arranged in pairs evenly spaced apart on the rim.   
   
   
       16 . The wheel of  claim 15 , wherein the spokes of the second set are individually arranged on the rim between two spoke pairs of the first set. 
   
   
       17 . The wheel of  claim 15 , wherein the spokes of the second set are arranged in pairs on the rim between two spoke pairs of the first set. 
   
   
       18 . The wheel of  claim 16 , wherein the spokes of the first set converge at a point on the rim. 
   
   
       19 . The wheel of  claim 16 , wherein the spokes of the second set extend radially from the hub to the rim when viewed along the axis.