[wordfarmer]

Riding bike is an obsession with me, like it is for many of you reading this. But I am very bad with hands-on stuff, tools, even understanding how things work. Fortunately my riding comrades are knowledgeable where I am not (and possessors of many tools). But they don't know the intricacies of wheels, and that's what I'm curious about. What is wheel 'building?' (I told you I didn't know anything) and what is inside the hub that makes them so important (and expensive)? Why are CKs so revered? And what is this Rohloff system? Thanks for everyone's help.

 

[Fattirewilly]

Riding bike is an obsession with me, like it is for many of you reading this. But I am very bad with hands-on stuff, tools, even understanding how things work. Fortunately my riding comrades are knowledgeable where I am not (and possessors of many tools). But they don't know the intricacies of wheels, and that's what I'm curious about. What is wheel 'building?' (I told you I didn't know anything) and what is inside the hub that makes them so important (and expensive)? Why are CKs so revered? And what is this Rohloff system? Thanks for everyone's help.

Wheels probably aren't the best place to start trying to understand how your bike works. Here's a good link.

http://www.execulink.com/~dtierney/wmc/faq.htm#WTQ1

 

[wordfarmer]

thanks.

 

[Mike T.]

Riding bike is an obsession with me, like it is for many of you reading this. But I am very bad with hands-on stuff, tools, even understanding how things work. Fortunately my riding comrades are knowledgeable where I am not (and possessors of many tools). But they don't know the intricacies of wheels, and that's what I'm curious about. What is wheel 'building?' (I told you I didn't know anything) and what is inside the hub that makes them so important (and expensive)? Why are CKs so revered? And what is this Rohloff system? Thanks for everyone's help.

For everything you need to know refer to the Park Tool site and Sheldon Brown .

Quickies -

"Wheelbuilding" - assembling a synergistic mass from a rim, a hub and some spokes.
"Why are CKs so revered?" - they are very well made, high quality parts.
"What is this Rohloff system? - it's an internal planetary geared hub in contrast to the normal system of a shifter derailing the chain across multiple differing sized sprockets.