Some newer cassettes also use a spider to connect the sprockets to the freehub body. This is done primarily to save weight.

Some frame tubing has internal ribs to reinforce the tube, these are sometimes also referred to as splines.

A conventional spoke has a swaged head, like the head of a nail, to keep it from pulling throgh the flange of the hub. Immediately after the head the spoke takes a right-angle bend, also known as the "elbow" of the spoke. (See also straight spokes) The outer end of the spoke is threaded, and a special nut called a nipple fits through the rim and screws onto the spoke threads.

Traditionally, most bicycles have had 36 spokes in each wheel. British bicycles, for years, used to use 40 spokes in the rear, and 32 in the front. This was a better system for the consumer, because the strength of the wheels was in better proportion to the stresses on them. It makes things easier for the manufacturers, however, to use the same number of spokes front and rear. This results in a front wheel that is needlessly heavy, and/or a rear wheel that is not as strong as it should be.

In the last few years, 32 spoke wheels have become increasingly common. Manufacturers tout this as an advantage, because it saves a very small amount of weight (they don't mention that it is also cheaper!) For most cyclists, the reduced strength and repairability of 32 spoke rear wheels is a greater detriment than the very tiny improvement in performance they offer.

Spoke weights

(courtesy of Damon Rinard)

Brand	Model	Material	Diameter	Length (MM)	Count	Weight (Grams)
Litespeed		titanium	2.0	267	32	122
DT	Revolution	stainless	2.0/1.55	266	32	134
Wheelsmith	1.8DB	stainless	1.8/1.55	266	32	135
FiberFlight	Æro	plastic		266	32	136
Wheelsmith	1.8DB	stainless	1.8/1.55	267	32	146
DT	1.8DB	stainless	1.8/1.6	266	32	156
DT	1.8	stainless	1.8	266	32	179
Wheelsmith	2.0DB	stainless	2.0/1.7	273	28	159
Wheelsmith	2.0DB	stainless	2.0/1.7	298	32	182
DT	2.0DB	stainless	2.0/1.8	266	32	193
DT	1.8	stainless	1.8	291	16	97
Wheelsmith	2.0	stainless	2.0	264	16	107
Wheelsmith	2.0	stainless	2.0	266	16	109
Wheelsmith	2.0	stainless	2.0	267	32	218
DT	2.0	stainless	2.0	266	32	221
DT	2.0	stainless	2.0	289	16	120

Nipple weights

(courtesy of Damon Rinard)

Brand	Gauge/ Diameter	Material	Weight	Comments
Hi-E	15/1.8	aluminum	0.235	requires special socket wrench
Wheelsmith	14/2.0	aluminum	0.344
DT	15/1.8	brass	0.850	old style disc shaped
DT	14/2.0	brass	1.000	new style trumpet shape
Wheelsmith	14/2.0	brass	1.063
DT	15/1.8	brass	1.100	new style trumpet shape
DT	14/2.0	brass	1.140	old style disc shaped
Fiber Flight	14/2.0	plastic	7g/36	(claimed weight)

There are also "novelty" or fad lacing patterns, including the "crow's foot" and "snowflake" designs. These patterns are eye catching, but have no practical advantage.

Spoke patterns are discussed at some length in my wheelbuilding article.

• Older "sport-touring" bikes, the typical 10 speeds of the 1970's bike boom were solid, sturdy machines that differed from touring bicycles mainly in that they didn't have as wide a gear range. They could be used for moderately loaded touring by riders strong enough to get along without serious low gears.

• Current "sport-touring" bikes are more like road racing bicycles which have had a triple crankset added. These bicycles have low enough gearing to let aging baby-boomers still get up the hills. Most bikes in this category are not well suited for serious touring, because their wheels are too fragile, and they often are poorly designed so that there is not adequate frame clearance for fenders and touring-width tires.

1. An all-out burst of speed, usually at the end of a race.
2. A match sprint.
3. British: a rim designed for tubular tires.

The front sprockets are also commonly called chainwheels or chainrings. The term "sprocket" is perfectly correct to refer to either front or rear, but use of "sprocket" to refer specifically to a front one is mainly confined to BMX usage.

The rear sprockets individually are also commonly called cogs or gears; as a group they are referred to as a block or cluster or freewheel.

The "sprung" weight is the weight of the part of the vehicle and its payload which is held up by the springs. In the case of a suspension-equipped bicycle, the sprung weight would include most of the frame, and the rider. In the case of a rigid-frame bicycle, the "sprung" weight would consist of the rider's trunk and head, while the rider is off the saddle, carrying his or her weight on bent knees/elbows.

The "un-sprung" weight is the weight of the wheels, and the parts of the suspension that move up and down with the wheels as they track over bumps.

When a bump lifts a wheel up, the spring compresses. After the wheel passes over the bump, the spring pushes the wheel back down into contact with the ground. In the case of a vehicle with a low sprung/un-sprung weight ratio, such as one with heavy wheels and a light rider, the wheel will not move back into contact with the road surface as fast as it would with a higher sprung/un-sprung weight ratio.

If the wheel is heavy, the spring will not be able to push it back into contact with the ground as fast as the same spring could push a lighter wheel.

If the rider is light, the spring force will also be light, so it will not be able to push the wheel back down as fast as the stronger spring that would be used with a heavier rider could push the same wheel.

If the rider is light, but the spring is strong, the rider will not get enough benefit from the suspension, and the strong spring will lift the rider as well as the wheel.

• As a trade name, it is an alternate form of Sakae Ringyo, a major Japanese maker of aluminum parts, particularly cranks and seat posts. In the 1990's, they bought what was left of the bankrupt Sun Tour, and are now known as SR-Sun Tour.

• The abbreviation "S.R." is also commonly used in want ads for older racing bicycles, where it refers to the old top-of-the-line Campagnolo Super Record gruppo.

The primary bicycle application for stainless steel is for spokes. Virtually all modern high-quality spoked wheels are built from stainless steel spokes.

Stainless steel is also used for high quality control cables.

Conventional wisdom is that the standover height should permit 1-3 inches (2-8 cm) of clearance between the top tube and the crotch of a rider straddling the frame, for road use. For off-road riding, considerably more clearance is required. See my article on Frame Sizing.

Although steel is used for most high-quality bicycle frames, the use of steel instead of aluminum for many parts is often the result of penny pinching. Nobody should have to ride a modern bicycle with steel rims, brakes or handlebars. The only reason steel is now used for these parts is to scrimp on costs.

This was not always the case. As recently as the 1960's, steel was favored for many of these parts, particularly by the British. Indeed, for many years, Raleigh's slogan was "The All-Steel Bicycle". Steel parts of this era were often high in quality.

Types of stems:

• Conventional stems for most bicycles with threaded headsets fit inside the steerer of the fork, and use an expander/wedge to attach to the steerer. The stem diameter must match the inside diameter of the steerer, which is usually 1/8" smaller than the nominal headset size.

• "Threadless" type stems clamp on to the outside of the steerer, so they mus match the outside diameter of the steerer, which is the same as the nominal headset size.

• Stoker stems for tandems are very similar to "threadless" type stems, except that they clamp on to the seat tube of the rider in front, rather than to a steerer.

• Pinch-bolt type stems are not in common use any more. They work with a fork that has a steerer with a slot cut into it, and a collar with a pinch bolt or quick release. These are most often seen on folding bicycles, because this design permits the use of a quick release.

• "Adjustable" stems, (also known as "Major Taylor outriggers", after their inventor), have the handlebar clamp unit mounted on a moveable part, permitting setting different amounts of forward extension.

Height / Angle / Reach

The range of handlebar positions available from a given stem depends on its height, angle and reach (extension.) Unfortunately, measurement procedures for determining these dimensions are not well standardized in the industry, making it difficult to compare one stem with another based on the dimensions.

• The height dimension is normally the overall height, measured along the line of the column.

• Angle / rise may be measured either from the steering axis or perpendicular to it. Thus, a stem with the extension at a right angle to the column may be described either as a 90° or 0° stem.

• Reach / extension is normally measured center-to-center along the direction of the extension.

The custom of measuring reach along the line of the extension means that two stems of the same nominal reach will provide a different distance between the steering axis and the handlebar center, if they have different angles.

On fixed-gear bicycles that only have a single brake, some riders install a stoker lever on the other side of the handlebar for symmetry.

The modern bent design surplanted "straight pull" spokes in the 1890's. Since no bicycle technology ever disappears entirely, straight spokes get re-invented from time to time, but have not met with commercial success in the last hundred years.

A similar effect occurs with other materials, including those used to build bicycle frames. Good design avoids placing stress risers in heavily loaded areas of the frame.

Jane Thomas has kindly posted excerpts from the 1956 Sturmey-Archer service manual

In addition to adding to the comfort of the rider, suspension systems improve traction on bumpy surfaces, by keeping the tires in more nearly constant contact with the surface. (See sprung/unsprung weight) They also help protect the wheels from damage, by allowing them to spring out of the way when they hit something forcefully.

It is published by Sutherland Publications, Box 9061, Berkeley, California 94709.

Synch chains connect equal-sized chainwheels, so the mechanical advantage is 1:1. This is true for all size synch chainwheels, as long as they are both the same size. Smaller synch chainwheels, however, put a greater stress on the synch chain, the frame, and the bottom bracket bearings, so it is a mistake to make them too small in an attempt to save weight. Typical sizes are in the range of 38 teeth and up.

See also my article on Tandem Synch Chains.