| The most taken for granted part of your bicycle may | | | | Rims |
| well be the bicycle rims | | | | Do you need to know anything special about your |
| Barring a serious crash or the most frequent bike | | | | bicycle rims? Not really. Most bicycles come with rims |
| accident of all—entering the garage with a | | | | appropriate to their overall quality. You can spend as |
| bicycle on your car roof rack—your bicycle rims | | | | much money as you want on a rim—like |
| will probably last as long as you can stand riding the | | | | everything else associated with the sport of |
| same old bike. Usually made of aluminum, rims are | | | | bicycling—but what comes standard on a bike is |
| lightweight and strong and are hardly ever the source | | | | probably sufficient. |
| of trouble on a bicycle, even in the most arduous riding | | | | Customizing your rims will bring you fancier rims, |
| conditions. | | | | maybe lighter rims, probably stronger rims, but the |
| In fact, most bicycle riders probably never give a single | | | | research on what constitutes the best rim weight, |
| thought to their bicycle rims. The circular band of metal | | | | strength and shape is still largely inconclusive, and since |
| that holds in the bike tire and connects it to the wheel | | | | this feature causes so few problems to the |
| hub via spokes is easily overlooked. Unlike spokes, a | | | | recreational rider, you can leave this issue to the |
| bicycle rim hardly ever breaks. Unlike the hub, it hardly | | | | professional mechanic who services the bicycles of |
| ever causes problems. Unlike tires, it never goes flat or | | | | world class racers. When they've resolved the issue, |
| explodes. Serious bicycle racers have some pretty | | | | you will know about it! |
| fancy rims, full of the same outrageously colorful | | | | Meanwhile, if your bicycle rims are aluminum, as most |
| advertising that covers their clothing usually, but most | | | | are today (steel rims being heavy, carbon rims being |
| riders really don't need these. | | | | expensive), there is very little you need to do for them. |
| Even the fanciest rims, the flattened out, wide, | | | | As with all parts of your bicycle, rims should be kept |
| presumably aerodynamic rims you'll see on the wheels | | | | clean of dirt and corrosive oils, wiped after long dusty |
| of the pros, are not certainly all that much better. They | | | | rides and examined after any crash. Otherwise, do |
| are, however, flashier, and in the world of bicycling, this | | | | what most riders have always done: forget about your |
| apparently does count for something, maybe for | | | | bicycle rims. You may not be able to ride a bike |
| intimidation. | | | | without them, but you really cannot ride a bike better |
| Aluminum Is the Material of Preference for Most Bike | | | | for thinking about this vital but happily innocuous part. |