WikiPedalia is not endorsed or affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.
Wooden rims
In many ways, wood is an ideal material for bicycle rims, and most bicycles in the early part of the century were equipped with them. They are light, strong, and resilient. Wood rims are not suitable for "clincher" tires, but worked well for other types.
Wooden rims went out of style for road bicycles when rim brakes came in, but continued to be use on the track well into the '40's. They were eventually outlawed for competition because of their dangerous failure mode: When a highly-tensioned racing wheel with a metal rim was damaged, it would fold up, but it would stay together. Similar wood-rim wheels, when overstressed, would suddenly turn into a cloud of sharp, dangerous splinters.
