Nov. 19, 2013, 2:48 p.m. -  PinkRobe

#!markdown My bad, I saw diameter and thought width. Kind of a reflex, what with the trend to ever-wider rims. I'd assume the diameter at the bead seat is "standard", and that the rim is slightly higher just outside the center channel. Hmmm. Might be tricky to mount tires if they're on the snug side. I think the rim is one of the more failure-prone areas of the wheel. It takes a lot of effort to break a spoke, but denting a sidewall or putting a flat spot in a rim is pretty commonplace. The vast majority of hub failures I've noted aren't due to the "wheel" part [flanges, axles, body] failing, rather, they're an issue with the freehub/drive mechanism or a crapped-out bearing. If you trash your freehub, it doesn't affect the wheel's strength, just the drivetrain's ability to function. Remove the chain and you can still coast. As for placing stresses on the wheel "via spokes that pull in opposite directions", it's because the spokes have almost no strength in compression. Something like a wagon wheel or a tri-spoke have strength in compression and tension, and don't need to rely on the same configuration as a spoked wheel. I'm not sure if this is what you're getting at, so we may be talking about different things…