Originally Posted by
Andrew R Stewart
Yes. Wheels are very strong for their weight in a vertical direction (the direction that closely follows the spoke pathways) and are much less strong in a lateral direction (across the spoke angles). You can easily see this by pressing on the wheel/tire vertically (as a pot hole would do) than press sideways across the wheel/tire and see how much easier it is to deflect the rim.
If a rider went over a bump and didn't even fall, but when they hit the bump they were weighting the bike unevenly to one side (say when turning or leaning to one side a bit) the force would have more lateral aspect and could "knock" a rim out of true. If the rider hadn't lifted their butt up and off the seat while this bump was being hit the added load of their body only adds to the force the wheels see.Andy
Gotta disagree. While it is true that a wheel is less strong in the lateral direction, it is still strong enough for most uses. The bike and rider would put far more lateral force on a wheel when cornering than would happen during a crash. Most of the force in a crash is going to be centered on the most massive part of the system which is the rider.
That’s assuming proper tension on the wheels, of course.