Dale wrote
> >I am seriously in doubt that there were disc wheels on of before
> >1983 that were available to the public...
And Joel replied:
> disc wheels have been made, and available for sale to the
> general public, since the mid-1890s. seriously. same with
> tri-spoke type wheels, and, of course, virtually all current
> non-standard spoking patterns.
Yep, disk wheels (and 3- or 4-spoke aero front wheels) definitely came out in the 1800s - there is a clear drawing and description of them in Archibald Sharp's "Bicycles and Tricycles", published in 1896. And yes, aerodynamics is given as the reason for them. No joke, they look fast (though they were undoubtedly heavy)
Mark Bulgier
Seattle WA USA