How does the apparently small amount of material which comprises the spokes provide the required sturdiness to handle the physics of a human on a bike?
this seminal book on bicycle wheels by the late great Jobst Brandt is – or was, at least, when i was getting started – required reading for bicycle mechanics: https://www.scribd.com/doc/261771508/The-Bicycle-Wheel-Jobst-Brandt-3rd-Ed
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