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?
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A lot of people think that bicycle tires are like wagon wheels because they have spokes and rims and something connecting them both. But bicycle wheels are actually pulled tight by the spokes to suspend in the center of the rim. So the transfer of forces is actually a bit counter intuitive:
If someone that is too heavy for the wheels gets on the bike, gravity will cause their weight to press down on the bike frame.
The bike frame will press down on the axle.
The axle will pull down on the UPPER spokes.
The Rim will pull back on the spokes to keep the spoke in place.
One final explanation is that if one were to use a machine to press the axle down until the wheel failed, the bottom spokes would bend easily and either the rim would need to bend or the upper spokes would need to break like guitar strings in order for the axle to move down.
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