Originally Posted by
Dan333SP
We've had some lively debates here about whether the mechanics of what appears to have happened in that photo are even possible.
Yes, it's very possible. The key elements are the time interval between the passing of spokes, and the speed of the squirrel.
Lower spoke count wheels increase that time interval making this kind of event more likely.
You can do a small home experiment using a ping pong ball and your front wheel. It's not all that difficult to toss the ball through a stationary wheel, with some going clear through and some glancing off a spoke and being deflected as they pass. Obviously lower spoke count makes the "hole" bigger and increases the odds of "nothing but net".
Now spin the wheel and you'll find that the odds shift against the ball making it through, and if you spin it fast enough the wheel acts like a solid wall bouncing the ball back to you every time. The "solid wall" speed depends on the number of spokes, or more precisely the distance between them, so lower spoke count wheels may never achieve that solid wall effect at typical bike speeds.
Caught squirrel crashes aren't all that rare, and the majority (maybe all?) of them involve the low spoke counts that make possible what is nearly impossible otherwise.