Watching the Olympic track racers in slow motion, I could see the front wheel nearly hitting the forks during sprints. I was looking at the rim to brake shoe clearance on Mavic Open Pro wheels on Campy Daytona hubs and pushed on the side of the rim and was surprised at how easily it deflected. I wondered how much deflection occurs when serious forces are put on the rim as in a hard turn. Or are the forces on the wheel during turns mostly not lateral due to leaning?


Is lateral wheel flex anything to even think about and what makes one wheel stiffer in this regard than others?