Published in various magazines over the years, some from foreign magazines so roughly translated to English.
Article from “The Small Car Handbook” C. 1920
The Riley detachable
wire wheel is one of the older inventions, and is made in several types – one
with twin tyres, one with bolt fixing and a third with a quick-action locking
ring. All types may be procured with
steel disc covers. The loose wheel of
the last type has internal serrations, which mesh with corresponding serrations
on the fixed hub. The locking ring
screws home on a plain thread, but is prevented from unscrewing in use by a
number of spring bolts, which catch on the ratchet teeth shown in fig.12, and
so keep the ring locked up tightly on its thread. When the owner desires to remove the wheel, a
special spanner provided presses the spring bolts out of engagement with the
ratchet teeth, and the locking ring then unscrews freely.
From the RR bulletin 66 June 1972
Detachable Wheel
System (published in "The Motor Manual", year unknown)
Bill Hylton has given
the Editor a photo-copy of an advertisement for Riley Detachable Wire Wheels
published by Riley (Coventry) Ltd.
The advertisement
tells readers that they should insist on these wheels being fitted to their
cars because of all wheel–changing systems, this is the simplest and most
rapid. In the event of a puncture a
wheel may be changed in one minute. The
wheels were claimed to be stronger than wood wheels, more reliable and lighter
than steel, and capable of enhancing the appearance of a car.
A drawing published
in the Motor Manual is shown here, and it will be seen that the Riley detachable
wheel system consisted of an inner hub provided with tapered driving studs
which engaged with holes in the wheel hub.
The inner hub and wheel hub shell were made a taper fit, and it is
claimed that this was practically able to take the drive.
From the same “The Motor Manual” as the above, year unknown
For those Register
members to whom security bolts are unknown the following passage makes
fascinating reading.
Instead of putting
one side of the cover on the rim, next the security bolts, and finally the tube
in the usual manner, put firstly the tube into the cover, then one security
bolt inside the cover (with the canvas part next to the tube in the usual
manner), then, keeping the security bolt in position by pressing the two beads
together, put the security bolt in one of the holes in the rim nearest the
valve, and the valve of the tube in its hole together, and force the inside
bead of the cover from the valve of the security bolt into its place in the
rim, and tighten the security bolt so that it keeps the cover at that
particular section in position. Next -
without putting any more security bolts in – lever the whole tyre and tube
together onto the rim. This can easily
be done, whilst the one bolt already inserted keeps the cover tight on the rim
in the one place. Next insert a tyre
lever from the outside of the cover, but from the side nearest to the car body,
and lever the tyre away from the body.
This will expose the bolt hole, and the security bolt can be dropped
in. With the lever the tyre can be
easily sprung back over the security bolt, and the latter lifted to make sure
it is free. Repeat this for each bolt,
and then get the other bead of the tyre on in the usual way. The whole idea is to put the security bolts
in, not, as usual, from the inside of the cover with one’s whole hand groping
for an unseen hole, but by pushing the opposite bead away from the hole and
just dropping the bolts in.
Translation of an article in the Austrian magazine "Allgemeine Automobil Zeitung" 29 December
1912.
England is the only country from where modern
wire spoked wheels come from. It is not necessary to say anything about the old
wire spoked wheel, they were not detachable in the way the wire wheels of today
are, and were abandoned because people did not find them attractive, they were difficult
to clean and were probably in those days not as strong as the wooden wheels.
This changed completely about two years ago. The wire wheel is back, highly
appreciated, especially in Austria, one is almost ashamed not to see his car
with wire wheels. For many people wire wheels are more attractive than wooden wheels.
We will not discuss taste. All those who have the intention to buy a new car should
think about wire wheels. It appears that we like the wire wheels more than the
English, because many cars in England are still not seen with wire wheels. To be
honest, the most important reason for choosing the wire wheels is not the
beauty but the possibility of a quick change. It is possible in the case of a
problem with a tyre, without much effort the driver can take away the tyre with
the wheel and mount another wheel with inflated tyre. This manipulation takes
only a few minutes. On the downside it is a fact that to locate two spare
wheels on a car is not possible without problems. If you take only one wheel
then you are without a spare after the first tyre problem, with the next
problem you then have to replace the tyre. For this reason many drivers prefer
wooden wheels with detachable rims because you can easily carry two rims with
inflated tyres on the car. You can understand easily that the evolution of
detachable wheels in England is far from ended. We know in Austria that the only
big English companies who send detachable wheels are Rudge Whitworth and Riley.
But beside those two there are in England still many small companies
fabricating detachable wheels. The principle by all of them is almost the same,
there are only small differences in the design to see, to avoid copying. It seems now that an unexpected competitor
comes against this system, namely the steel pressed wheels. This system is not
new, but now it’s time has come. For heavy cars and racing cars steel pressed
wheels were used but until now not for luxury cars. Cars with steel pressed
wheels were seen at almost all stands at the Olympia show. At this time there
is only one company making this new wheel – Sankey. From the outside you can at first glance not
distinguish it from a wooden wheel. It is composed from two parts which are
laid on each other and welded together. This wheel looks like a wooden wheel
and has all its advantages. It has also all the advantages of a wire wheel
because it is detachable. Moreover it is
lighter and smaller than a wire wheel, so one can take two such wheels on board
a car. The question about their
durability is still open. Now, because Austria’s factories are using Sankey
wheels, more experience will come up soon.
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