At Water Orthopedics, you can get high-quality Spokes Rear Wheels, MAG Rear Wheels, and MAG Frontcasters specially designed for manual wheelchairs. Boost your mobility with our strong, carefully crafted component that offers you unmatched performance and dependability. Shop today to find exactly what you need.
Spokes act as the bridge between a wheelchair user and the ground. Understanding their mechanics and what makes one type different from another enables informed choices for the best performance and use of manual wheelchairs.
A bit of physics: How spokes work in the manual wheelchair
Spokes need to be under tension to hold a weight, much like a rope. As the wheels turn, the bottom spokes become compressed, and the upper spokes are stretched. In order for the system to work, the spokes need to keep enough tension so that they are still a little stretched even under such compression. Otherwise, they would break, bending the wheel rim.
There is a nipple’ where the rim meets the end of each spoke. Tightening the nipple tightens the spoke, increasing its tension.
Spokes are attached on the outside of the hub. For those brand-new wheelchair mechanics, the hub is the metal cylinder at the center of the wheel,= which the axle goes through.
However, the spokes line up one directly behind each other where they terminate in the middle of the wheel rim. This creates a ‘V’ shape when observed straight on. Tightening the right side pulls the rim towards the right a tiny amount; tightening the left side pulls it to the left. Careful adjustment allows the rim to a true middle position for the most efficient propulsion and tracking of a wheelchair.
What is the difference in spoke options for manual wheelchair users?
Installing spokes in a cross pattern increases the strength of a wheel, particularly against twisting forces. It is a well-established spoke option because it meets moderate to high durability needs at a low cost. Cross-pattern metal spokes are often a default rear wheel option on wheelchairs.
Radial style radial spokes have a minimalistic aesthetic and are lighter. The compromise is that they are not as durable as the cross-spoked version, reflected in a lower user weight capacity.
Lightweight and super lightweight spoked wheels also have a radial style but have also been designed with componentry throughout to reduce weight. They are the lightest option, making them easy to lift and maneuver, so they are often a good choice for frequent lifting in and out of a car. These are a higher-cost option and are necessarily not quite as robust as heavier wheels, much like ultralight weight-spoken racing bicycle wheels.
Some spokes, like those in a Spinergy wheel, use a semi-flexible fiber material and upgraded hub design for high durability and increased comfort. Aesthetically they offer coloured spoke options and fewer spokes required to maintain the wheel’s structure. While not quite as light as the super lightweight spoked wheels, they are lighter than standard steel universal cross-spoked wheels.
These wheels have a more expensive manufacturing process than metal spoked wheels and, therefore, are a premium option on active-user wheelchairs. Due to their durability are a popular upgrade for active wheelchair users and those who put their wheelchair through heavy use.
‘MAG wheel’ type spokes require no maintenance, as the spokes are molded as an integral part of the wheel, bonded permanently to the rim. They are also the most classic type of spoke, having been used since at least 2000 B.C.E. in a wooden format to move heavy loads. A museum in Tehran, Iran actually has one MAG wheel of about this age.
MAG wheels can be heavy and flex in large-diameter self-propel wheelchairs but work very well in small transit wheelchairs. For example, wheelchair WAT874B is the most popular and also the most economic chromed steel self-propel wheelchairs from Water Orthopedics, the diameter of the MAG rear wheels is 24’ and that of the front MAG castors is 8’. Wheelchair WAT804LABJP is the hot anodized transit aluminum wheelchairs in the rehabilitation industry, its diameter of the MAG rear wheels is 8’ and that of the front MAG castor is 5’.
Clinical Support Information References:
References:
* Hughes B, Sawatzky BJ, Hol AT. A comparison of spinergy versus standard steel-spoke wheelchair wheels. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2005;86(3):596-601.
* Vorrink, S. N. W., Van der Woude, L. H. V., Messenberg, A., Cripton, P. A., Hughes, B. & Sawatzky, B. J., In Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development (2008). 45, 9, p. 1269-80 12 p.
* Carmen D. RESNA Position on the Application of Ultralight Manual Wheelchairs [PDF]. (2012, March 27) Retrieved from URL https://www.resna.org/sites/default/files/legacy/resources/position-papers/UltraLightweightManualWheelchairs.pdf
About Water Orthopedics:
Founded in 2018, Water Orthopedics is one of the most reputable manufacturers of orthopedics and rehabilitation products in China, and we supply quality products worldwide at competitive prices.
Staying in the industry for two decades, we have established comprehensive product ranges, including wheelchairs, walkers, walking sticks, crutches, shower chairs, commodes, anti-decubitus mattresses, manual and electric beds, etc. We firmly believe that the dignity of life is enriched with independent living and quality orthopedics products.