This track bike was built in England around 1925. It is made of steel and has wooden rims.
In many ways, wood is an ideal material for bicycle rims, and most bicycles in the early part of the century were equipped with them. They are light, strong, and resilient.
Wooden rims went out of style for road bicycles when rim brakes came in, but continued to be used on the track well into the 40's. There was one problem though: when a highly-tensioned racing wheel with a metal rim was damaged, it would fold up, but it would stay together. Similar wood-rim wheels, when overstressed, would suddenly turn into a cloud of sharp, dangerous splinters. This is why they were eventually forbidden on the track.
