Spokes can be made of wood or metal. Some types of wheel have removable spokes which can be replaced individually if they break or bend. These include bicycle and wheelchair wheels.
The original type of spoke wheel with wooden, fixed spokes was used for horse drawn carriages. For use in bicycles, such wheels prooved to heavy, so wheels with spokes made of adjustable metal wires were introduced.
With the development of the automobile, the wire wheels, with their excellent weight to strength ratio, soon became popular for light vehicles. The wire wheels were generally soon replaced by the less expensive matal disc wheel, but wire wheels remained popular for sports cars up to the 1960s.
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