| CPC B60B 1/044 (2013.01) [B60B 1/041 (2013.01); B60B 21/025 (2013.01); B60B 21/064 (2013.01)] | 27 Claims |

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1. A vehicle wheel, comprising:
a peripheral wheel rim;
a central hub with an outer flange;
a plurality of spokes extending between said rim and said hub, wherein at least one of said spokes has a first end portion thereof connected to said hub and a second end portion thereof opposed to said first portion and connected to said rim, and a longitudinal axis along said spoke, a span portion between said rim and said hub, and a tensile axis of applied tensile load along said span portion;
a bracing element including at least a portion of one of said rim and said hub; wherein said bracing element includes a spoke bed wall having: a longitudinally outboard bed surface; a longitudinally inboard bed surface; and a spoke hole therethrough having a first entrance adjacent said inboard bed surface and a second entrance longitudinally outboard of said first entrance;
wherein said spoke includes: a first spoke portion having a first sidewall surface and a first lateral dimension across said first sidewall surface; a second spoke portion longitudinally inboard of said first spoke portion and having a second sidewall surface and a second lateral dimension across said second sidewall surface;
wherein said second sidewall surface projects laterally outwardly of said first sidewall surface to include a laterally outwardly projecting transition surface therebetween;
wherein said spoke extends through said spoke hole and at least a portion of said transition surface is longitudinally outboard of said first entrance; and
wherein said spoke is connected to said bracing element at said first spoke portion.
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