Patent ID: 7926885

Claim:
A spoke for a tension-spoke wheel, said spoke comprising: a tension body comprising a median portion, a first end and a second end, said median portion extending along a length of the tension body between said first end and said second end; a first fastening segment extending between a first end of the spoke and said first end of said tension body and a second fastening segment extending between a second end of the spoke and said second end of said tension body; said tension body and said first and second fastening segments of said spoke being made of a composite material; at least the first fastening segment comprising an embedding portion constructed and arranged to be embedded in a rim, said embedding portion having a non-circular cross section; said first end of the spoke comprising a size and a shape to be received and retained within the rim; the tension body and the fastening segments being bounded by respective transitional zones; the tension body having a cross section and perimeter in the median portion of the tension body; at least one cross-sectional portion reinforced in cross section relative to the cross section of the median portion of the tension body, a predetermined one of said at least one reinforced cross-sectional portion extending along a portion of the first end of the tension body, through at least one said transitional zone, and along a portion of the embedding portion of the first fastening segment; each of said at least one reinforced cross-sectional portion having a thickness greater than a thickness of the median portion, said thickness extending to be substantially parallel to a rotational axis of the wheel.