Hey, I think I may have found a slight error or at least a significantly incomplete answer to the question:

#19: "Why does a wheel seem to move backwards as it speeds up?"

on the BA's 1996 MADSCI Q&A.

http://www.badastronomy.com/mad/1996/wheel.html

He rightly relates the phenomenon to the frame rate of film, but I'm surprised that there was no mention of this effect as seen in real life.

I always thought this was strictly a film-thing myself until I happened to see this a number of times, directly with my own eyes. No film.

Has anyone else seen this too? I'm sure it exists. And I would guess it is somehow caused by the number of spokes on the wheel in relation to the number of revolutions / minute.

Can anyone help me out here?

RBG