4 ms·
I was wondering about an application to bikes -- now I wonder why (it seems like) they pivoted to wheelchairs.
by dochtman 8y ago
I was wondering about an application to bikes -- now I wonder why (it seems like) they pivoted to wheelchairs.
- bencompanion 8y agoIn their FAQ they say they're working on MTB wheels, but that the challenge is the (lack of) lateral stiffness in a bigger wheel, which makes sense. The larger the diameter the spring needs to cross, the harder it is to have it only flex in one dimension.
- philjohn 8y agoI would imagine weight - especially for road bike tyres. For comparison, a lightweight Zipp wheelset comes in a just over 1Kg. A mid range lightweight set will be in the 1.4Kg range. There are other ways to make a road bike handle bumps and road buzz, e.g. specifically constructed carbon seat post, or flexible seat stays. A good race to watch for these kind of things is the Paris Roubaix, some of the bikes had rubber inserts to the seat stays a few years ago, but now have enough damping just from carbon layup of that section.
- gameswithgo 8y agoAerodynamics would be horrible, on road bikes that would be a first order downside. As well, tires are already integral suspension and often enough for bike applications.