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In case people don't know, this was a successful Kickstarter a few years ago for bike wheels. They went to bike shows with a lot of enthusiasm but given the add

In case people don't know, this was a successful Kickstarter a few years ago for bike wheels. They went to bike shows with a lot of enthusiasm but given the additional weight and cost it was likely a hard sell. Great to see they are still around!

hegz 8y ago
Rough terrain on bikes was already solved with suspension or larger tires I doubt they managed to create something that worked better than that.
- Retric 8y ago
  Suspension sits between a wheel and the vehicle so the entire wheel is displaced over a bump which means it’s momentum exaggerates a shock. Deforming the wheel means far less mass is moved and thus momentum. This is why we use air filled rubber tires in the first place, but they have real size limits. So, this could actually provide a smoother ride. Probably not worth it for a bike, but someone with a broken bone for example can be extremely sensitive to shocks.
  - lolc 8y ago
    The Loopwheels page is explicit about the wheels having a rigid rim.
    - Retric 8y ago
      Yea, but the wheel is more than just the rims. Play around here http://www.wheelbuilder.com/wheel-weight-calculator.html http://www.wheelbuilder.com/wheel-weight-calculator.html. The Rim is generally a large fraction of total wheel weight, but both spokes and Hub's are important. On a bike the total weight also includes the fork and parts of the suspension. Not sure about wheelchairs, but I suspect deforming the center of the wheel still easily cuts unsprung mass in half.
- tsomctl 8y ago
  It's very important to reduce unsprung weight, which this does. Vehicle suspension is extremely complicated with a huge number of interrelated variables. It is always possible to make suspension work better, but normally at the price of being more complicated/more expensive. This is a clever idea that isn't that complicated.
baxtr 8y ago
I’m always amazed to see how people don’t give up on a great idea. Boy, I wish I was more like that. Also: quite a nice landing page!

hegz 8y ago

Rough terrain on bikes was already solved with suspension or larger tires I doubt they managed to create something that worked better than that.

Retric 8y ago
Suspension sits between a wheel and the vehicle so the entire wheel is displaced over a bump which means it’s momentum exaggerates a shock. Deforming the wheel means far less mass is moved and thus momentum. This is why we use air filled rubber tires in the first place, but they have real size limits. So, this could actually provide a smoother ride. Probably not worth it for a bike, but someone with a broken bone for example can be extremely sensitive to shocks.
- lolc 8y ago
  The Loopwheels page is explicit about the wheels having a rigid rim.
  - Retric 8y ago
    Yea, but the wheel is more than just the rims. Play around here http://www.wheelbuilder.com/wheel-weight-calculator.html http://www.wheelbuilder.com/wheel-weight-calculator.html. The Rim is generally a large fraction of total wheel weight, but both spokes and Hub's are important. On a bike the total weight also includes the fork and parts of the suspension. Not sure about wheelchairs, but I suspect deforming the center of the wheel still easily cuts unsprung mass in half.
tsomctl 8y ago
It's very important to reduce unsprung weight, which this does. Vehicle suspension is extremely complicated with a huge number of interrelated variables. It is always possible to make suspension work better, but normally at the price of being more complicated/more expensive. This is a clever idea that isn't that complicated.

baxtr 8y ago

I’m always amazed to see how people don’t give up on a great idea. Boy, I wish I was more like that. Also: quite a nice landing page!