Living Car Free - Great invention: the folding wheel!

Have trouble travelling with your bike? Don't want to leave that wheel locked up with the bike? This guy invented a folding wheel:

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/could-folding-wheel-solve-commuters-conundrum-14375

http://mos.bikeradar.com/images/news/2008/02/01/Current%20protoype%20-%20Photo%20by%20Tom%20Fecht-798-99.JPG

http://mos.bikeradar.com/images/news/2008/02/01/Current%20prototypes-798-99.jpg

Scary.

Eventually we'll be able to fold up our bikes small enough to fit in a backpack, or in my case a messenger bag.

Where's the hub on that wheel?

quad spoke? hell yes

I guess that wheel would only work with tubular tires.

Yes it is scary.

Yeah it looks like the tire is a tubular. Tubulars are cool, but not the best for the commuter market that the wheel is meant for.

Edit: And to fold it you'd have to let the air out of the tire. Tubulars take sometimes more than 120psi, can a mini pump even give that amount of psi?

Edit #2: It looks like for the wheel to fold, the tubular cannot be fully glued on. Scary, especially if the tire isn't at its recommended psi. It'll roll off very easily.

Why?

I can carry a full sized wheel attached to my rack if necessary, in fact stronglight posted a slick little bracket (http://bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=6088997&postcount=1) that would allow you t carry two wheels! Also FWIW if you ride a folder;) I know for a fact that 16" wheels will fit in a suitcase:p

Aaron:)

Yeah it looks like the tire is a tubular. Tubulars are cool, but not the best for the commuter market that the wheel is meant for.

Edit: And to fold it you'd have to let the air out of the tire. Tubulars take sometimes more than 120psi, can a mini pump even give that amount of psi?

Edit #2: It looks like for the wheel to fold, the tubular cannot be fully glued on. Scary, especially if the tire isn't at its recommended psi. It'll roll off very easily.

Why do you guys think it's a "tubular"? It is more likely a kevlar bead tire with a tube. But yeah, you'd have to let all the air out, so that would be pretty inconvenient for every day use. But combined with a folding frame (S&S coupling, Ritchey Breakaway, etc), you could pack a full size bike pretty small for traveling in airplanes, trains, etc.

Weight is the other problem. Wheel weight will slow you down more than weight of the bike itself. And I think CF wheels have other problems beside the expense. Aren't they prone to cracking?



“The problem at the moment is that in order to get the weight down to a regular bike wheel weight, with the fact it’s got hinges and so on, it needs to be a carbon fibre wheel, which means that it’s quite expensive, so it’s a project that sets more challenges.

It would be perfect for bringing your full sized folding bike on an airplane.

Why not just use a smaller wheel? I ride on 8" wheels which are surely stronger than that thing.

Why do you guys think it's a "tubular"? It is more likely a kevlar bead tire with a tube.

The tire in pic 1 looks like a Vittoria tubular, with the logo on the white casing.

I would certainly trust a kevlar beaded clincher more than an un-glued tubular, though. About 100 percent more.

It seems to me that mounting the tire is a much bigger problem than the weight of the wheels.

this might take over the hipster status of the aerospoke in the FG/SS forum...

I'd be impressed if they double as snow shoes.

So what would the point be in the first place? In Europe at least, you can easily bring full-size non-folding bikes on the plane, you just have to turn the handlebars and remove the pedals. If you want, you'll wrap it in bubble plastics to protect the paint. If the bike plus luggage is lighter than the limit allowed, you won't even have to pay extra. We once rode our vintage lightweights right up to Rome airport, spent 15 minutes preparing them for transportation and off we flew. And actually, my girlfriend took both of the bikes (I wasn't flying home), for free, and this was on a low-cost airline. I've brought bike between Sweden, England, Italy, Russia, France and probably some other places, always for free, so I can't really see the need for a folding full-size!