Adding Rim airfoils

Back by popular demand, the general all-things Road forum!

Moderator: robbosmans

Post Reply
User avatar
WinterRider
Posts: 564
Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2013 2:46 pm

by WinterRider

Aero rims.

Add an airfoil on existing rims. Designs could be complex.. not seen on molded rims. Your alloy rims too.

Simple. Cheap to manufacture. Not the bother of meeting strength criteria
rims do. Forget these 'molded games'.

Add me a teardrop shape to my "tall" Kinlin 200's.. give me a few watts.

These should weigh minor grams... effective trade for the benefits. Unlike the heavy clunking car-bon.

:beerchug:
Litespeed 2000 Appalachian 61 cm
Litespeed 1998 Blue Ridge 61cm

Fitness rider.. 1 yr from seven decades age.

That is my story and I'm stick'n to it.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



Marin
Posts: 4035
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 11:48 am
Location: Vienna Austria

by Marin

Wow I wonder why noone had this idea before

User avatar
WinterRider
Posts: 564
Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2013 2:46 pm

by WinterRider

Marin wrote:
Tue Jul 17, 2018 1:14 pm
Wow I wonder why noone had this idea before

:noidea:

Have NO issue w the 21st century types spending all that coin on the plastic molded stuff.. great for the economy moving the cash around. Well done in fact. Cool too.

Butttt... adding a foil on the rim would open up real experimentation beating the wind.
Litespeed 2000 Appalachian 61 cm
Litespeed 1998 Blue Ridge 61cm

Fitness rider.. 1 yr from seven decades age.

That is my story and I'm stick'n to it.

User avatar
WinterRider
Posts: 564
Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2013 2:46 pm

by WinterRider

Marin wrote:
Tue Jul 17, 2018 1:14 pm
Wow I wonder why noone had this idea before
Ooops. Doop-li-cate.
Litespeed 2000 Appalachian 61 cm
Litespeed 1998 Blue Ridge 61cm

Fitness rider.. 1 yr from seven decades age.

That is my story and I'm stick'n to it.

NiFTY
Posts: 1493
Joined: Sat May 26, 2012 11:26 pm

by NiFTY

Marin was being sarcastic. Cause a lot of people have done this before. Heck the HED disc wheels are just a carbon skin over a spoked wheel.
Evo 4.9kg SL3 6.64kg Slice RS 8.89kg viewtopic.php?f=10&t=110579" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

bremerradkurier
Posts: 419
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2016 4:18 pm

by bremerradkurier

Around 1990 there used to be faux disc wheel covers with a alloy hoop clipped to the spokes supporting a stretch nylon cover.

alcatraz
Posts: 4064
Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2016 11:19 am

by alcatraz

I think one problem is that the brake tracks can't be covered. The airfoil would be broken there and it's a crucial place. :?

Another is that it might be hard to attach it without it coming loose

Thin plastic warps in heat. I had some covers that were not allowed to go over 80 degrees which means no direct sunshine in the hot summer. They were also very heavy at 500gr/wheel. They were full covers though.

Never got to use them. Only one ride. Worked fine but the bike felt quite sluggish. :)

AJS914
Posts: 5392
Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:52 pm

by AJS914

bremerradkurier wrote:
Thu Jul 19, 2018 7:23 pm
Around 1990 there used to be faux disc wheel covers with a alloy hoop clipped to the spokes supporting a stretch nylon cover.
I had those around 1992. I used them one time in a TT.


User avatar
WinterRider
Posts: 564
Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2013 2:46 pm

by WinterRider

Secure attachment of any aero device I think is the main limiting factor... potential profit margins I think a nice apple. No need for strength either.. the material could be very light.

Lots of improvements to be had fishin' to remove the last few watts.
Litespeed 2000 Appalachian 61 cm
Litespeed 1998 Blue Ridge 61cm

Fitness rider.. 1 yr from seven decades age.

That is my story and I'm stick'n to it.

mattr
Posts: 4671
Joined: Fri May 25, 2007 6:43 pm
Location: The Grim North.

by mattr

Secure attachment is what adds the weight. As they need to be *really* secure. The thought of having a poorly secured ring of plastic or composite on your wheel at any speed is terrifying.

Which is eventually/essentially what's killed them.
Heavy, lack of compatibility (need to fit a broad range of rims, properly.) And just not that aero.

Carbon does it better.

TheKaiser
Posts: 653
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 3:29 pm

by TheKaiser

bremerradkurier wrote:
Thu Jul 19, 2018 7:23 pm
Around 1990 there used to be faux disc wheel covers with a alloy hoop clipped to the spokes supporting a stretch nylon cover.
That would probably be the Unidisc you are thinking of. It came in both a lycra model, and a rubberized lycra model that resisted dirt and grunge better than the straight fabric model. I even remember guys riding off road with them, back when Tioga tension discs were the coolest thing, so they clearly had their secure attachment game dialed in.

User avatar
F45
Posts: 1077
Joined: Wed Jun 08, 2011 6:08 am

by F45

You can secure it with a lightweight polymer backed adhesive that is already on the market.

User avatar
WinterRider
Posts: 564
Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2013 2:46 pm

by WinterRider

F45 wrote:
Mon Jul 23, 2018 12:18 am
You can secure it with a lightweight polymer backed adhesive that is already on the market.
Suggest.. that is what killed these. Glue always fails... just a question of when.
Litespeed 2000 Appalachian 61 cm
Litespeed 1998 Blue Ridge 61cm

Fitness rider.. 1 yr from seven decades age.

That is my story and I'm stick'n to it.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



Post Reply