Yale Creates Real Life Spokeless Bike
Those Yale guys have managed to do what the bike manufacturers could not: invent an actual spokeless working bicycle that anyone can ride today. Those other concept bikes you may have seen that purportedly feature hubless wheels? They still remain as concepts the last time we looked.
This bicycle from Yale has no hub, no spokes, and practically nothing else in the middle of the rear wheel. The inventors explained that a similar front wheel was in the works, but they ran out of time during the semester. Designing the front wheel, they added, would even be easier, since they won’t have to factor in the drivetrain.
The Yale inventors posted this description of the drivetrain on Reddit:
It’s a single speed setup. We used two cranks and two bottom brackets in the front to gear up the ratio. It goes from (IIRC) 53 to a 13, which is connected to the second crank and another 53 which connects to the rear hub. The rear hub is just a normal ratcheting rear hub that we mated to our belt pulley. Not sure if all these bike terms are right, but that’s the general idea.
The front wheel would be almost exactly the same as the rear wheel except that it could be a little lighter. Some of the aluminum can be shaved off since there’s no powertrain to connect to.
The wheel/rim itself is made from T6061 aluminum.
However, some observers are already saying that calling this bike as a true “hubless” working model would be far off the mark, since they see lots of hubs in the design. Better off calling it spokeless, then.
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1) a spoked wheel is a tuneable self supporting system, with one set of bearings, and a single stage transmission.
2) this design has many bearings and points of contact, plus a two stage transmission. It won’t be able to compete, due to complexity, and lack of efficiency.
3) neat concept, though, especially the placement of the cogged belt.
I’m a amateur biker for few years on and I can’t see which is the benefit of this system. The spokes of the wheel helps to mantain the circunference and I really think that they are so much lighter than this system that not guarantied the maintenence of the circunference of the wheel.
If I’m wrong, please let me know.
Regards.
What happens when you get a flat tire?, the system look complicated to repair a flat tire, you need carry out some tools to repair. I can not see to much benefits with the spoke wheels.
I have been an avid mountain and road cyclist for about 12 years and a volunteer with the National Mountain Bike Patrol for 9. Needless to say I have ridden and seen my share of peddle powered bikes. Since I also happen to have a background in motorcycle road racing stretching back since I was 6 years old; you may safely say I have been nutz over inline vehicles pretty much my entire life. I’m quite sure many reading this are not unlike myself. Additionally, I have been working in product development since I retired from racing in 1999.
All of that being said I think some of the previous posters are missing the point a little bit here. All innovations must start somewhere. This one in particular happens to be one of almost legendary status as it has been dreamed about and conceptualized for decades and was even featured in the 1988 film Akira. In fact 90 + percent of concept bike drawings feature this very technology. The point here is that it has now ACTUALLY been done!
Don’t get me wrong, questioning design with ones own view and logical process is how improvements get made. I just hope you guys aren’t simply babbling here to sound smart by picking apart someone’s achievements. I hope with any luck that you all take to your sketch pads, CAD applications and machine shops and get to work on improving these ‘faults’ you are so quick to point out. I look forward to seeing your results posted here one day.
Good luck and hey Yale guys… KICK ***!!!!!