You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Curved spokes?
Looks suspiciously like it has been "designed" by marketers rather than letting an engineer near it...
I really wanted those in the 90s, and a tioga disk drive
Yes, loads of times. Spox, Spinergy, various road ones too.
The advertising for Spengle suggests they are overmarketed ****
Spengle should team up with sick.
What could go wrong.double strength Wicked marketing slack headangle and mag wheels , Think of the radness
Just no titanium mag wheels.
I know you're Cynical-Al..... But what says overmarketed *** ?
If they are as good as their website suggests surely they’d have been widely adopted by pro riders. They do look pretty cool in a retro BMX kind of way though.
@epicyclo - curved/non radial spokes have been a thing in solid wheel design since the industrial revolution or even earlier. One can imagine possible technical reasons for doing things that way.
ETA their website calls it a "revolutionary carbon elbow" which reduces trail shock.
Spin were making tri-spoke carbon wheels over 20 years ago now weren't they, including MTB, BMX and road types... So old it's new.
This down the page, is quite amusing -
[i]"we looked to rid ourselves of the shackles of the traditional spoked wheel. Instead of looking back to the 19th century for our inspiration, we looked [s]forward[/s]" [/i] er, back to the 20th century 😀
Sure they are 3-spoke wheels, not spokeless wheels? #pointlesspedantry
Pros don't adopt equipment, they get sponsored/paid to ride it.
But what says overmarketed *** ?
It's a while since I looked but IIRC it was just full of guff like "elbow" above and no meaningful information.
I really wanted a GT with Spin wheels BITD-
Now though? Not so much.
Were Spin wheels carbon fibre? Can't remember
Apparently spokes are rubbish and spoked wheels will die in a firey death, taking the rider along with them.
Although I'm pretty sure that 99.99*% of bikes actually manage fine with spoked wheels, so how can this be????
* Actual made up number.
Spin were making tri-spoke carbon wheels over 20 years ago now weren’t they, including MTB, BMX and road types… So old it’s new.
Spengle were making tri-spoke carbon wheels over 20 years ago!
I like those...
I mean, I've no chuffing idea if i'd be 18% faster, or it'd be like cycling a soggy bagel, but they look cool.
I want for my tripster.,....
DrP
Optimised braking force distribution leaves you in control of your experience.
I have no idea what that means, but it's gotta be a good thing, right?
"Spengle were making tri-spoke carbon wheels over 20 years ago!"
what changed that they didnt take off then that they expect them to take off now?
Thing is if you break a spoke you can just replace it. New wheel and possibly face when one of those goes.
what changed that they didnt take off then that they expect them to take off now?
Elbows, obvs.
what changed that they didnt take off then that they expect them to take off now?
Fair Question, TBF Tri-spoke carbon wheels never entirely vanished, I think you'll still see the odd one on a TT or tri bike, where being able to make the spokes in a big old aerofoil type profile probably has some arguable merit that the chaps in pointy hats appreciate.
The thing that's probably changed for MTB's is that Carbon has started to become more and more accepted, especially in wheels, The idea of a composite rim isn't just met with jokes about dentistry any longer, there's enough experience and familiarity with the idea now that a carbon Rim is a reasonable proposition, it's more a matter of sizing up Cost Vs Weight Vs Durability, but the point is people are more willing to buy Composite wheels components...
So ~25+ years on you could argue that Spin, Spinergy, HED, Zip and Spengle have sort of carried on banging the drum for these things while the rest of the world finally caught up...
The most interesting question (IMO) is what will happen to the humble wheel now that Pro roadies are allowed disc brakes, as good as spoked wheels are (and they are very good) once you remove the braking surface from the rim and plonk it down at the hub, that potentially gives more scope for changing how a wheel is constructed, or what it is constructed from...
Cookeaa that is a spot on answer well said