Wheel

... and why on Earth, you may ask, would you want to go slower? Well, because it requires more effort to make a slow bike go fast, and the more effort you put into your training rides, the faster you’ll go when you swap in a regular front wheel on race day. That’s the idea behind the new PowerWheel and SlowWheel, made by TriSport Devices. Read More

Following a request from NASA, Goodyear last year developed an airless tire designed to transport large, long-range vehicles across the surface of celestial bodies such as the moon or Mars. The tire, constructed out of 800 load bearing springs, is designed to carry much heavier vehicles (up to 10 times) over much greater distances (up to 100 times) than the wire mesh tire that Goodyear helped develop for the Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV). The Spring Tire has now been recognized with a so-called “Oscar of Innovation” at the 44th Annual R&D 100 Awards in Orlando, Florida. Read More

Carbon composite bicycle wheels are a fantastic choice for competitive road cyclists who want to reduce their bike’s revolving weight, while maintaining wheel strength and rigidity. They do have one drawback however: standard hard rubber brake pads don’t work that well against carbon rims, especially in wet conditions or when excessive heat is being generated, such as on steep descents. Cork pads are sometimes used, but these can disintegrate when wet. Disc brakes are another alternative, although their added weight somewhat negates the weight savings gained by switching to carbon wheels in the first place. Now, heat management company Zircotec is experimenting with a thin spray-on ceramic coating for carbon rims that allows for effective use of rubber brake pads under all conditions. Read More

Usually, when you put nine university seniors together from a mechanical engineering class in a room for a whole semester with no strict agenda, the last thing you expect to get is a useful product. But this team broke the mold and created a “human-powered spokeless bicycle”. Admittedly, only the back wheel is spokeless, but the Yale students had two very good reasons for that – time and money. Read More

If you like treadmill exercise but are tired of running up and down on the one spot, or find you don’t have enough time to exercise because you’re constantly wanted elsewhere, this piece of equipment could be the answer. Looking more like a cross between a walker and a treadmill, why not "ride" the Rollator to your next appointment? It's is also ideal for people looking for a low impact way to exercise in the great outdoors but don’t fancy themselves as cyclists. Read More

If your better half has put the kibosh on your dream of owning one of the ten BRABUS E V12 Black Baron’s, then maybe you’ll have a better chance at talking them around to the more family friendly BRABUS Viano “Lounge Concept” if it ever makes the jump from concept car to commercial reality. Described as an “exclusive office and movie theater on wheels” the concept takes a Mercedes van and packs it to the brim with state-of-the-art entertainment technology, so you’re not likely to hear the kids whine, ‘are we there yet?’ Read More

It looks like seventies science fiction television is (finally) going to meet reality with NASA planning to set up a real Moonbase Alpha by 2020. In order to meet the heavy load/long range transport requirements of life on the moon, NASA recently teamed up with Goodyear to review and redesign some 40-year-old technology in the shape of the airless tires first seen on the Lunar Rover Vehicles of Apollo missions. Read More

The Loop-In concept board could be an extreme skater’s dream, an answer for out-of-season snowboarders, or perhaps surfers who find themselves a long way from the ocean and want to keep up their skills. The Loop-In’s huge wheels can rotate over almost any surface while the board will rotate 360° within its interior independently. Read More

First appearing in the Michelin Challenge Design earlier this year, the Phoenix concept features an orbital omni-directional four-wheel-drive system which allows for several types of motion - apart from moving forwards and backwards, it can rotate around its own axis and move sideways. Read More