Spokeless bike prototype

Thought this was an interesting idea... http://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/b2g91/spokeless_bicycle/

spokeless wheel, crazy hub and includes belt drive elements on the rim of the wheel? some big gearing 53 / 13...

http://i.imgur.com/BOjDy.jpg

that rim will be bloody heavy...

Is there an advantage to a spokeless wheel? I'm having trouble thinking of one... Seems to me spokes are pretty great for a few reasons, one of which being re-truing wheels.

If it ain't broke...*

Surely adding in another contact point (hub and teeth interface) will cause extra friction and make it incredibly slow?

*This applies to 99% of people that work in design. Don't re-invent stuff, please.

Crap idea IMO

The guys who did it came up with two reasons:

you can do a lot of things with the space that opens up where the spokes use to be. You can stick an electric motor in there. You can install some sort of gyro balanced storage basket.

Gyro basket ftw!!!

Ha!

Looks like they forgot to reinvent the front wheel.

Looks like they forgot to reinvent the front wheel.

+1

Spokeless fail.

The gyro basket, for carrying open topped liquid containers (e.g. cup of tea) on very tight bends at speed.

You guys are so lame, that's what they said when the Jesus and Mary butt-plugs were first thought of, everyone poo-pooed it.

The gyro basket, for carrying open topped liquid containers (e.g. cup of tea) on very tight bends at speed.

yeah, and you can put your hand down there to retrieve your beer (we're talking beer here, not tea) without worrying about it (your hand) getting stuck in the spokes.

I am sold.

Yeah baby, open your mind, hate the hate. YEAH BAYBY! [/corndog]

more to the point where can you put your spoke cards?!

Thought of another one! Anyone ever use a power trainer in a flat with pets? It's a bit frightening and you end up having to lock them up somewhere else. Now they can just jump through the wheel, no messy spoke issues to worry about.

In the bin where they belong?

YouTube- Bicycle Engineering Breakthrough

here^^

Calling East End Images, your bike has arrived!

ball bearings! Shit!

Must be really easy to change a tyre on that.

I guess they failed to graduate, right?

rolling mass?

not a new idea in motorbikes anyway:

Cool, but... obstructed view much?

Was bound to pop up some time

http://www.instablogsimages.com/images/2009/01/27/hubless-monster-1_bHAGU_17621.jpg