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Hubless chopper

Originally posted by: TallBill
That's gotta lose all sorts of power from the akward mechanics wouldn't it?
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I don't think the hubless wheels alone would introduce that much resistance - I'm sure it's more than a traditional hub, but if they use high-quality bearings it's probably small potatoes relative to the power of the engine. The real question would be how they're driving the rear wheel and whether that is nearly as efficient as a normal chain drive. I'm sure it's not AS efficient, but it might not be too bad.
 
Not really a new idea - a guy named Sbarro developed a hubless concept bike in the mid-90s. Kind of an "answer to a question no one asked" sort of thing.
 
Originally posted by: Bulk Beef
Not really a new idea - a guy named Sbarro developed a hubless concept bike in the mid-90s. Kind of an "answer to a question no one asked" sort of thing.
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No he didn't!
He invented pizza.
 
I didn't see a chain or a belt, so I guess it's just a roller friction-driving the rear wheel? You'd lose power there, and you wouldn't be able to transfer very much power in the first place.

It still looks really cool, and I guess that's the whole point of a chopper, not speed.
 
Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Originally posted by: edro
Originally posted by: Bulk Beef
Not really a new idea - a guy named Sbarro developed a hubless concept bike in the mid-90s. Kind of an "answer to a question no one asked" sort of thing.
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No he didn't!
He invented crappy PA Turnpike pizza.
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fixed
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fixed
 
can't get to youtube at work, but saw a hubless chopper a couple years ago at Daytona. Very awesome looking. As noted before, it's not really hubless, it's just that the hub pushes right against the outer shell of the wheel, so there's no spokes, etc. supporting the wheel. Absolutely wild looking. I wanted to crawl through it.
 
That's something I've wondered about spoked wheels...

What happens as the max (weight) limit is approached and breached? Do the spokes deflect more and the outer rim warps or is the failure mechanism result in the spokes impaling the outer rim into the tire?
 
Originally posted by: Rubycon
That's something I've wondered about spoked wheels...

What happens as the max (weight) limit is approached and breached? Do the spokes deflect more and the outer rim warps or is the failure mechanism result in the spokes impaling the outer rim into the tire?
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That's the beauty of a spoked wheel - it spreads the weight very evenly. Even very heavy riders can safely ride bicycles or motorcycles with spoked wheels. To the extent there's a failure, a spoke or two will break, and, over the long haul, it will cause the rim to go out of true. The spokes won't realistically ever "impale" the rim because their travel is limited by the fact that they are screwed into the nipple that directly interfaces with the rim.
 
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