Cheap, Light, Strong - Pick two

DirtRoadie said:

Taken to the extreme:
http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/lew-introduces-us15k-tandem-wheelset-14200

Dear DR,

It looks as if they're reviving the 1890s side and center spoke
design, with fewer central spokes:
http://www.lewracing.com/images/lewracingSPECfront.pdf

http://www.google.com/patents?id=SXxsAAAAEBAJ&pg=PP1&dq=614283#PPP1,M1

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

DirtRoadie said:

Taken to the extreme:
http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/lew-introduces-us15k-tandem-whe...

I think this demonstrates that you can also pick just one if you so
choose.

Chalo

DirtRoadie said:

Taken to the extreme:http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/lew-introduces-us15k-tandem-whe...

DirtRoadie,

I can't understand who are their customers are, and who would hunger
for a material (boron fibers) that are typically incorporated in
things like landing gears of airplanes (which makes some amount of
sense) ? Are these things made to order? I wonder if business is even
profitable for them. A vast majority of us can't even think of Lew!

Whats even an eye opener is something I discovered on their website :

"The wheel is designed for racing, but you'll want to ride it every
day."

A 15,000 dollar wheelset for everyday riding? Suree....

Ron
http://cozybeehive.blogspot.com

Chalo said:

DirtRoadie said:

Taken to the extreme:
http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/lew-introduces-us15k-tandem-whe...

I think this demonstrates that you can also pick just one if you so
choose.

Well, that old list is so out of date.

Add "expensive", and then you can "pick two" again! --D-y

Ron George said:

I can't understand who are their customers are, ....

"The wheel is designed for racing, but you'll want to ride it every
day."

A 15,000 dollar wheelset for everyday riding? Suree....

I actually had the opportunity to pose this query to a fellow I know
(and ride with) who has been in the bike business for quite a while
and who began working as a rep (IIUC) for Lew last year. By his
description, a lot of their customers are older, generally male
cyclists. To give my own interpretation to his description, it's
sort of a midlife crisis thing. Many of their customers have "more
money than brains."

I also note that this Lew employee is not generally seen riding his
employer's wheels. Hmmm... what do you suppose a Ferrari salesman
drives to work?

DR

DirtRoadie said:

Taken to the extreme:http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/lew-introduces-us15k-tandem-whe...

I wasn't very interested until I read this:

"The carbon spokes used in the tandem wheelset weigh only three grams
each but are five times stiffer than their steel competitors with
three times the compression strength and double the tensile strength,
according to Lew."

Three times the _compression_ strength! That's what I've always been
hoping for in my spokes! I'm starting to save up!

(Hmm. I wonder if they can make me some high-compression-strength
derailleur cables too?)

- Frank Krygowski

Quoted message said:

(Hmm.  I wonder if they can make me some high-compression-strength
derailleur cables too?)

Cue to Carl to dig up some patents for push-rod gizmos!

Joseph

Quoted message said:

On Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:17:46 -0800 (PST),

Quoted post said:

On Jan 25, 5:00 pm, [email hidden] wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

(Hmm.  I wonder if they can make me some high-compression-strength
derailleur cables too?)

Quoted message said:

Cue to Carl to dig up some patents for push-rod gizmos!

Quoted message said:

Joseph

Dear Joseph,

Child's play!

Frank must have forgotten this brake, whose stiff cable pushes the
brake-spoon down onto the top of the tire when you twist the handlebar
grip:
 http://www.google.com/patents?id=79luAAAAEBAJ&pg=PP1&dq=591994

To be fair, everyone else on earth forgot it, too. Maybe the worm-gear
mechanism made it too slow for practical use.

Apart from the push-cable, the patent is interesting for its comment
that "we prefer to line or reinforce its [the spoon brake's] under
side with leather or equivalent material, whereby increased friction
may be had with the periphery of the wheel in order to more quickly
and reliably [censored] the bicycle when in rapid motion."

(They all wrote like that--something about applying to the patent
office brought out the worst in people.)

In other words, the inventor exhorted us not to use those cheap metal
spoon brakes--riders were supposed to use a leather version, the
salmon-colored Kool Stop of the 1890s.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

I use salmon Kool-Stops. Does that mean I'm retarded?

Joseph

On Sat, 26 Jan 2008 00:57:22 -0800 (PST),

Quoted post said:

Quoted message said:

On Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:17:46 -0800 (PST),

Quoted post said:

On Jan 25, 5:00 pm, [email hidden] wrote:

Quoted message said:

> (Hmm.  I wonder if they can make me some high-compression-strength
> derailleur cables too?)

Quoted message said:

Cue to Carl to dig up some patents for push-rod gizmos!

Quoted message said:

Joseph

Dear Joseph,

Child's play!

Frank must have forgotten this brake, whose stiff cable pushes the
brake-spoon down onto the top of the tire when you twist the handlebar
grip:
 http://www.google.com/patents?id=79luAAAAEBAJ&pg=PP1&dq=591994

To be fair, everyone else on earth forgot it, too. Maybe the worm-gear
mechanism made it too slow for practical use.

Apart from the push-cable, the patent is interesting for its comment
that "we prefer to line or reinforce its [the spoon brake's] under
side with leather or equivalent material, whereby increased friction
may be had with the periphery of the wheel in order to more quickly
and reliably [censored] the bicycle when in rapid motion."

(They all wrote like that--something about applying to the patent
office brought out the worst in people.)

In other words, the inventor exhorted us not to use those cheap metal
spoon brakes--riders were supposed to use a leather version, the
salmon-colored Kool Stop of the 1890s.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

I use salmon Kool-Stops. Does that mean I'm retarded?

Joseph

Dear Joseph,

Sorry if I was unclear.

I was just amused by the patent's finicky explanation about how
leather offered a superior braking surface, compared to a plain metal
spoon brake. Nothing is going to turn a spoon brake into a modern
caliper rim brake.

Despite all the fuss about modern brake pads, I have no quarrel with
Kool Stops, whether salmon, trout, or any other color--I expect that
they work just fine.

My point was that the inventors were expecting fantastic results from
lining metal spoon brakes with leather, just as there are some RBT
posters who can't imagine anything except Kool Stops bringing a
bicycle to a satisfactory halt (and other posters who can't believe
that there are fools who use such death-trap brake-pads).

Naturally, you're not that kind of Kool Stop user.

:-)

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

On Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:17:46 -0800 (PST), [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

(Hmm.  I wonder if they can make me some high-compression-strength
derailleur cables too?)

Cue to Carl to dig up some patents for push-rod gizmos!

Joseph

Positron (2nd gen.)