FSA wheelsets

[Psycholist]

I was surfing cbike.com and came across two models of FSA (Full Speed Ahead) brand wheels (R200 and
R400). Sketchy details available. They seemed like run-of-the-mill road wheels. I went to the FSA
website www.fullspeedahead.com to see if I could get more information. There were two additional
models -- R600 and R800. These were quite interesting. Each hub has three flanges ... ones on each
side where you'd expect, and one very large one right in the center. FSA promotes the fact that 1/3
of the spokes come off this center flange and, therefore, are out of the wind. Whatever.

They're VERY bizarre-looking.

I tried a Google search for anyone selling these things and/or for reviews. Came up empty.

So has anyone read or heard anything about these? Has anyone out there ridden them?

Bob C.

 

[Qui Si Parla Ca]

psycolist-<< Each hub has three flanges ... ones on each side where you'd expect, and one very large
one right in the center. FSA promotes the fact that 1/3 of the spokes come off this center flange
and, therefore, are out of the wind. >><BR><BR>

Yikes, the resurrection of Pineapple hubs!!!

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 http://www.vecchios.com "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

 

[Tom Sherman]

psycholist wrote:

> I was surfing cbike.com and came across two models of FSA (Full Speed Ahead) brand wheels (R200
> and R400). Sketchy details available. They seemed like run-of-the-mill road wheels. I went to the
> FSA website www.fullspeedahead.com to see if I could get more information. There were two
> additional models -- R600 and R800. These were quite interesting. Each hub has three flanges ...
> ones on each side where you'd expect, and one very large one right in the center. FSA promotes the
> fact that 1/3 of the spokes come off this center flange and, therefore, are out of the wind.
> Whatever.
>
> They're VERY bizarre-looking....

The center flanges are "fiercely torque efficient".

For those who do not wish to navigate the FSA website:

<http://www.fullspeedahead.com/products/road/pages/wheels/rd600.htm>
<http://www.fullspeedahead.com/products/road/pages/wheels/rd800.htm>.

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities

 

[Carl Fogel]

"psycholist" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I was surfing cbike.com and came across two models of FSA (Full Speed Ahead) brand wheels (R200
> and R400). Sketchy details available. They seemed like run-of-the-mill road wheels. I went to the
> FSA website www.fullspeedahead.com to see if I could get more information. There were two
> additional models -- R600 and R800. These were quite interesting. Each hub has three flanges ...
> ones on each side where you'd expect, and one very large one right in the center. FSA promotes the
> fact that 1/3 of the spokes come off this center flange and, therefore, are out of the wind.
> Whatever.
>
> They're VERY bizarre-looking.
>
> I tried a Google search for anyone selling these things and/or for reviews. Came up empty.
>
> So has anyone read or heard anything about these? Has anyone out there ridden them?
>
> Bob C.

Dear Bob,

There's no real shelter from the wind for a spoke inside a wheel. The spokes themselves whip up
plenty of turbulence. That's why disk side-covers were invented. The whirling spokes are still
beating the air trapped inside the disk and whipping it up, but massive blasts of fresh air are not
being introduced to the spokes at high speed.

Even if the idea did work, a truly centered spoke might as well be cut in half for all the lateral
stability that it provides, so these wheels will be much flimsier side-to-side than normal wheels
with the same number of spokes.

And truing a wheel where a third of the spokes can't move the rim to either side doesn't
sound too easy.

Thanks for pointing out an amusing design.

Carl Fogel

 

[Steve Blankensh]

"Tom Sherman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> The center flanges are "fiercely torque efficient".
>
> For those who do not wish to navigate the FSA website:
> <http://www.fullspeedahead.com/products/road/pages/wheels/rd600.htm>
> <http://www.fullspeedahead.com/products/road/pages/wheels/rd800.htm>.

Great; I really hate that front wheel hub windup you always get. And not only will they be "fiercely
torque efficient". By moving 1/3 of the spokes to the center flange they'll help avoid the excess
lateral stiffness 18-spoke wheels are known for, getting it down into the much more manageable zone
of 12-spokers. Just the thing for your next crit!

And you know, maybe an unintentional secondary benefit is that they'll be immediately identifiable
at a distance as trick new FSA wheels. WOW.

Maybe Peter had a better word... ;-)

SB

 

[Qui Si Parla Ca]

I'm gonna build a wheel that is 24 right side, laced in crow's feet, tied and soldered and radial 8
spokes left side to show that it is dummmmm...

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 http://www.vecchios.com "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

 

[Jeff Wills]

[email protected] (Qui si parla Campagnolo) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I'm gonna build a wheel that is 24 right side, laced in crow's feet, tied and soldered and radial
> 8 spokes left side to show that it is dummmmm...
>
> Peter Chisholm

I'd pay money to see a radial-laced tied-and-soldered wheel. ;-)

Jeff