Help please! – Carbon Wheel Survey for Uni Project



ArthurP

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Mar 27, 2014
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I’m undertaking a product design (PD) project at Uni, and running through the market research phase at present. I could really do with your help if you could spare 5min? My elected PD topic is a new all carbon fibre 700c wheel. Why all carbon fibre? a) because of a personal interest in CF, b) it narrows the products in the market I have to consider – making my project more manageable. I’ve tried to make the questionnaire simple to answer to attract as many responses as possible, however, please feel free to include any additional comments as you see fit. Some of the question may seem a little ambiguous, but it’s difficult to be relative or objective when not everyone has, or have tried the same baseline hardware. Q1 - Guided by your own opinion, please rate the importance of the following attributes, applying a score of 0-10, 10 being very important (multiple items can carry the same score) a. Low mass b. High lateral stiffness c. Controlled radial stiffness (compliance) d. Drive take-up (speed of free-hub engagement) e. Aesthetics Q2 – What would be your preferred tyre system: a. Tubular b. Clincher c. Tubeless Clincher Q3 – What would be your preferred brake system for a composite wheel: a. Disc brake b. Rim Brake c. Universal (would inevitably suffer a mass penalty – assume 100g/wheel) Q4 – What would be your preferred rim depth a. 20-30mm b. 30-40mm c. 40-50mm d. >50mm Q5 – What would be your preferred tyre width a. 21 b. 23 c. 25 d. Other Q6 – If you were a sponsored athlete, and could have the pick from the following hardware, which would be your choice and why? a. Lightweight Meilenstein b. Reynolds RZR 46 c. Madfibre (pretend you can still get them...) d. Corima Aero MCC e. Mavic Cosmic Carbone Ultimate f. Other I look forward to seeing peoples views! Thanks for you time and Help A
 
Please use the following link for the survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1qMm2hkuZKQ-0MJmEkZlNetLBnX1oAko1mQCBpXQu-Lc/viewform

Thanks!
 
Research is OK if you are looking for what the mass appeal is right now. You will end up with a product that already exists and be competing with established players.

If you want to get rich, come up with something new, a new feature, and convince people why they need it. One trick that seems to work is to recycle old fads, update them for today's buyers.

So how are you going to lure buyers away from the likes of Zipp, HED, Easton, Mavic and the flood of cheap chinese products? Price, quality, availability, durability - probably not. Make it faster, or at least appear faster and they will come.
 
Originally Posted by maydog
If you want to get rich, come up with something new, a new feature, and convince people why they need it. One trick that seems to work is to recycle old fads, update them for today's buyers.
So that would be like a flickstand that operates off your iPhone, right?

I recently read of a company that showed a carbon clincher at Tapei that used a copper strip imbedded in the brake flat for heat dissipation. Brilliant idea, but they were having trouble marketing it until they found a way to mask the color.
 
Hi Maydog,

Thanks for your reply. The exercise if fairly academic - for me at least. but I must admit, I disagree with your comment (in the nicest possible way :) ).

You assume that what the market desires is already being fully satisfied, yet there are still plenty of consumers who feel braking could be better, ride quality could be improved, reliability, aero etc. Also, i wasn't aware that we had already hit the pinnacle of technology - year on year, manufacturers release improved products - sure, some might be fads, but there is no denying the amazing technological advances the sport has seen over the last decade (and more).

Additionally, educating the market can be one of the most costly exercises in developing anything - Say I bought out a wheel that had 1 spoke, and assume that it was genuinely, mechanically superior. There would be plenty of people out there who would oppose the 1 spoke design in favor of there known, tried and tested 20, 24, 32 spoke wheels. It would take some marketing campaign to overcome this! Established manufacturers could leverage their current product reputation (assuming its good) to launch this new 1 spoke wheel, but a new venture would probably not get off the ground..

just my (different) opinion I guess...

Ta

A
 
Quote: ....yet there are still plenty of consumers who feel braking could be better, ride quality could be improved, reliability, aero etc. Also, i wasn't aware that we had already hit the pinnacle of technology - ...


See we do not disagree, but I did not get the innovation vibe from the survey. If you expect to sell something, you have to convince someone that is will be better in some way to things that are already available.

I do admit that building a carbon wheel, even a run of the mill unit, from scratch would be a fun project and would receive high marks in whatever class. If you are going to do it, however, you might as well add a personal touch - some sizzle.
 
lol - thanks maydog. hope I didn't come across as being rude - wasn't my intention.

I've been thinking about building some CF wheels - but its a lot of work! Will surly post something on here if I ever do.

Cheers.
 
I was thinking more on what you could use to set your wheels apart:

- Graphene - probably requires some technological leap, putting even a little in could add bling factor
- Carbon nanotubes - sounds cool
- Industrial diamond in the braking surface
- Maybe a new shape, with all sorts of analysis showing its better at yaw angle y at a speed of s
- Do all carbon wheels need to be black? Custom graphics under the clear coat?
- Silent carbon wheels could be a competitive advantage, no one will hear you coming
- ????
 
Quote by OBC:
"So that would be like a flickstand that operates off your iPhone, right?"

Thanks! I just filed a patent for that! I'm going to be a millionaire!

In return, I'm instructing my lawyers to assign all future rights to you for the Gen II Campy EPS derailleurs you can shift from your Facebook page.
 
Quote by AurthorP:
"Additionally, educating the market can be one of the most costly exercises in developing anything - Say I bought out a wheel that had 1 spoke, and assume that it was genuinely, mechanically superior."

Alienator would be your first customer!
 

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