Internal Combustion Wheel

Diablo Scott said:

This is an engine-driven, self-contained 26" front wheel for a bike. I
haven't seen anything like this before, interesting but probably doomed
to failure - a regular Euro scooter makes more sense for the target
market. Not too expensive though, so who knows? Clever name... "The
Wheel"

A few things spring to mind:

1) Having a 2-stroke engine spewing its foul breath of unburnt fuel and
oil in front of you, you will *stink* after any ride.

2) You need a fork that's strong enough to resist the torque (a
disc-specific fork would probably do), since the motor is in the hub.
The actual torque reaction seems to be taken by a chain wrapped round
the fork leg, which is crude.

3) Not sure what a 15lb hub is going to do for handling!

4) Illegal in the UK without a motorcycle licence and helmet, so you
might as well have a 50cc 4-stroke moped. Electric bikes are allowed
without a licence, but are limited to 15mph (electric power, on the flat)

5) I wonder how the front wheel drive will cope with steep hills, where
all the weight is on the back wheel (more pronounced than a car). It
should be better in mud or snow though, like FWD cars.

AND NNOWWWWWWWW!!

several words from-
honda
your insurance agent or rather your former insurance agent
and last butnot the local sheriff

http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:h8Yr1Hsrpw4J:mopedworld.com/Copy.htm+french+mopeds&hl=en

Diablo Scott said:

This is an engine-driven, self-contained 26" front wheel for a bike. I
haven't seen anything like this before, interesting but probably doomed
to failure - a regular Euro scooter makes more sense for the target
market. Not too expensive though, so who knows? Clever name... "The Wheel"

http://www.revopower.com

Perks & Birch did something like that in 1899. They called it "Power
Wheel".

http://www.ozebook.com/a-z_files/perks&birch.jpg

Chalo Colina

Diablo Scott said:

This is an engine-driven, self-contained 26" front wheel for a bike. I
haven't seen anything like this before, interesting but probably doomed
to failure - a regular Euro scooter makes more sense for the target
market. Not too expensive though, so who knows? Clever name... "The Wheel"

http://www.revopower.com

(snip)

Nah, that's too wimpy!

If one is going to be so goofy as to put an IC motor on a wheel, this
is the way to do it:

http://theriotwheel.com/

Mark ;o)

Interesting but what is it for? The interviews are very telling...
A bunch of couch potatoes who don't want to have to pedal but want to
be able to say they ride a bike. Or people who are afraid to ride
motorcycles and are more comfortable with the "idea" of a motorized
bicycle, even though they'd probably be safer on a motorcycle.

If I wanted a motorcycle, I'd get a motorcycle that can take me
farther, faster, with proper lighting and braking systems than a
motorized bicycle. What real difference does it make whether I get
240 mpg (marketing BS) or 50? That guy who comments about 240 mpg
probably drives an SUV fer chrissakes! Talk about penny-wise and
pound-foolish...

I'll stick with my bicycle.

calculus said:

Interesting but what is it for? The interviews are very telling...
A bunch of couch potatoes who don't want to have to pedal but want to
be able to say they ride a bike. Or people who are afraid to ride
motorcycles and are more comfortable with the "idea" of a motorized
bicycle, even though they'd probably be safer on a motorcycle.

If I wanted a motorcycle, I'd get a motorcycle that can take me
farther, faster, with proper lighting and braking systems than a
motorized bicycle. What real difference does it make whether I get
240 mpg (marketing BS) or 50? That guy who comments about 240 mpg
probably drives an SUV fer chrissakes! Talk about penny-wise and
pound-foolish...

I'll stick with my bicycle.

Yeah, I don't think a niche exists for this, either. But it shows that
if we had motor scooters, they could be useful. Funny how so many
countries like motor scooters but the US doesn't.

--
Tom Reingold
Noo Joizy
This email address works, but only for a short time.

Tom Reingold said:

Yeah, I don't think a niche exists for this, either. But it shows that
if we had motor scooters, they could be useful. Funny how so many
countries like motor scooters but the US doesn't.

That's 'cos people are too scared to go out among all those Humvees and
Explorers...

Diablo Scott said:

This is an engine-driven, self-contained 26" front wheel for a bike.
I haven't seen anything like this before, interesting but probably
doomed to failure - a regular Euro scooter makes more sense for the
target market. Not too expensive though, so who knows? Clever
name... "The Wheel"

Quoted message said:

http://www.revopower.com

Quoted message said:

(from the website)

Quoted message said:

SPECIFICATION MEASURE
Powered by: 25cc two-stroke engine
Power Train: A series of gears which drive the engine (and the Wheel)
around a fixed axle
Top Speed: 20 mph (32 kph)

Quoted message said:

Easy Installation (1)
Takes only minutes to install using standard tools No need for a
mechanic or any modifications to most bikes; can be used with any 26? or
commuter style bike; Does not interfere with drive train;

I often wonder whether these guys are charlatans or babes in the woods
with no ability to suspect that this is an old idea. A motor in the
front wheel was brought to market by Megola years ago and a rotating
piston engine in aircraft:

http://www.revopower.com/gallery.html
http://www.motorcycle.com/mo/mcmuseum/mcphotos/gug8.html
http://www.kunis.nl/bikesuk/index.html#Megola
http://www.magpie.com/nycmoto/guggenheim/pages/megola.html

http://www.keveney.com/gnome.html

Jobst Brandt

Zog The Undeniable said:

Tom Reingold said:

Yeah, I don't think a niche exists for this, either. But it shows that
if we had motor scooters, they could be useful. Funny how so many
countries like motor scooters but the US doesn't.

That's 'cos people are too scared to go out among all those Humvees and
Explorers...

Yes, but really, the bigger problem is the drivers. In Europe, when you
learn to drive, they TEACH you awareness of two-wheeled vehicles. Here,
they don't.

--
Tom Reingold
Noo Joizy
This email address works, but only for a short time.

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Diablo Scott said:

This is an engine-driven, self-contained 26" front wheel for

a bike.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I haven't seen anything like this before, interesting but

probably

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

doomed to failure - a regular Euro scooter makes more sense

for the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

target market. Not too expensive though, so who knows?

Clever

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

name... "The Wheel"

Quoted message said:

http://www.revopower.com

Quoted message said:

(from the website)

Quoted message said:

SPECIFICATION MEASURE
Powered by: 25cc two-stroke engine
Power Train: A series of gears which drive the engine (and

the Wheel)

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

around a fixed axle
Top Speed: 20 mph (32 kph)

Quoted message said:

Easy Installation (1)
Takes only minutes to install using standard tools No need

for a

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

mechanic or any modifications to most bikes; can be used with

any 26? or

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

commuter style bike; Does not interfere with drive train;

I often wonder whether these guys are charlatans or babes in

the woods

Quoted message said:

with no ability to suspect that this is an old idea. A motor

in the

Quoted message said:

front wheel was brought to market by Megola years ago and a

rotating

Quoted message said:

piston engine in aircraft:

http://www.revopower.com/gallery.html
http://www.motorcycle.com/mo/mcmuseum/mcphotos/gug8.html
http://www.kunis.nl/bikesuk/index.html#Megola
http://www.magpie.com/nycmoto/guggenheim/pages/megola.html

http://www.keveney.com/gnome.html

Just out of curiosity, how would this design (and the gyroscopic
effect caused by the whirling mass) effect steering? -- Jay
Beattie.

Zog The Undeniable said:

Tom Reingold said:

Yeah, I don't think a niche exists for this, either. But it shows that
if we had motor scooters, they could be useful. Funny how so many
countries like motor scooters but the US doesn't.

That's 'cos people are too scared to go out among all those Humvees and
Explorers...

It's also because gas isn't $6/gallon.... yet. I can see a time not too
far in the future, when mopeds - or a similar type vehicle - will become
much more popular in the USA. There's a big image problem with mopeds
though and I think the inventors of this wheel are trying to address
that issue - thinking that people want a moped that won't look like a
mpoed.

Current check of gas prices around the world: (all are USD/USGal)

Netherlands Amsterdam $6.48
Norway Oslo $6.27
Italy Milan $5.96
Denmark Copenhagen $5.93
Belgium Brussels $5.91
Sweden Stockholm $5.80
United Kingdom London $5.79
Germany Frankfurt $5.57
France Paris $5.54
Portugal Lisbon $5.35
Hungary Budapest $4.94
Luxembourg $4.82
Croatia Zagreb $4.81
Ireland Dublin $4.78
Switzerland Geneva $4.74
Spain Madrid $4.55

--
My bike blog:
http://diabloscott.blogspot.com/

Diablo Scott said:

This is an engine-driven, self-contained 26" front wheel for a bike. I
haven't seen anything like this before, interesting but probably doomed
to failure - a regular Euro scooter makes more sense for the target
market. Not too expensive though, so who knows? Clever name... "The Wheel"

http://www.revopower.com

Given the following:

-- Numerous municipalities and some states in the US either have
already adopted or are in the proess of considering bans on operation
of motor-powered bicycles and "pocket bikes" by underage, unsupervised
and/or unlicensed riders.

-- The product is forecast to be priced at a level that does not
make it competitive with existing "pocket bikes".

-- The website has an imprecise forecast that the product would be
in production essentially now or very soon, but the information on the
website does not appear to have been updated with any harder
information since that initial forecast.

-- The final design is not explicitly shown, despite the scheduling
issue mentioned above.

-- This isn't a new idea, really; it's just a slightly different
implementation of a concept that has failed to establish a lasting
place in the market despite many attempts over a period of years.

I find it unlikely that this product will find the necessary venture
capital to actually put it into production, and I would not invest any
of my own funds in it if I had such venture capital available.

I agree with your capsule anaysis: "probably doomed to failure".
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

Jay Beattie said:

Quoted message said:

http://www.keveney.com/gnome.html

Just out of curiosity, how would this design (and the gyroscopic
effect caused by the whirling mass) effect steering? -- Jay

In a word: Adversely.

It would also weight substantially more than the bike, for any
reasonably functional implementation...if that phrase has any meaning
in this context.

The rotating-block engine is a thing of marginal elegance in its
original limited implementation, fraught with quirks and oversupplied
with drawbacks as noted in the discussion. having actually seen one
of these in operation many years ago, I have no illusions whatsoever
about the reasons why the design did not persist.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

Thanks. By the way, I should have said "affect." Don't want to get
busted by the English police. -- Jay Beattie.

{There's a big image problem with mopeds
though and I think the inventors of this wheel are trying to address
that issue - thinking that people want a moped that won't look like a
mpoed. }

Yep. They're a lot of fun until your friends see you riding one...

Fri, 05 Aug 2005 08:51:29 -0500, calculus:

Quoted message said:

Interesting but what is it for? The interviews are very telling...
A bunch of couch potatoes who don't want to have to pedal but want to
be able to say they ride a bike. Or people who are afraid to ride
motorcycles and are more comfortable with the "idea" of a motorized
bicycle, even though they'd probably be safer on a motorcycle.

If I wanted a motorcycle, I'd get a motorcycle that can take me
farther, faster, with proper lighting and braking systems than a
motorized bicycle. What real difference does it make whether I get
240 mpg (marketing BS) or 50?

Very us-american point of view... If you life in a densly populated
(european) town with only the cellar or your flat on second floor to store
a bike safe, don't have much money to spend, you are maybe more than 60
years old and not perfectly healthy - a bicycle with a light
"power-assist" might be of help.

Similar products exist - e.g. the "Saxonette":

http://www.sachs-bikes.de/en/category.php?cat_id=3

doomed? gnomish? unfortunate.
i went onj about this some time ago and to digress-
the locale is set up so people caught in a hurricane storm surge path
have extra highway room for escape. i assume yawl saw this on the tube?
but where i live is modern new and built to state and fe code soas
there's bike paths 8 feet wide leading out.
great for the 25cc!!
so we had an explosion of these things two years ago.
problem? everyone rides them flat out. this is amazing. my
favoirts-five haitians on one 25cc-flat out-(somebody in miami won a
lotto)and the accountant on the suburban sidewalk with a rechargeable
foot scooter-flat out. i was standing at the libaray bike rack
downtown, old man pulls up on a bike/cycle made in china!! no tags
no... he sez-"oh, this is legal." oh sure-the state charghs for
registrations so you can ride around free right? heavy bike. wheew.
this is not only imbecilic but illegal. but that's what the riders
do-mulesanne!
and the p[olice here are kind hearted about this caws there's so many
lame old poeple goin to the store.
but the crazies see the old poeple golf carting along so they think
well i can run my turbo 500cc gp monoposto dune buggy FLAT OUT...

there's is a hole here-the tricycle front wheel electric with battery
in the rear rack. run slowly. and park it out of sight please.

In article <1123267350.59a7aea72edbdb1efda2d36e2fa9fd7b@teranews>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

It's also because gas isn't $6/gallon.... yet. I can see a time not too
far in the future, when mopeds

Reallly? We've heard that same line repeated since the gas crisis of the
70's.

Quoted message said:

- or a similar type vehicle - will become
much more popular in the USA.

I doubt it. People may go to smaller cars, but they won't go for a vehicle
where they are out in the elements.

Quoted message said:

There's a big image problem with mopeds
though and I think the inventors of this wheel are trying to address
that issue - thinking that people want a moped that won't look like a
mpoed.

Where do you come up with these ideas? It is quite easy to just put a plastic
cover over the engine and give the bike a different look. No need to re-hash
old ideas and say they are new.

Quoted message said:

Current check of gas prices around the world: (all are USD/USGal)
Netherlands Amsterdam $6.48
Norway Oslo $6.27
Italy Milan $5.96
Denmark Copenhagen $5.93
Belgium Brussels $5.91
Sweden Stockholm $5.80
United Kingdom London $5.79
Germany Frankfurt $5.57
France Paris $5.54
Portugal Lisbon $5.35
Hungary Budapest $4.94
Luxembourg $4.82
Croatia Zagreb $4.81
Ireland Dublin $4.78
Switzerland Geneva $4.74
Spain Madrid $4.55

High taxes.
--------------
Alex