I'm always skeptical when I hear bike and component manufacturers tout the idea of "free speed." In fact, I'm more skeptical of "free speed" than I am of the proverbial "free lunch."
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The Dutch firm M5 has recently released a new aerodynamic two-spoke wheel design that they have (somewhat unimaginatively) dubbed "2-Spoke." The wheels are said to not only be the most aerodynamically slippery wheels to date, but that their unique profile actually generates speed in some cross-wind situations.
Well, that's what they say anyhow. The 2-Spoke website claims that compared to 12 or 16 steel bladed spokes, 3 to 6 carbon bladed spokes, or even full disc wheels, the 2-Spoke design "has the LOWEST air resistance of ALL existing wheels" making them "currently the fastest wheels in the world." But more than that, the company claims that their special airfoil design makes them "generate speed" when crosswinds hit the wheels at angles between 10 and 170 degrees. Hmmm. . .
Like all companies that make promises of incremental gains and increased speed, 2-Spoke touts how much time a person could potentially save in a time trial. In this case, the benefit is said to be "as much as 2.5 minutes in a one-hour time trial when averaging 51 km/h."
Wait. . . WHAT?? 51 km/h for an hour? Are we aware that the current hour record (Bradley Wiggins) is 54.526 km? And remember that Eddy Merckx's long-standing record from 1972 was 49.43!
Well that's not a bit overly optimistic, is it?
Okay, so what do these wonder wheels cost ('cause they sure as hell aren't free, either)? List price, in Euros, is about €2400 for the pair, or about €1178 for the front wheel alone. Not quite as expensive as some of today's wonder wheels, but definitely up into the seriously rarefied air.
As often happens when I work on stories about bikes and components with hard-to-fathom promises of performance and speed gains for outlandish prices, I find the need to to go lie down in a dark room with an inhaler. So, as much as I'd love to write more about the 2-Spokes, I've got to cut this short because that tin of Proofide is calling my name again.
The Dutch firm M5 has recently released a new aerodynamic two-spoke wheel design that they have (somewhat unimaginatively) dubbed "2-Spoke." The wheels are said to not only be the most aerodynamically slippery wheels to date, but that their unique profile actually generates speed in some cross-wind situations.Well, that's what they say anyhow. The 2-Spoke website claims that compared to 12 or 16 steel bladed spokes, 3 to 6 carbon bladed spokes, or even full disc wheels, the 2-Spoke design "has the LOWEST air resistance of ALL existing wheels" making them "currently the fastest wheels in the world." But more than that, the company claims that their special airfoil design makes them "generate speed" when crosswinds hit the wheels at angles between 10 and 170 degrees. Hmmm. . .
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| In this shot, you can pretty clearly see the wing-like (or maybe I should say, propeller-like) profile, where the leading edge of the spoke is rounded, and tapers almost to a point at the trailing edge. Notice that the rim depth also changes from deeper at the trailing side of each spoke, and shallower at the leading side. |
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| Cue the "record scratch" sound effect: Scraaaaaaattttcccchhhhhhh! |
Well that's not a bit overly optimistic, is it?
Okay, so what do these wonder wheels cost ('cause they sure as hell aren't free, either)? List price, in Euros, is about €2400 for the pair, or about €1178 for the front wheel alone. Not quite as expensive as some of today's wonder wheels, but definitely up into the seriously rarefied air.
As often happens when I work on stories about bikes and components with hard-to-fathom promises of performance and speed gains for outlandish prices, I find the need to to go lie down in a dark room with an inhaler. So, as much as I'd love to write more about the 2-Spokes, I've got to cut this short because that tin of Proofide is calling my name again.