Hi,
I've never ridden a BC wheel so you can freely ignore what I have to
say.
I do have a lot of experience with resin and fibre type construction
(kayak construction). KC the Acey mentioned the weave of the cloth.
Right on! That's very important. The geometry of the structure is
important, too., for example a solid rod will actually give more flex
than a hollow tube of the same weight. Also, I know kevlar is making
cloth, too. For a BC, you wouldn't need much and maybe it wouldn't be
cost prohibitive.
Another consideration, which I have not read much about and am kind of
suprized is the weight distribution between the hub and the tire . If
more weight is near the outside, it will have substantially more radial
inertia (like a coker compared to a 36" diameter cardboard circle), for
longer rolling, but also harder acceleration. There must be a thread on
this somewhere. Weight on the outside will give much stronger gyroscopic
effect for stability, too. If you are making your own wheel, this could
be tweaked very deliberately!
Good luck with the project! It sounds fun. I am expecting my first
ultimate wheel when the UPS truck comes next week.
Blake
--
podzol - AKA Dr. BoBo
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