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TECH NEWS
revolve_wheel_-_14.jpgReinventing the wheel: the Revolve folds down when not in use
An Italian designer has reinvented the wheel, the Revolve folding down when not in use to take up less space for easier portability and storage.
“Revolve occupies up to 60% less space when folded and can be used in all conditions,” says its inventor Andrea Mocellin.
With its 665mm diameter (including tyre), the Revolve is almost as large as a 700c wheel (622mm diameter) with a tyre fitted, folding to a height of 260mm.
“When folded it allows the user to store it easily at home, in a backpack, in a trolley, in a trunk or even in the overhead baggage compartment on an airplane,” says Andrea.
Pics © 2017 Andrea Mocellin
The structure is hexagonal with six arcs around the edge that combine to produce the useable wheel. Opening and closing the aluminium frame is simple and you carry it via two handles that lock and unlock the wheel when unfolded. An airless tyre folds with the rest of the wheel.
“The tyre can have different levels of softness to suit the user’s needs,” says Andrea.
You might notice that in the video it’s just the bicycle’s front wheel that’s a Revolve, although Andrea says that a Revolve rear wheel is also possible.
“I have been developing the wheel for a singlespeed folding bike with a coaster brake, and for a performance bike with a disc brake,” says Andrea.
Where does Andrea see Revolve eventually appearing?
“Revolve is dedicated to people who need modular wheels to store everywhere (home, car, train or airplanes).
"With bicycles, the comfort is close to that of a regular tyre, the big difference being in the case of someone who wants to achieve high performance in term of speed.
“I have tested the wheel in urban and suburban environments. The pre-production model has been mainly tested on wheelchairs, having the same comfort and performance as any other large wheel in the market.
“I have also tested it on bicycles and have had great feedback in term of solidity and modularity. The wheel has been tested for the last mile of trips (moving, for example, from the train station to your workplace). Of course, finding a partner able to produce the wheel will give more opportunity to take the next step and make the wheel suitable for long journeys.”
We feel that the Revolve wheel is most suited to folding bikes, a market that is currently dominated by small wheels that don't handle in the same way as large ones. We've never used the Revolve, though, so we can't comment on how it performs out on the road.
Andrea Mocellin graduated from the Royal College of Art in London with a Masters degree in vehicle design and he has worked as senior exterior designer at Alfa Romeo/ Maserati and as creative designer for car companies like Pininfarina and Audi AG.
“I am now seeking the right people to collaborate with to take the wheel to the next stage,” says Andrea.
For more info go to www.revolve-wheel.com.
Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.
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19 comments
"As to them not forming an opinion before trying them, what an odd thing to suggest. We form and reform opinions constantly based on new evidence"
Aren't those two sentences contradictory? Maybe you forgot a negation somewhere, or ...
Lots of engineering and hype without reason. The worst is that the cyclists who will actually buy this product, will do so for the hype.
Don't get it. They look very clever, but once you remove normal wheels from a bike/ wheelchair they are easy to carry and store cos they're not very wide, so what's the point.
Why would you want to carry a wheel arund town?
I quite like the look of this design: https://www.treehugger.com/cars/the-most-compact-urban-folding-bike-ever...
To be honest, I can't see how you really improve on current wheel designs without switching away from a central hub and driving the wheel from the rim. Or maybe some kind of tank-like tracks would be more feasible but you're still going to struggle to match the traditional wheel's weight and performance.
In it's current form, and I can't see how you'd appreciably reduce size, one wheel doesn't look a lot smaller than a folded Brompton. Obviously lighter. But then you need 2 wheels and a frame.
As said for some wheel chair users could be useful in small cars. Can't see any advantage for cyclists. Sorry
Did that guy just steal someones Wheelchair wheel and put it on his bike?
Yes, but the wheelchair is now just a chair.
It definitely looks like wheelchair users would appreciate folding wheels more than cyclists. Here's an older design that doesn't look to have been too successful (i.e. no longer available on Amazon).
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ableware-70001-0000-Foldable-Wheelchair-Diamete...
Morph+Folding+Wheel+-+Morph+Wheels+-+Folding+wheels+-+Wheelchair+wheels+-+Award+winning+design.jpg
This is a nice idea, but is going to have to compete with current wheel designs. Unfortunately, it's not going to be able to compete.
A folding wheel could be useful, but this design is going to be a lot heavier. The biggest downfall that I can see is that it relies on non-pneumatic tyres which means that the ride quality is going to be awful and it's going to be heavier and being heavier is not going to work well with the whole portable thing.
I just can't see this being successful.
I cant see any benefit for cyclists here, definitely for wheelchair users with limited space, easier to transport in a car and store in the home.
Yes, maybe. Although they'd have to be hot on specifying weight limitations for both the chair and the person - together not insignificant.
That said, am not sure that market sees foldable wheels as a solution to any specific problem folk may have that's not solved by using a vehicle that's big enough to transport a folded chair in the first place. And how easy would it be for a wheelchair user to unfold both these wheels themselves and then reassemble the chair - worth the bother?
I reckon the designer could point their talent to other challenges, or maybe furniture design.
Yawn. Yet another 'problem' that doesn't need solving. All it needs now, is a GoFundMe page, or similar. Just, why?
If you're serious enough to be a 'global traveller' and take your bike with you, you can be sure you're not taking wheels like these.
“I am now seeking the right people to collaborate with to take the wheel to the next stage,” says Andrea. The bin? We have enough plastic littering the planet.
To my mind, the biggest problem facing the folding bike market is you can't have full sized wheels as the folded bike will be too big. This could go some way to solve this issue.
I know of a lot of people who have considered a folding bike for thier commute that is part by train but have been put off because folding bikes have small wheels that are perceived as being too much hard work.
But two of these (folded) and a folded frame are gonna be a bugger to manage on a packed train.
Why are the small wheels of a folding bike perceived as 'being too much hard work'?
Their perception is wrong. They should try a fold-up bike before forming an opinion on them.
Yep, UCI don’t allow small wheels but otherwise we’d all be bombing round on
on Moultons. Significant reduction in wind resistance, apparently.
It is worth noting that I did not say that it was my opinion or perception.
As to them not forming an opinion before trying them, what an odd thing to suggest. We form and reform opinions constantly based on new evidence, though there may be a point at which we stop accepting new evidence.
Why don't you try swimming in shark infested water? Should youtry it before forming an opinion?
I've dived in water with some leopard sharks - no problem at all.
And yet this bloke knocks off the Ride London 100 in 5hrs 18 - ina suit and tie on one.
They're much better than you might think.
https://www.landaid.org/news/taking-ridelondon-100-brompton-and-suit-lan...