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Wooden bikes

materiabikes.com

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91–100 of 238 posts

Re: Wooden bikes

#91

Post by gameswithgo »

amelius wrote: post #57

I wish someone invented and actually sold tires which can't go flat. I don't mind if it makes the bike somewhat harder to ride. For short-distance trips (intra-city) this should be no problem, and could perhaps even save me a visit to the gym.

>. I don't mind if it makes the bike somewhat harder to ride.

You think that because you don't realize how much harder it is. Like it takes significantly more power, turns much worse, and is much less comfortable.

Solid rubber tires exist though you are welcome to try!

Re: Wooden bikes

#92

Post by billsmithaustin »

sergiosgc wrote: post #14

I don't understand the market for bicycles in the thousands of euro price range. Bikes get stolen often enough for me to never be relaxed leaving such a bike outside a shop or caffe or such. If you can't leave the bike anywhere, it's almost useless, except perhaps as a virtue signalling device.

Part of the market will be bike enthusiasts with disposable income who are attracted to the novelty of a wooden frame. The frames are beautiful. Time will tell whether that market is big enough to support a business.

On a related note, I see Renovo Hardwood Bicycles shut down earlier this year.

Re: Wooden bikes

#93

Post by chrisseaton »

rekshaw wrote: post #71

Looking at the test results: 4-6mm permanent deformation when dropping it from 18-20cm? That doesn't seem very good, especially for a city ride with frequent curbs, small steps, road gaps, and a heavy rider like myself (92kg).

Does that mean if you drop something on the frame you'll get a little dent? Since it's wood? It's not a structural problem is it? Just like a cricket bat gets dents each time you hit a ball but it still works fine.

Re: Wooden bikes

#94

Post by akvadrako »

amelius wrote: post #57

I wish someone invented and actually sold tires which can't go flat. I don't mind if it makes the bike somewhat harder to ride. For short-distance trips (intra-city) this should be no problem, and could perhaps even save me a visit to the gym.

The shared bikes around here have solid rubber tires. I'm not sure it's a good tradeoff though.

Re: Wooden bikes

#95

Post by dsego »

mymythisisthis wrote: post #70
cuban-frisbee wrote: post #46

I use a bike as my primary transportation (I live in a very, very bike friendly city) and I don't think I have ever seen a wooden bike. Vibrations from the road is not something I've ever considered since it has not been a problem in any of the bikes that I've had. My primary considerations when considering a bike would be: * Price * Durability * Cargo support (like basket and rear hub)

If you do a road trip more than 80km, you feel the vibration. I find aluminum is worse than steel. With short, daily trips, I don't think people notice vibration.

My 2 cents, steel is better, I've had wrist issues with an aluminum bike that I just don't get with the steel one. It seems to dampen and absorb the high frequency vibrations.

Re: Wooden bikes

#96

Post by mcv »

michaelmior wrote: post #81
mcv wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess it depends on the kind of bike experience you want. I see people riding extraordinarily impractical bikes every single day. Of course that would make wooden bikes a matter of taste, and not superior by any stretch of the imagination.

> not superior by any stretch of the imagination. I think it's safe to assume each rider has a different utility function, in some cases drastically different. "Extraordinarily impractical" bikes may very well have other upsides for a particular rider that outweigh the disadvantages for them.

Of course. Looks are a big one. Attitude, style, art, standing out. Historical appreciation.

And some bikes are impractical in one way but extremely practical in another, like folding bikes. I have no experience with them myself, but I expect the riding experience to be mediocre. But the ability to fold them up and take them with you is fantastically useful.

Re: Wooden bikes

#97

Post by 762236 »

leni536 wrote: post #29

The best materials for damping vibration have low density and low stiffness. When coupled with the low vibration transfer speed, these properties determine how well a material damps vibration. Based on the table below by "stiffness" they mean Young-modulus. None of these quantities describe damping of vibrations in a material. Also Young-modulus and density determine the longitudinal vibration transfer speed (this is…

This is one of the hardest topics to grasp in cycling, particularly since it is hard to find introductory but authoritative info applied to frame design (as opposed to general mechanical engineering books). And it is tough to map the objective material properties to the subjective feel of the ride quality.

Re: Wooden bikes

#98

Post by kmlx »

Emma_Goldman wrote: post #38

Interesting idea. Unconscionable price. I don't think you could justify spending that amount of money on a bike unless it is one of your life's deepest passions. Which seems rare. Does the quality of bikes really change that much when you go up the price range, for amateur users?

the cervelo p5x time trial bicycle starts from $8k for “just” the frame: https://www.cervelo.com/p5x

“full spec” is $16k.

Re: Wooden bikes

#99

Post by jillesvangurp »

lhopki01 wrote: post #40
beerlord wrote: post #27

I think bikes will become a niche sports product, replaced by E-Scooters for basic transportation around town, and autonomous cars/minibuses for anything longer.

There's more to a bike than just pure transport. There's the fact that you exercise at the same time as being one of the fastest ways around.

Yep, got back into cycling to work this summer by siging up for one of the bike sharing programs. Good lifehack if like me you are obviously in need of some exercise but can't really be bothered to go to a gym. Also saving a ton on transport tickets. I wouldn't claim it is faster but definitely more relaxing.

Re: Wooden bikes

#100

Post by drcoopster »

ArrayList wrote: post #68
ljf wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I largely agree - though my 'good bike' is currently worth around £1500 - though if I tried to sell it now it would be worth closer to £700. Still, I either go on a 50 mile type ride where I'll not be stopping until I return to base, a local training ride (similar), a cafe tour - where I'll be able to sit either where I can see the bike or right next to it, or I just leave it at home and take my 'rough bike' (the com…

Unless you are a legit elite top 1% rider, a $10k bike offers nothing that a nicely spec'd $2k bike doesn't offer.

I've been a motorcycle marshal for big triathlon races (Ironman and others) over the last few years. Aside from the elites who are basically all on the high-dollar bikes, the value of the bike seems to be a near-insignificant factor in the overall performance equation.
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