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Wooden bikes

materiabikes.com

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Re: Wooden bikes

#211

Post by kimburgess »

mr_overalls wrote: post #114

Engineered wood is truly an amazing material. While touring a newly-constructed home a few weeks ago, I saw what appeared to be floor joists constructed out of thin, cheap particle-board. It turns out that they're made of engineered wood, and are actually stronger than an equivalent sawed wood beam. https://imgur.com/a/3AkZblF

It's not just something for small scale structures either. We've been working on the tech fitout for this recently: https://www.aurecongroup.com/projects/property/25-king.

Re: Wooden bikes

#212

Post by GrumpiNerd »

gameswithgo wrote: post #82

The vibration dampening is a red herring. As a point of comparison, the differences in dampening between various frames/materials is on the order of ~1psi of tire pressure normally. In other words, if you found yourself with the harshest of frames, you could drop air pressure by 1 or 2psi and be at the same level as the "smoothest" frame.

"Dampening" is when something gets wet.

Re: Wooden bikes

#213

Post by plorkyeran »

geoka9 wrote: post #157
ashtonbaker wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> As we all know, stiffer tires (higher pressure) is faster. We're living in interesting times for this "conventional" wisdom! One school of thought argues that while there might be a theoretical relationship between high pressure and low rolling resistance, but the real-world effect has been exaggerated by poor testing methodology, which usually involves a circular drum as a substitute for a flat road. And that the…

Just curious, with the same set of tires, didn't you ever notice how much easier it is biking uphill when you don't neglect to inflate the tires before the ride? I'm not a competitive cyclist, but I'm on a bike every day and I notice it on my bikes (mountain, thick heavy tires and road, slick tires).

On my mountain bike it's very noticeable when I'm below 30 psi on a road, but the difference between 30 and 50 is not noticeable in terms of speed (hard cornering does feel a bit different).

Re: Wooden bikes

#214

Post by [deleted] »

cultus wrote: post #129
ubermonkey wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you certain about this? Because I'm not sure it's true based on my own relatively recent experience test-riding a variety of fairly serious road-cycling frames.

I can't find the source at the moment, but there was actually a test done where riders rode bikes of carbon vs. alloy or steel with the frame material obscured from view. They couldn't tell the difference. When everyone is telling you that carbon has a better ride quality, it's hard not to feel it. Steel is the best frame material for 95% of people due to its durability. Quality steel frames (not Schwinn travellers)…

[deleted]

Re: Wooden bikes

#215

Post by asauce »

ramy_d wrote: post #170
Eric_WVGG wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a blogger called “Bike Snob” who has been ridiculing cyclist gullibility and fleeting trends for over ten years. One manufacturer of wooden bicycles decided to just up and send him one, and… well I'll just quote him: > Before getting the bike: Intrigued by the novelty factor and an excuse to make gratuitous wood puns > Shortly after receiving the bike: Impressed by the exquisite craftsmanship but also kind of…

I found a sequence of updates from the guy if anyone is interested: https://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2017/11/bsnyc-field-trip-20... https://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2017/11/would-that-i-could.... https://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2017/11/this-title-is-100-f... https://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2018/06/wood-bike-status-up... https://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2018/01/sawdust-in-wind.htm... read for yourself

This guy's writing style is fantastic. I just read through all of the posts you linked, and I'm not even into bikes!

However I must say, the Renovo Aerowood is a good looking piece of wood.

Re: Wooden bikes

#216

Post by rhinoceraptor »

icebraining wrote: post #132
rhinoceraptor wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's pretty easy to get a bike that price if you use decent, brand name components rather than cheap generic components. And if you ride a lot, it's worth it to spend more and get a bike you enjoy riding. And with a good lock, I don't really worry about theft.

What lock do you use?

I use the Kryptonite New York Fuhgettaboudit Mini. It's heavy, but small and light enough so I can fit it in-between my back and side belt loops.

Re: Wooden bikes

#217

Post by toomanybeersies »

cultus wrote: post #125
gameswithgo wrote: post #82

The vibration dampening is a red herring. As a point of comparison, the differences in dampening between various frames/materials is on the order of ~1psi of tire pressure normally. In other words, if you found yourself with the harshest of frames, you could drop air pressure by 1 or 2psi and be at the same level as the "smoothest" frame.

The gullibility of cyclists is the industry's most valuable asset. In tests, cyclists cannot tell the difference between frame materials when the frame is covered. I think it is just really seductive to think you can get magically faster by a significant amount just by buying a new frame with that new bottom bracket that's claimed to be 30% stiffer.

Back when I used to ride road bikes, I upgraded from a decade old (but very well maintained) aluminium Trek 1000 to a carbon fibre Merida Scultura.

I had the same tyres, pedals, and shoes on my new bike (switched them over). I had a 3-4 km/h improvement on average on the flats instantly. So my new carbon bike was objectively better than my old aluminium bike.

I'm not sure if the improvement was because the bike was brand new, or because it was carbon and had higher end components, but it was definitely there.

Re: Wooden bikes

#218

Post by DenisM »

grogenaut wrote: post #161
Overtonwindow wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think this is oversimplifying how changes in material and aerodynamics can improve performance. A person such as yourself might not be impressed by a “new bottom bracket” with 30% increased stiffness, but someone who races might. Every ounce and second counts.

The problem is like 0.2% of cyclists actually race but it's about 95% of marketing.

Marketing is addressing the audience members not as what they are, but as what they aspire to be.

Re: Wooden bikes

#219

Post by spin »

toomanybeersies wrote: post #217
cultus wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The gullibility of cyclists is the industry's most valuable asset. In tests, cyclists cannot tell the difference between frame materials when the frame is covered. I think it is just really seductive to think you can get magically faster by a significant amount just by buying a new frame with that new bottom bracket that's claimed to be 30% stiffer.

Back when I used to ride road bikes, I upgraded from a decade old (but very well maintained) aluminium Trek 1000 to a carbon fibre Merida Scultura. I had the same tyres, pedals, and shoes on my new bike (switched them over). I had a 3-4 km/h improvement on average on the flats instantly. So my new carbon bike was objectively better than my old aluminium bike. I'm not sure if the improvement was because the bike was b…

I'm curious what your new bike is. I currently have a 12 year old (but well maintained) Trek 1000. I'd like to get some better derailleurs (I'm constantly having to adjust and clean mine). But maybe I'll just get a better bike, I don't know.

EDIT: oh, you already said it: Merida Scultura

Re: Wooden bikes

#220

Post by hinkley »

toomanybeersies wrote: post #217
cultus wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The gullibility of cyclists is the industry's most valuable asset. In tests, cyclists cannot tell the difference between frame materials when the frame is covered. I think it is just really seductive to think you can get magically faster by a significant amount just by buying a new frame with that new bottom bracket that's claimed to be 30% stiffer.

Back when I used to ride road bikes, I upgraded from a decade old (but very well maintained) aluminium Trek 1000 to a carbon fibre Merida Scultura. I had the same tyres, pedals, and shoes on my new bike (switched them over). I had a 3-4 km/h improvement on average on the flats instantly. So my new carbon bike was objectively better than my old aluminium bike. I'm not sure if the improvement was because the bike was b…

That seems like a lot just due to a frame change.

If I had to guess, more gear ratios, newer bearings, and rim profile probably all contributed to that. And maybe just a little bit of placebo...

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