Has the pre-sale ended?
nah still the first 75 sets for $99 available I think.
$5 discount on instagram
I got to try these at intro to speed. I really like the concept. They handled cracks really well and gripped well. The ride on flat ground was a little bumpy albeit without any inserts. I am a little concerned about the durability, I personally would like to see them as a one piece design with either the “inserts” built in or attachable from the outside somehow. Have you tested these at 40mph?
Some of the prototypes are a little eccentric because I am hand making them and pouring into 3D printed molds, so it is hard to get all the wheels perfectly center. So some do vibrate more than others.
Yes, Sawyer has had them at 40mph. Because these are small and light, the centrifugal force is small and much lower than the yield strength. Moreover, I design these to a 3.5x factor of safety and have a lot of FEA experience as a chief engineer designing engines for Power Solutions (this is one of my engines: https://imt-technologie.de/file/2016/03/PSI%208.8L-INDUSTRIAL.pdf). I also have a small testing rig that I used to correlate my FEA to deflection in real-life.
The plastic injection molding process is using materials that have 2 times more yield strength, higher elongation before break, and better bonding between the thread and insert. Right now I am using cold pour urethane so it’s basically just relying on mechanical adhesion between the core and tread.
The circularity and the concentricity call outs in the manufacturing drawings are within .25mm, so it will be a smooth ride. I also use ISO9000 certified manufacturers and do a full inspection of the parts after the molds with random dimensional checks on the parts during production.
It’s still going on but there are a some sets left at the price, then increases by $5. If you ask nicely tho and the first 75 units are gone, I’ll still apply a $5 off for you
Gotta say, dude, it’s really refreshing seeing someone new to the forum with a truly innovative product backed by real experience, technical specs /descriptions and real testing & transparency. I was initially thinking that this was gonna be another BS product that is all hyped up with no data to back up ridiculous claims (like so many others have done), but your responses, videos, specs and transparency have made me confident enough to purchase a set. I’m really hoping these wheels perform as well as they appear to, and hope you’re successful with this venture.
Fully agree with your comment, I’ve been feeling the same. Good to see a fellow engineer working on something cool
Thanks, man. I really appreciate it. I had a venture backed startup (backed by Y Combinator in Silicon Valley… not bragging but just trying to add more credibility) that I was pouring my life into, but then COVID helped kill it and we didn’t have the resources to pivot fast enough and survive. So I shut that down at as a complete and utter failure. Then I was left with nothing to do (see… definitely not bragging) and I decided to pour my life into the wheel project and make it absolutely the best wheel that I could possibly make. Every single mm is exactly how I want it on this wheel.
There’s a point where taking the loss is the best option, and while it sucks, sometimes it has to happen. Good on you to not get discouraged and move on to a new venture.
Onward and upward!
Thank you! Please let me know if you have any questions at all.
Oh yeah. I need them in kegel. How do I make sure that mine is kegel core?
I’m excited to bring these to the mean streets of NYC and north NJ.
The game plan is selling 2 wheels with ABEC and 2 Wheels with Kegel, which is why I don’t ask for it on the site.
Oh thats genius. Do they look the same on the outside? I’d like my wheels to match.
The covers are the same, which has ABEC. I chose ABEC to be on the cover just because it looks cooler.
Awesome.
Super cool project! Love the innovation, especially the ability to vary the stiffness of the wheels. Are you hand rotocasting each wheel?!
Thanks!! Nope, I had created a ton of molds out of 3D printed materials. Designed a process to doing all of that. Then I cast and then overmold. Very laborious. Takes me about 4 days to complete a set. Ugh.
Sorry. Typos. Can’t edit my posts yet. I designed 3D printed molds. Then I worked with a local urethane supplier to make a solution. Then I cast it into some silicone molds for the cores. Then plug them into my 3D printed molds for overmolding. It was really fun designing that process and seeing it come to life.