Wow! Is that ever a cool idea!

Now instead of building $150,000 dollar bikes that no one will ever buy.... why not market an affordable bolt on system?

 

someone should make a mechanical hamster in the wheel.

 

I give up. How do the wheels stay on. And where are the brakes?

 

I wonder the same thing.

I would really like to see one of these in person so I could figure it out.

 

those bikes are static driven (and braked)

 

***** billy lane. kawasaki had this set up on a prototype super cross bike in the late 80s. it didnt make it to production but i remember seeing the pics in high school.

 

While Mike Brown's design is over ten years old, he didn't put it to steel until 2004. So you're right about that. However, the way his is built makes it the first truly hubless bike. It relies on friction drive technology. “There are fifteen wheels that run the Hubless,” says Mike. “There are nine sets of circles in the rear, five in the front, and one under the seat that makes it go, just like a friction drive in a carnival Ferris wheel.” (source)

The wheels actually stay stationary as the tire rotates around it. That's what makes it truly hubless. While Billy's bike appears hubless the wheels actually turn as the tire does. In fact it's a false hub. Hence the need for a front hub.

That's why I make the claim that Mike's bike is the first truly hubless bike, notwithstanding the fact that the front and rear are both hubless.

As a matter of fact, if you really want to get technical, Mike's bike is the only true hubless in existence, at least that I know of.

That is why Billy has an issue with Mike. He hates to be one-upped so to speak. Plus the fact that Mike is an openly Godly man and loves Billy regardless of how Billy feels about him.

Mike

 

So Mike, just what is Billy's issue with Mike Brown? Billy gets the credit even if undeserved and he's mad at Mike?[sm=WTFsgign.gif]

 

Don't know about the custom world, but the hubless concept has been around in the motorcycle world since, like... forever. I've seen my first hubless motorcycle prototype over 10 years ago (which doesn't mean that there weren't any even before then).

Interesting how the hubless wheel allows for an extreme rake without an otherwise unacceptable steering geometry by lowering the "virtual" hub and so reducing the trail. Very long wheelbase, though. I think such a bike isn't really useable in any city.

 

The hubless wheel was invented by Franco Sbarro, who has built a variety of working hubless wheel vehicles including at least two motorcycles, and patented by Globeholding of Geneva. I have seen this design in the Geneva Car show. This guy was developing a 3 wheeled transpotation enclosed trike. I believe it was in the 80's.

While they look pretty - very striking actually - they suffer from the slight draw back that they fail in every engineering principle you can apply to a wheel.

*The roller bearing and seal speeds are almost as high as the road speed.
* The bearings & seals are exposed to the elements.
* The wheel is no longer a entire "structure" - relying on the bearings to prevent distortion.
* rotating inertia is much higher - bearing / seals / drive being almost at tire diameter.
* very small amount of damage results in a jammed wheel.

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