Cavendish Has World's Strongest Wheels!

[ricara]

Cavendish has what may be the strongest wheel in the world! Look at this photo from CyclingNews.com showing Haussler running over Cav's front wheel and folding it in half:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/photos/backlash-against-cavendish-after-swiss-crash/126000

Then look at this photo taken a split second later. Haussler has come off Cav's wheel (not in the normal way!) and it looks completely normal again! Incredible!

http://velonews.competitor.com/wp-content/marquees/velonews/cavmarkee.jpg

 

[slowuphill]

To bad those wheels cant keep him going in stright line!

 

[screaming fist]

Wow! That really needs a thread of its own.

A carbon rim popping back into its regular shape is really so cool, especially when a high pressure tubular forces it to do so.

 

[CPAvelo]

Wow! That really needs a thread of its own.

If only to give occasion for sarcasm. But, thanks for the insight from applied physics that explained how the rim snapped back into form. Not all are so enlightened.

 

[screaming fist]

My sarcasm was way more light hearted as it might have appeared to you
And it was more about having several threads about yesterday's incident - my fault not to make that clear.

 

[CPAvelo]

My sarcasm was way more light hearted as it might have appeared to you
And it was more about having several threads about yesterday's incident - my fault not to make that clear.

And mine, on both accounts. All in good, er bad(?), fun.

 

[ricara]

But, thanks for the insight from applied physics that explained how the rim snapped back into form.

Actually the tire applies relatively little restoring force. We know this from two reasons:

a) When gluing the tire on, it is normal to pump it up while it is off the rim. This begins to turn it inside-out and makes it simpler to apply the glue to the base tape. The tire just isn't that stiff.

b) Before the days of carbon everything, even the slightest ding to an aluminum wheel could never be straightened by the tire.

So we can rule out the tire as the reason that Cav's wheel straightened after literally being folded in half. The rim itself is obviously carbon. But most often carbon shatters (remember Hincapie's steerer tube at Paris-Roubaix?). So in this case I would guess that the wheelmakers have improved their carbon compounds to make them more resilient. And I would also imagine that the spokes are pretty special. I have seen some spokes made from Kevlar that are like strings -- only strong in tension. Maybe he had some spokes like that along with rims that were perfected in races across the pave.

I don't know that I would want to race on it after that crash, but at any rate it was a pretty spectacular recovery for a wheel.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Pretty amazing. Those are Hed wheels, right? If so, I bet that whole company's sporting chubbies right now.

 

[dgodave]

I don't know that I would want to race on it after that crash....

Quite......
.

 

[Andy.G]

No .. it is fractured and broken ... it only appears to return to shape, because of various reasons ... but the tyre stayed on !!! Now for anyone who rides/races on singles ... I would like to compliment the team mechanic on a competent glueing !!! no sloppy shortcuts there !!!

As a Commissaire, I look at these things .... and as an ex-trackie, I know the shortcuts many will take ....

how do I insert a picture without a URL ??

Go here ...
http://www.steephill.tv/2010/tour-de-suisse/photos/stage-04/ and look at 14th big photo down ... Ciolek in foreground , Haussler giving the " you **** " look towards where Cav must be ... see the (one of two is my guess) fracture in the rim and the torn but intact tubular ...

 

[ricara]

Wow, great link!

You are right, that wheel is busted up. You can also see it higher up on the page in picture #9 with the caption "When the slightest of holes opened up, Sky's Juan Antonio Flecha slipped through the bouncing bodies and bikes to finish 6th".

And speaking of bad glue jobs, look at picture #6 with the caption "Is Oscar Freire about to go down?". The guy on the right with the brown shorts looks to be holding a dark bike with Zipp wheels. But right on top of him is a white bike with Reynolds wheels. The entire right half of the tire is off of the rim.

Bad glue job!