Yale students build spokeless bicycle in one semester, now looking for jobs
By Richard Lai 
posted February 17th 2010 10:16PM
posted February 17th 2010 10:16PM
Here's something that'll make you think twice before your next bike purchase -- the geniuses (genii?) at Yale University have built a pretty rad spokeless bicycle, which was somehow inspired by the lack of "pictures of a real spokeless bicycle online." Sure, strictly speaking it's just a half-done product due to time (one semester) and budget restraints, but that rear wheel -- driven by the pedals on its geared inner rim -- alone should be enough to make you gasp. Practical hipsters might even be able to fit an electric motor or some sort of container inside the wheel, although we're pretty content with the futuristic hollowness. Either way, the Yale grad who posted these photos is now available for hire, so pay him well and you can have it your way.
That's pretty nifty. I should pick up a bicycle in the near future. I don't own one, and it would help get around the town a lot, and definitely cut down on driving.
@Elaith It needs a ring of LEDs
@Spiraling Shape I think that would be really effective at night, but I like my bike not needing batteries. Maybe a panel of glass designed to trap light for night riding would be cool, though.
@Elaith
You could have LED's that are powered by the kinetic energy that you generate while riding the bike. No batteries required.
@nicholiservia There's probably an app for that.
@Elaith
I'd like to see just how long it takes them to change out a flat tire.
@Elaith It must weigh a TON. just the spokeless wheel must have kilos added just to remain strong.
And weight takes the fun out of bicycling. Thats why few have done this before.
The future is...hollow? Looks cool.
I think its geniuses. Genii? Seriously?
@KlassiK just think... these people get paid to write.
@KlassiK
It's called a joke...hence the usage of "geniuses" prior to.
@dman
Both terms are correct actually. Genii is the plural form of genius. You should take two seconds to google something before you open your mouth. I did it for you:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/genii
@SaggyBalls
Oooh, don't you just hate it when that happens!
Genius. :)
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_plural_of_genius
@SaggyBalls You just proved yourself wrong, according to your own reference genii is only the plural for these meanings:
6. the guardian spirit of a place, institution, etc.
7. either of two mutually opposed spirits, one good and the other evil, supposed to attend a person throughout life.
9. genie
@Timmmmmm
genii is the singular for those same meanings....its used in julius caesar :)
i think genius/genii has multiple meanings, and the word evolved to be the word we use in this context...genius/genii was used to refer to the spirit controlling inanimate things, if i remember correctly ;)
Mind=Blown
@nelagster
After looking through the read links, someone commented that it's already been done. Check it:
http://www.google.com/patents?id=yqQFAAAAEBAJ&printsec=abstract&zoom=4#v=onepage&q=&f=false
So....forgot to do a patent search?
@nelagster FAIL! lmao..
@nelagster
And yet, that doesn't make the achievement any less impressive.
People are such cynics.
@nelagster
Oh, but here's the catch. The same student also invented a time machine, went back in time to submit the patent before the original inventor who did so on May 2, 2001. Now, he owns full rights to his "own" invention. And he has a kickass time machine.
@Special Agent Steve
But, unbeknownst to the student, the man who he stole the patent from an individual who used a time machine to go into the future and steal the idea from the student.
@nelagster
Yale just got owned!
Go Harvard!
@nelagster
The guy on Reddit said they made it because though there had been patents, nobody had ever made an actual, real-life spokeless bicycle.
@nelagster
Throw some LEDs around the rim and you've got yourself a working TRON bike :)
@nelagster
Looks like the Yale Student uses the same side wheel / ball bearings on the side as the patent does too. Still a nice build, but not original.
@Special Agent Steve
I have a time machine too. It travels through time at a blistering 60 seconds per minute.
@Special Agent Steve Actually it's been proven that it's impossible to go back in time farther than when the time machine was built. Then again, who knows what the government is hiding underground. It would explain all of the recent natural disasters, but I digress.
It's like that bike from Star Trek!
@DanMan that was a motorcycle.
All of that effort to create the world's most elaborate fixie?
All they need is a place to hold the PBR and these kids will make millions.
@LAY Yeah that also solves the problem of what to stick inside the hollow wheel
@LAY There is very clearly a freewheel attached to that hub.
.... the idea of a spokeless wheel's been around for long enough. just look at some of the Audi concept cars. building it doesn't take that long c'mon I can do it in a week given the tools!
@abrli
Rim drive as in spokeless/axleless drive? In a week? If you can do that then do it because if others could have actually done it they would have and it would be pretty much everywhere.
Power direct to the rim is very significant. It's not that it's spokeless that matters. Mind you in this case it doesn't look like they have spent much time on the gearing, they should mention that.. or maybe that's why they haven't
I don't want to nitpick or anything (ok, maybe I do), but the bike isn't spokeless. It clearly has a spoked front wheel.
I will say the rear wheel looks cool, and the drive mechanism is clever in its simplicity, but that doesn't negate the fact that it has spokes up front!
@PerryAJ That's why Engadget said it's "half-done"
@Spiraling Shape well, in my defense, I never claimed I was good at nitpicking. Now pastries, that is something I am good at. If you want a killer Apple Turnover, I am your guy.
@PerryAJ
Oh, enough with the Apple posts! ;)
They did a really good job, and I'm not complaining about this article being posted as it is pretty cool, but I just want to clarify - this kind of thing has been around for a long time. Its never taken off because it required the wheel to be a good deal heavier to support a given weight. The way bike wheels work now, the bike literally "hangs" on the spokes above the hub. Since they're in pure tension, their strength is used very efficiently. The spokes also distribute the weight across a large portion of the rim. In designs like this, both the part of the rim the bike rests on, and the part of the rim that rests on the ground, take a lot of direct force with nowhere to really put it. That means the whole rim has to be pretty beefy, making it heavier.
So this looks cool, but it is unlikely to be the future of bikes that rely on performance, because mechanically, i just don't think it could ever be made as light.
Sad too, because I've always thought these wheels looked awesome!
-Taylor
@Taylor Yes Taylor
Unless you do it like this (and yes, I know it's a concept, and it makes me sad I can't throw money at it...)
http://www.bikerumor.com/2010/01/28/gorgeous-peugeot-b1k-concept-bicycle/
@Taylor Yes Taylor On top of that, it seems that there are more moving parts required. As it stands, my bike has only one axle per wheel. it seems with this design there are a lot more failure points.
Looks neat. Some movie studio should buy it up and make a bunch for a sci-fi film. They always put in crap that we will never actually need or use in real life.
@Taylor Yes Taylor
I highly doubt the guys riding this fixie are going to care about weight. Still, if the wheel could be made out of Titanium and the body made from some kind of composite Carbon fiber I think you've got something closer (expensive, but closer) to normal weight. Really though I just want the wheels to light up, and the Tron sound with pitch relative to the speed of the driven wheel... and then an electroluminescent wire lit costume... and then a pony.
@ytilanigiroon
I know, they just made it to look cool, and they succeeded.
My point was reminding people that this won't be the future of "real" bikes that focus on performance. Anyone that rides for exercise wants the lowest weight possible, and people pay thousands of dollars extra for a bike that drops a couple of pounds. I know not everyone does, but *generally*, lighter bikes are more desirable.
Yes, you could make it lighter with titanium, but you can do that with traditional bike wheels too, and no matter what material you use, it will always be more efficient weight-wise to use spokes. A titanium rim of this style still would be heavier than a titanium rim of the traditional style, because tradition rims just use the material better. Mechanically, there is no way to get around that.
Thats why i said it would always be heavier. If you're just crusing around burning man, that doesn't matter, but a lot of bikes are made to go up a hill, and thats where it matters.
brilliant, now how do you straighten it out again when you hit a pot hole. way to think it through Yale.
@petey1111 I was wondering that too - why take out the spokes when they provide strength for the wheel??
@petey1111
Adding spokes to that back wheel would add rigidity and reduce weight. That would be awesome! I will email them.
The front wheel has spokes though?
@traceroute
Exactly what I thought when I saw it. Propelled by a spokeless wheel, or almost spokeless is more like it.
@traceroute Agreed. "Student invents smokeless back wheel" would be a more accurate headline.
@stephend 'spokeless' even!!!