Today we’re providing some updates and discussing the implications of the initial results of our Blister Labs wheelset testing with Greg Vanderbeek (assistant professor of mechanical engineering at CU Boulder & the Western Colorado University / CU Boulder partnership program here in Gunnison, CO) and Travis Hainsworth (associate director of the Western-CU Boulder Computer Science Program).
TOPICS & TIMES:
Project Overview (4:19)
Carbon vs Aluminum = Complicated (7:13)
Preliminary Data / Fancy Squishing Machines (8:42)
Lacing Patterns, Impact Loading, & Dynamic Loading (12:12)
Marketing Wheelsets (14:43)
Challenges (18:58)
Next Steps (24:23)
Variables (26:38)
Learn More (38:32)
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Video: Blister Labs Wheelset Testing
Learn More about Blister Labs
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Has Blister Labs considered creating a custom “reference build” as a way to directly A / B test changing just one parameter of a wheelset? For example if you took the same DT 240 hubs, DT Comp DB spokes, & EX511 rims, you could start by testing straight-pull vs j-bend, then 2x vs 3x etc. From there you could re-build with different rims. I know a lot of folks buy prefab wheels off the shelf, but based on 4 decades experience, I always custom build w/ DT 240s & J-Bend Sapim CX Rays w/ discipline-specific lacing. Not only is this reference setup quiet, light, & incredibly durable: when changing rims (where 99% of advancement in last decade of wheel tech has taken place) I can quickly perceive even small changes in stiffness, compliance, dent-resistance, etc.