Tempered steel has a lot of uses. You see it in razor blades, knives, axes, augers and more. In its hardened state, steel is actually very brittle. Tempering is a heat treatment that effectively decreases the hardness while increasing the ductility
of the steel. This makes it more springy and even bendable – making it more resistant to cracking and breaking. The process can be varied in how it is applied, resulting in steel that changes shape, or steel that springs back to its original form once pressure is released (this is called “elastic”). Spring steel is the type of steel that was used by Ron Arad in a very interesting take on that most basic of inventions: the wheel. The spring steel bicycle wheel is…well, it’s something else.
But can you improve the wheel, you ask?
Spring Steel Bicycle Wheel Features
I don’t know that Ron “improved” the wheel per se, but he did apply a new twist when he took a bicycle and re-engineered the wheel using bands of spring steel. The 18 individual strips of steel are attached at various tension points to act together as one single spring steel bicycle wheel unit. They deliver a slight cushion as the wheels spin and make contact with the surface of the ground. Since the loops cushion as they strike the surface, the faster you pedal, the smoother the ride is, due to the increased dispersion of the spring steel to the ground. To be honest, it’s a cool design, though we’re not how it does in the area of traction. Comfortable and slippery aren’t two things I’d like to bring together for my biking enjoyment.
The bike, which was assembled in just a couple of weeks, actually worked on the first shot – which is amazing, given the amount of options there were for material selection and the arrangement of the steel itself, the pattern, and the points of fastening to the hub.
The cool part is that the W Hotel in Leicester Square allowed guests to ride the bike with its spring steel bicycle wheels around the city. And apparently, as part of a fundraiser for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, the bike is no (or shortly will be) up for auction.
Cool design? Abhorrent freak of nature? Let us know online in our forums (link below) or on the Pro Tool Reviews Facebook Page.
