Can Carbon Fiber Wheels Help With Aerodynamics?

Carbon Fiber Wheels

Experts have predicted that the carbon fiber market size will reach 7.8 billion USD by 2024. Why has this material gained such popularity? Well, it has many benefits that make it superior to the materials that manufacturers have used in the past.

You may wonder how these features can benefit carbon fiber products. If so, this article can partly answer your question. It will talk about one product in particular: carbon fiber bicycle wheels.

Read on to learn how carbon fiber wheels aid bicycle aerodynamics.

What Is Aerodynamics?

Aerodynamics refers partly to the way that objects move through the air. It also refers to the study of this action. This science exists so that designers can learn how to make cars, planes, bicycles, etc. move faster against the pressure of air.

How Do Wheels Affect a Bicycle’s Aerodynamics?

To be more aerodynamic, the design of a bicycle has to facilitate laminar flow. To put it in simpler terms, the bicycle has to allow the air to flow smoothly around it as it moves forward. This will help the bicycle reduce the air’s resistance or drag.

Unfortunately, wheels can worsen the effect of drag on a bicycle. The wheels push air forward against the incoming air. Unless manufacturers make a wheel design that can overcome this issue, the wheels can slow the bicycle down.

Carbon Fiber Wheels Can Overcome This Problem

Carbon fiber wheels have a lower weight than the more commonly used aluminum bicycle wheels. This weight difference makes it easier for manufacturers to create carbon wheel designs that can reduce drag.

Deep-section wheels are one such example of these designs. Manufacturers must make these wheels out of carbon fiber. If they tried to make the rims of these out of aluminum they would be too heavy and would wrinkle when manufacturers rolled them into circles.

Other Benefits of Carbon Fiber Bicycle Wheels

Carbon fiber has a far greater amount of strength than aluminum and steel. This strength causes carbon fiber bicycle wheels to have a certain stiffness that can make a ride over rough terrain much smoother.

In addition, the lighter weight of the bike’s wheels makes it easier to move. A rider can easily pick up a bike and put it on top of a car, on a trailer, etc. Riders will also have an easier time getting the bike up steep hills.

Our Carbon Fiber Products Can Solve Your Problems

So, in sum, a bike with carbon fiber wheels is lighter, stronger, and more aerodynamic. These factors will give riders a smoother and faster ride than ever before. And when these wheels inevitably we’re down, they should want to buy more of them.

If your business needs carbon fiber wheels or another carbon fiber product manufactured, try our services. We provide superior customer service and quality, engineered parts. We also work to remain at the forefront of composite manufacturing technologies as they continue to advance.

Request a quote from us by filling out your contact info on this page.

About the author