Jelly Products - Resilient 26" bicycle wheel

Lead Participant: JELLY PRODUCTS LIMITED

Abstract

The project is to develop a wheel with integral suspension called "loopwheels", for off-road bicycles and for wheelchairs. "Loopwheels" have springs made from a carbon composite materials in place of traditional rigid spokes.
The benefits of the loopwheels technology are:
- suspension within the wheel, saving space & weight
- suspension in all directions of impact against the wheel, enabling the wheel to cope better with bumps and kerbs
- greater user comfort
- the rider feels less vibration from the road surface.
In April 2013 Jelly Products launched a smaller loopwheel: a 20" bicycle wheel. The
technology is the invention of Jelly's founder Sam Pearce. It is a registered design and has patents pending. The 20" wheel is suitable for small-wheeled commuter bicycles and was a true innovation in the bicycle market, offering the cyclist a much more comfortable ride than spoked wheels on folding commuter bikes. The new project aims to develop a wheel with a larger diameter with the same high levels of performance, for use in bicycles and/or wheelchairs. This is a more challenging proposition than the smaller wheels.

Lead Participant

Project Cost

Grant Offer

JELLY PRODUCTS LIMITED £54,030 £ 24,303
 

Participant

THE TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY BOARD
UNIVERSITY OF BATH

Publications

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