Aerodynamic bicycle rim and wheel
AssigneeHed Cycling Products, Inc.
InventorsSteven Arthur Hed, Christopher Andrew Edin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An aerodynamic bicycle rim comprising: a circumferential outer portion comprising a circumferential outer surface, the circumferential outer portion adapted to seat a bicycle tire; a nose; and a set of sidewalls, each sidewall extending radially from the nose of the aerodynamic bicycle rim to a corresponding transition to the circumferential outer surface to form a rim body having a maximum rim body width that is greater than a maximum width of the bicycle tire. The aerodynamic bicycle rim is operable to seat the bicycle tire so that the aerodynamic bicycle rim and the bicycle tire form an asymmetrical cross-sectional shape.
Claims14
An aerodynamic bicycle rim comprising:
- a circumferential outer portion comprising a circumferential outer surface, the circumferential outer portion defining a circumferential channel shaped to provide a tire bed, the circumferential outer portion adapted to seat a bicycle tire in the tire bed;
- a nose;
- and
- a set of sidewalls, each sidewall extending radially from the nose of the aerodynamic bicycle rim to a corresponding transition to the circumferential outer surface to form a rim body having a maximum rim body width at a widest part of the rim body that is greater than a maximum width of the bicycle tire and a rim body depth that is at least one and one half times greater than the maximum width of the bicycle tire, each sidewall and corresponding transition forming a continuous outer surface around the rim body from the circumferential outer surface to the nose, the continuous outer surface of each sidewall comprising an outside curve from the nose to a location radially outward from the widest part of the rim body;
- wherein the maximum rim body width occurs radially closer to a radially outermost edge of the rim body than to a centerline of the rim body and overlaps the circumferential channel;
- and
- wherein the aerodynamic bicycle rim is operable to seat the bicycle tire such that when the bicycle tire is seated there is a tangent line tangent to the bicycle tire and tangent to a sidewall of the set of sidewalls at the widest part of the rim body or radially outward of the widest part of the rim body and that has a tangent angle of less than 17 degrees.
An aerodynamic bicycle wheel comprising:
- a bicycle tire;
- a bicycle rim to which the bicycle tire is mounted, the bicycle rim comprising:
- a circumferential outer portion comprising a circumferential outer surface, the circumferential outer portion defining a circumferential channel shaped to provide a tire bed, the circumferential outer portion adapted to seat the bicycle tire in the tire bed;
- a nose;
- and
- a set of sidewalls, each sidewall extending radially from the nose of the bicycle rim to a corresponding transition to the circumferential outer surface to form a rim body having a maximum rim body width at a widest part of the rim body that is greater than a maximum width of the bicycle tire and a rim body depth that is at least one and one half times greater than the maximum width of the bicycle tire, each sidewall and corresponding transition forming a continuous outer surface around the rim body from the circumferential outer surface to the nose, the continuous outer surface of each sidewall comprising an outside curve from the nose to a location radially outward from the widest part of the rim body;
- wherein the maximum rim body width occurs radially closer to a radially outermost edge of the rim body than to a centerline of the rim body and overlaps the circumferential channel;
- and
- wherein there is a tangent line tangent to the bicycle tire and tangent to a sidewall of the set of sidewalls at the widest part of the rim body or radially outward of the widest part of the rim body and that has a tangent angle of less than 17 degrees.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.