Bead Seat Clincher
AssigneeReynolds Cycling LLC
InventorPaul Eric Lew
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A bead seat clincher bicycle rim includes a tire supporting surface bounded by a first straight sidewall and a second straight sidewall wherein said bicycle rim does not comprise bead hooks. A method for forming a bead seat clincher rim includes forming composite plies in a bottom portion of a mold and placing a single piece upper portion over the bottom portion. A bladder is inflated in the center of the mold to form a closed cavity within the rim. The rim is cured and the bladder is deflated. The single piece upper portion and bottom portion of the mold are removed.
Claims20
A bead seat clincher bicycle rim comprising a tire supporting surface bounded by a first straight sidewall and a second straight sidewall wherein said bicycle rim does not comprise bead hooks.
A bead seat clincher wheel comprising:
- a tire comprising a bead formed from a single length of cable which passes around the tire lip multiple times;
- and
- a rim comprising a cup bounded by an elevated feature and a straight sidewall, the cup comprising a localized depression;
- wherein the bead is disposed within the cup when the tire is inflated.
A bicycle wheel comprising:
- a carbon composite bead seat clincher rim with a tire supporting surface, the tire supporting surface comprising:
- a central indentation with sides having ascending slopes on either side;
- elevated retention features which extend radially outward such that tire beads must expand to go over the elevated retention features;
- straight sidewalls;
- and
- cups adjacent to the straight sidewalls, in which the elevated retention features are interposed between the ascending slopes and the cups;
- and
- a tire mounted to the rim such that when the tire is inflated, beads of the tire are supported by the cups and the straight sidewalls of the tire supporting surface.
A method for forming a bead seat clincher rim, the method comprising:
- forming composite plies in a bottom portion of a mold;
- placing a single piece upper portion over the bottom portion, the single piece upper portion form configured to form a tire supporting surface comprising straight sidewalls;
- inflating a bladder in the center of the mold to form a closed cavity within the rim;
- curing the rim;
- deflating the bladder;
- and
- removing the single piece upper portion and the bottom portion of the mold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.