International wheel producer Vittoria released a new range of bicycle wheels that are built from graphene-enhanced composite materials. The wheels, called Quarno (Graphene Plus inside) are now available in three different editions (46, 60 and 84 mm) and contain graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) provided by Directa Plus.
The company explains that the graphene grants the wheels advantages like heat dissipation (15-30°C lower) a crucial factor in the slopes, an increase in lateral stiffness (more than 50%) and puncture reduction, especially around the valve area. A couple of wheels weigh 1,250 grams together and the price ranges from â¬1,450 to â¬1,850.
Several world-famous cycling competitors will be testing the new wheels in the near future, and hopefully prove that the biggest advantage of these new wheels is the massive increase in speed and, subsequently, a reduction in race times.
Around September 2015, Vittoria plans to commercialize graphene-based tubular tyres (without inner tubes), just like MTB tyres. These tyres will last longer and will suffer fewer punctures. At 40 km/h, normal tyres will require 23-29 N.m of effort, while the new graphene-based tyres require only 16.8 N.m. The expected advantage is 3’’ for a km.
Source: azonano