Nylon bike wheel stands up to rugged terrain
Canadian Plastics
In the world of competitive off-road biking, wheel damage during a race has long been the bane of existence for pro riders everywhere. The odds of being sidelined by such damage have just been greatly...
In the world of competitive off-road biking, wheel damage during a race has long been the bane of existence for pro riders everywhere. The odds of being sidelined by such damage have just been greatly reduced, however, thanks to the new FRX5 bike wheel from manufacturer TAG Wheels, of Newport Beach, Calif. — made from a toughened, glass-reinforced grade of DuPont Zytel nylon.
Crafted in a single piece using Zytel nylon, the FRX5 is designed to withstand the punishment of sharp impacts with less time-killing maintenance, and also less chance of permanent rim damage.
The manufacturing process starts with molding a metal mandrel, or core, from a low melt-point alloy. This mandrel is over-molded with Zytel 8018, and then melted out to leave behind the hollow-formed composite wheel.
Wall sections of the wheel vary in thickness to provide additional strength and stiffness where needed.
E. I. du Pont Canada Company (Mississauga, Ont.); www.plastics.dupont.com; 905-821-5193
