How Mad Fiber carbon wheels are made

[@Redoralive]

He applies carbon fiber strips to the rim. She applies flared pieces to the hub assembly. They share a look across the assembly line. This creates the necessary tension and rigidity. He reaches out and gently touches her arm. She turns in surprise but doesn't pull away. Together they finish constructing a wheel. Once satisfied he applies resin in a hole.

[@goosebee]

You had me in the first half ngl 😂

[@mahabub1409]

WHO's dirty minded.... You or me?

[@felixcat9318]

This is a fascinating look at the meticulous and precise construction of a carbon fibre bicycle wheel by experienced craftspeople. Good videography, lighting and sound quality and well narrated.

[@alexandersydney]

With the amount of creative effort and labor for making this you could have cured cancer

[@0pnMnded]

It needs to be balanced, at 4:14 it starts to rotate in the opposite direction indicating it is heavier on one side, if it were balanced there would be no change in rotation. I know that no one gives a damn but I had to point it out anyways...

[@description112]

There's a hole for the nipple.

[@0pnMnded]

drunksmokingjurkk I didn't think about that, I feel dumb now, I suppose it would be nice to be able to put air in the tires.

[@r33hab82]

0pnMnded of course we care that is a good point you pointed out you deserve respect

[@Triarcs]

A wheel is balanced once the valve is in place aswell as the tire. Then you balance it ;) And it needs to be done everytime you put a new tire on it.

[@GermanGameAdviser]

good discussion guys.... now back to work!

[@clist9406]

Wow , that was a lot of work . They made it look so easy , which it is with all the tooling setups .

[@luckistryke13]

Thousands of miles on them already. I love my set!!! Looks great and a conversation starter. Better than my Reynolds.

[@Zeben84]

Are you still alive ?

[@janintelkor]

@@Zeben84 probably not

[@LK-pc4sq]

who makes it?

[@IceCold5078]

the first 2/3 of video i thought she was working on car wheel with my jaw dropped thinking there's no way someone would buy that flimsy cartoon wheel. Lol feel like a dumb ass now

[@ramibos6549]

Same here hahhaa fcuking title

[@ringlol]

not alone brother

[@davidsimmons1961]

I like these wheels, I like the people design them they were great to do talk to.

[@aleramone23]

I use them every weekend on my Downhill mountain bike, no complaints at all.

[@HiTechAddict]

All we need now is Carbon Fiber rubber!

[@EnergyReturnWheel]

We have been working on such an animal with some success. Do not count material science short. Everyday we learn something new.

[@myfriendmoses]

there have been test on rubber reinforced by carbon fiber, however Carbon fiber rubber is not likely to ever happen

[@EnergyReturnWheel]

We already have it. The application/material does work in footwear and tire prototypes.

[@myfriendmoses]

EnergyReturnWheel again it is only rubber with carbon fiber reinforcing, not 100% carbon fiber...

[@EnergyReturnWheel]

Britek ERW has rubberized carbon fiber. Our application takes the material to the edge. Massive psi and impacts will eventually destroy anything.

[@poolgogipoolgogi9946]

How Mad Fiber wheels went bankrupt......

[@Halmengineer]

I worked at Madfiber for nearly over a year. Quality control was considered a nuisance. They focused only on quantity. Hence the final product being crap and them going bankrupt. The CFO admitted to us that he was only building up the company to sell it off. They fired me one day because I wasn't "producing enough", two weeks later they laid off over half of the company. The rest was history.

[@SoleHarrower]

Ya that process looked very time intensive to make money. Those wheels must have cost a fortune

[@sundae6610]

@@SoleHarrower they should focus on luxury market

[@murcielago188]

@@Halmengineer Well, I can tell you that they are the best wheels I ever had and they never fail me ever. They always stayed true and I used them for about 3-4 years until the rear axle broke down on me and there are no replacements now.

[@Halmengineer]

@@murcielago188 You probably got one of the earlier production runs. They were nice wheels when built properly. But QC sunk like a rock when they tried to double production overnight.

[@UltimateN1njaPlay]

Dude now i really want to buy this non sticking plastic

[@madhavrale2518]

How can the spokes be that flimsy? Are they not under compression at the bottom during rotation? Or do the opposite spokes balance in tension? Or is rim enough to take the load and only need the rims to keep it in place? Some explanation will be much appreciated!

[@Alistair_Spence]

They explain it in the video. When the hub flanges are pushed apart it generates high tension in the spokes. This is what creates a stable, 3 dimensional structure.

[@edthemechanic]

Are the Wheels are available today?

[@BurkeLCH]

4:12 ...not very balanced. Do these wheel types ever fall out of alignment? How would you adjust your "spokes"?

[@leonardobarrera1770]

Hola todas se despegan entre el carbono y el aluminio del aro.¿que pegamento uso?.gracias!

[@CreamyBone]

This company went bankrupt in 2013. The company's tooling and non-intellectual property auctioned off for just $7,000 USD.

[@antdx316]

real or fake?.. I assume the warranty is what made them bankrupt. Maybe the wheels are great on a flat surface like an expensive well maintained race track or an indoor oval circuit. I think the lateral bumps with heavy rider weight fractures the flat spokes and causes it to fail. Those light road bikes have zero suspension to absorb the impacts of an uneven road. The purpose of a suspension is to protect the axles of a vehicle. Road bikes have none.

[@herbsmanherbs]

Anthony Abelardo actually, the purpose of suspension is to maintain the tyre's contact with the road surface, with the added bonus of making the journey more comfortable.

[@antdx316]

+herbsmanherbs, Actually the purpose of a suspension is to protect the "axle". The tire contact and comfort aren't really the reasons.

[@manysnakes]

I lived across the street from Mad Fibre. After the auction, the dumpster, which they shared with a bakery, was over-flowing with partially delaminated Mad Fibre wheels. I was hoping I'd be able to pull off a bunch of the DT Swiss freehubs to sell on eBay, but they were already gone.

[@herbsmanherbs]

Nope. It is there to to maintain the tyres' grip on the road while going around corners and over bumps in the road. It does this by pushing the wheels into the road. If it was about axle protection, why would race cars that are driven on perfectly smooth, completely flat race tracks require suspension? Without suspension, drivers wouldn't be able to corner at high speed without losing traction between tyre and road, because the weight of the car wouldn't be shifted to where it's needed.

[@utrapzab]

these wheels are the craziest ive seen since the days of skyway tough 2's

[@renegotolle6856]

Suggestion - have a look to the ZSK TFP (Tailored Fiber Placement) machines. The spokes as well as the reinforcement can be done in one step. Even GIANT is using it.

[@mariosanchez8326]

How does this wheel swing?

[@metubeusercom]

4:13 looks like it needs to be balanced. How do you make the balancing on this wheel?

[@biologistfurg]

Goo question! Any idea??

[@dodoslovensko]

So how do they make them true ,,straight ,, so they are in balance?

[@AdrianTosteberg]

As a mechanic, the wheel looks wildly unbalanced!

[@mohongzhi]

sure, i won't ride on this until i do a balance to it.

[@recursion.]

how do we know you're mechanic?, maybe try posting your linkedin and graduation certificate otherwise you're just an another joe on the internet!

[@ShopeeMarketteam]

@@recursion. I'm guessing your LinkedIn states that you're a war veteran astronaut the lead aerodynamicist at Boeing, the president of Hewlett Packard and a major shareholder in Tesla?

[@556WalkemdownTorrents]

As a cyclist. It’s not .

[@captaing7709]

Everyone's roasting Mad Fiber and I'm here counting how many times the narrator said carbon fiber

[@MladenMijatov]

And "(s)he then"...

[@darkshadowsx5949]

how many? you cant count and not share that important information.

[@khaderach19]

imagine the squirrels that get trapped in those spokes. perfect amputation. my shop carries those, they are pretty bombproof, no max weight limit

[@karlsantos]

Probably it is the light spot ready for the valve placement that makes it roll.

[@uranobnut]

'the geometry is precise'.... by eye u mean

[@Robin-Visser]

Its a scam. Ill keep my rusty metal ones

[@myasaee]

So only glue holds the spokes to the hub? That would very weak.

[@ajm8096]

bare interesting none the less.

[@Ernescme]

The wheel is out of balance as can be seen at the end :D Just saying. Wouldn't unidirectional fiber in the spokes give more strength and rigidity?

[@Numptee86]

wonder what the finished weight was?

[@papercut1987]

I'm not if I'm using the right vocabularies.But I think the distance between hub and rim create different radial acceleration. So if those spokes were only unidirectional, they will be very good for tension(stand still, no acceleration), but deform into S shapes and eventually sheer when pedaling hard. Harder you pedal (high torque), easier it is to brake those spokes... my 2 cents, pls correct me if I'm wrong

[@MaplePanda04]

YC Y Really late reply, but this looks like a front wheel, which does not take any acceleration loads.

[@turb0diesel]

I was wondering how it was balanced... then at the very end you can see it isn't; at all! Still very interesting process documentation.

[@AlouiMohamedhabib]

Well i think i will not put my life under the mercy of these think!!

[@jayzbond007]

nice, i have a set on my kestrel...super light

[@joepah51]

CF wheels are beautiful.. They can also fail if you get a blowout on your clincher tires at speed. Tubular tires are a much safer choice for CF rims, since the sidewalls will protect the rim from self destructing

[@crazy8sdrums]

CF wheels are so much better now, and a lot more affordable. They are made much more quickly and easily too, but stronger and less expensive and often lighter.

[@AGuyNamedSteve]

Do you have any actual proof of this? I've seen the wheels and talked to people riding them, and they've gotten good first-hand reviews. They also have as good of a warranty of any wheel manufacturer in or near their price range. No weight restrictions either.

[@BondanHeru]

1 sheet layer of spoke?

[@lowellhouser7731]

Neat... so question. Can you guys make a set of these for belt drive, disc brakes, and using tapered roller bearings instead of ball bearings? Yeah, I really don't care if the racers think it's too heavy. I just don't want to ever screw with spokes, chains, break tensioning ever again. And I run Tannus no-flats.

[@markuswildauer6815]

Those wheels are really made 'mad' ^^

[@SuperWigMaker]

He places it and sets the rim, he applies pressure and holds the outer part, he uses adhesive to applies vacuum and solidifies the inner cycle with some protective iron plates for security. And this is how to boil an egg!

[@CleanCooking]

He puts the lotion in the basket

[@Pertamax7-HD]

wow cool

[@darkshadowsx5949]

there is no way that has lateral stability. the spokes look like their 1mm thick.

[@engineergaming4295]

*0.7

[@murcielago188]

Best lateral stability ever and I tried a lot of heavier wheels for comparison.

[@MrMuffanga]

How can that thing hold any weight

[@nicolashuffman4312]

It is amazing what happens when people with ingenuity decide to mass produce carbon fiber parts without the use of an expensive autoclave. I just wish it was done more in the USA. Regardless, this is a wonderful time to be a cyclist!

[@squiresuzuki]

They made a high-end road bicycle wheel made out of carbon fiber, specifically for the brand Mad Fiber which sells sets of two for $3200.

[@marcseed9554]

Anyone else on a random video spree?

[@fawstes]

so much work for fragile never adjustable spokes

[@tiktianchan1913]

bonded carbon fibre suffers extremely little from both fatigue and creep, so as long as it was made up to spec to begin with for the vast majority of people it really never will or should need truing. Steel and aluminium spokes can suffer from twisting during manufacture and also during truing which can cause premature failure, and is many times difficult to spot.

[@fuzzywzhe]

+Tiktian Chan You must know as well as I do, that when carbon fiber fails, it's catastrophic. I wouldn't ever ride of one these, simply because of that. I've never seen a professional rider on one of these, and it's probably for that reason. And the fact these were made by hand just screams dangerous to me.

[@tiktianchan1913]

Have you seen professional riders on carbon fiber bicycle frames? A large number of those used to be (and some still are) glued together as well, sometimes to aluminum in the 90s. (Have you been on a 787 dreamliner? Lot of carbon fiber in that one... and it's met it's teething problems, but that's what happens when you don't do something like everyone else!) Also you'll likely find that most higher end bicycle wheels have a large degree of hand work, at the very least most higher end wheels (whether carbon or not) have their spokes trued by hand. In the field higher end composites manufacturing layup (where you put the pieces of cloth into the mold) is often done by hand (assuming it's an irregular shape, something like a tube can be filament wound, and obviously also talking about continuous fiber composites here) , from these wheels, to zipp's wheels, to parts of the latest koenigseggs, to parts of the latest formula one cars. The madfiber wheels like most novel products were almost surely going to have teething problems, it was just a matter of whether they had the funds to smooth them out, in this case they didn't. Within the composites field, 'black metal' design (or basically trying to completely replicate a metal design in a composite) isn't an endearing term :)

[@josequilez5449]

You've never had a set I imagine. Strongest wheels on the market. Even years after there gone

[@josequilez5449]

Learn from real life instead of being am idiot who's scared of improvements

[@tvkorzytv9817]

wow This is so amazing

[@cubsin4]

I prefer good ole rubber tires and aluminum rims and spokes when I ride on a road made from carbon fiber.

[@herbsmanherbs]

Rick Geller stainless steel spokes are superior to aluminium spokes. I take it you ride those horrible mavic wheels with the hollow aluminium spokes?

[@trenzinhodaalegria8012]

I use depleted uranium spokes for maximum weight.

[@tiktianchan1913]

Never be able to stop once you get going! haha

[@TheJacklamb]

they never need truing thats the beuty of MAD FIBER rims

[@fjoa123]

are those spokes for real? I'd feel safer with vegetal fibers holding the rims together.

[@murcielago188]

Best wheels set ever. Super happy with mines.

[@StefanoPelinga]

"Compressed Bake" ah, yes that's it

[@Jakefrc]

“It rubs the lotion on its skin”

[@arslanabhatti]

I'm confused. Does this wheel never need to be trued?

[@Galeere2]

this wheel cant be untrue it is perfect or broken, but nothing in between

[@M-DIY]

Steel is best but heavy, that's why majority of the vehicles are made outta steel. Aluminium is good for cycles, but I still like steel, carbon fibre is for racers, not for consumers.

[@moonte7933]

Interesting.....but this only reinforces my idea of not wanting to ride them

[@LEO-xo9cz]

'Reinforce' the very thing that scares me about the wheel. Those spokes scare me.

[@gregorynelson5673]

My bet is you would spend 1/4 of the time in the shop, constantly reshaping, truing and spoke and nipple overhauls on your 16 or 12 spoke ridiculousness you road junkies ride to feel the road and the illusion of wheel flex can improve cornering..

[@gregorynelson5673]

No one wants to fuck the guy with some off the shelf styles garbage, watch a woman yawn when the phrase Dura ace escapes your mouth with joy and watch her reach for her escape phone when you try to explain SRAM etap with a longing most men get from building something manly.

[@gregorynelson5673]

Come to my hood in Tdot on my handmade titanium fixed gear with no downtube or swingarm support, with frame integrated titanium ass rest. Custom carbon aerodisc out back with custom hub void of any axles. Kevlar belt driven custom carbon driveline, 13 tooth out back and reinforced plexi 65 tooth in front with floating speedometer so when onlookers and traffic read the carbon inlaid phrase across the aero top tube reading "make me regret this ride if under 55kph. Triathlon with hint of TT inspired carbon cockpit with integrated hydration frame storage with retractable straw in stem.d Adjustuble flat bullhorns that articulate via flat armrest from level to 45 degrees downward eliminating drops. 4" aerofoil carbon titanium weave forks, proven to decrease drag from legs and smooth turbulance. I had alternating carbon & titanium curved spoked wheels with backlit plexi 60mm aero dishes, relief cut originally featuring obscenities such as I don't fuck cunt, anal only. #goodcatholic.. Sure enough it worked for burning man and festivals. I have matured and now only adorn the streets with my company logo and social handles. Although nothing is off the table for customers looking to make statements. Now the only tire I sell to fixie racers is competition Michelin slicks in 23c. With begging and video proof of road conditions I will hesitantly offer 25c. My number 1 rule is bikes are sold with and if ever need be replaced with the industry leader in puncture proof latex. My bikes are art and not subject to malfunctions. Don't ask because brakes are for people that adhere to risk adverse behaviour. I sell custom standard or clipless pedals with concave curved racing compound rubber undertow cavities for the unavoidable that gives you a premonition of wired jaws and body casts in midflight. After regaining consciousness you are reminded that your 3 o'clock erotic spongebath fantasy is interrupted by a non sensical irate can driver that spits, smells and repeats mispronounced obscenities, demanding compensation for his doctorate level driving prowess until fed up enough to repress the thought of the sustained internal injuries to summon the strength to pick up your mangled pride and joy and commence to strategically bash it on inanimate objects until it's rideable enough. I mean how are you going to land a chick with bones poking out while covered in blood while listening to some sheeple in an emergency vehicle. Instead you can walk it off for 5 minutes, grab a latte like a badass and formulate a story to test your ability to successfully bullshit while trying to ignore the fact of repair cost and man hours. Bedridden or speculating ptsd episodes with that mangled culprit then call me and we can start dreaming of a new build while I visit to grade your brush with death pick up skills, while maybe drawing a preliminary render.. forgot a special occasion why not his and her renders with unbeknownst empty promises. As your mobility skills are laughable I will take one for the team and knock on all doors until I find the hottest one to help with displaying my masterpiece. While I play the caring friend card and leave with my new friend and leave my most recent creation complete with build sheet to further inspire. You can attempt at creating a facade of becoming more manly and adorning your wall with a awe inspiring engraving such as " scars are just the man version of hipster tattoos" All builds will include cinematic cameras that wirelessly upload upon return. If it wasnt filmed then it never happened. Personally I hate explaining things so I wholesale video picture frames. My favorite touch is to dub over with celebrity voices then when questioned lie through your teeth about some ridiculous adventure and then secretly make up a compromising story involving transexual prostitutes and multiple felonies. Some people cook or take Pilates to get notice. I enjoy exploiting my quest to forever rock on the teeter totter between daredevil and strong candidate for straight jacket.This story is not meant to scare it is merely a cautionary tale but also a reminder that this sport is the most dangerous activity in densely populated urban landscapes. I road for years at full tilt in busy cities with no fucks given while laughing at the thought of safety. Legs were so strong I rode a 75 by 13 tooth. Sometimes exceeding 80. Thereuntil one day, to no fault of my own I became victim to a in his rented tahoe; playing I spy or whatever the fuck

[@mrN3w7]

no wonder they shatter so quickly... I would not trust them with my life...

[@armandoenriquez7305]

Can you imagine, when you were born you're parents straight out knew what you are and blessed w/ you that name, and that sir is what you are for life.

[@phoenixglover8172]

really do you have a better materal

[@mrN3w7]

logan glover Yes... the old and trusted steel or aluminum spokes... it works just fine for me

[@AlexeiPavlov]

hell yeah, marketing HYPE designed for weight weenies!

[@VicariousReality7]

logan glover Titanium

[@oreodog]

Vry nic bonr evrytim sh sed phalange c;

[@paulnrswain]

I've riden on these wheels, and they are some of the best I've used, however poor quality control and a design problem with bonding a metal internal rim onto carbon under where the brakeing track was, meaning the heat from heavy breaking debonded the join, really killed them.

[@murcielago188]

Not true, that only occurred with the clinchers, the tubulars sets, which they build for several years, never has that problem.

[@violian5]

I find it hard to believe that these flexible sheets of carbon fiber is formulated to become a rigid wheelset.

[@Zer0_L1ves]

holy shit, this must cost a bomb to get 1...but the speed....i believe i can fly (with my bike) i believe i can touch the line (the finish line)....

[@どうでも良いけど早く楽になりたい]

このメーカーのホイール初めて見たけどこんなスポークで大丈夫なの？ めっちゃプルプルしてるけど、、、

[@turkeyguy0]

IT PUTS THE LOTION ON ITS SKIN! ok ok already i'll put the carbon fiber in the mold just give me the damn tool already.

[@airodnov]

This is one of the most high-end road bicycle wheels lol

[@margaux19820]

Mad Fiber Wheels Construction.

[@alexmaksymenko6616]

Take a shot every time she says carbon fibre

[@Duckaization]

If anyone is curious they sell for about $3000 0.o

[@aaronbourbonnais2555]

Dannnnnnng had me fooled , fool! Im mad now .. mad... I am mad. -_-

[@kenlor71]

such a long process. The good thing, you'd never have to true them.

[@norsangkelsang7939]

engineering 101 - keep it simple.

[@tiktianchan1913]

Arguably it is simple compared to a standard wheel with separate rim, nipples, spokes, hub, and truing. This one can be made with one material that is manufactured presumably already true and tensioned permanently.

[@Skitad]

Best wheels

[@DistractedWhiteDude]

Started on a video about daleks.

[@Zer0_L1ves]

Mad Fiber closed down.... Such a pity... It's wheels are so light weight yet affordable... yet it closed down due to bankruptcy...

[@TheKooster31]

after watching how Koenigsegg created their carbon wheel and then seeing this i was like "wtf?" (i know its a different game but still.....)

[@sweatyfootenjoyer]

Now it places the wheel in the basket.

[@douro20]

Each of these wheels weigh just over a pound, but can carry over 700 pounds.

[@estiviherrera4723]

I will just stick to my zipp 303,404 and 808 for me best wheel are Zipp and lightweight

[@paisa666]

that money went to the trashcan

[@PreshPromAsia]

Its just so tempting to break the spokes on that bike. I cant ride on that.

[@jmmiyaki]

1:32 bookmark

[@jamespalmer5407]

I thought it was Car wheels! 😞

[@gatecrashermonkeyhardstylz4378]

wow that wheel was so out of balance I expected it to just stop rotating but all of a sudden it started to spin backwards lol

[@Thomass7586]

You could not give me a set of carbon wheels to ride on . Not a chance.

[@literoadie3502]

Eric Hjertberg's creation! I love his website ''WheelFanatyk''

[@mohammednawaz2550]

If batman exista he must have 1....

[@michaelweiss4178]

Looks good, 'till it comes time to true them.

[@ciclismobatatais-sp]

Belo trabalho

[@L33tSkE3t]

Carbon fiber is good under tensile stress but these look like crap.

[@Hardnormals]

He puts the lotion in the basket.

[@0302wilson]

...don't forget it doesn't have a tire on it!

[@k.ganesanganesan6825]

Cheap materials may be from Coconut shell.

[@mozkitolife5437]

Ooooooh.... bicycle wheels.... might I suggest updating your title? There're a lot of wheels out there, you know.

[@halfsith1]

He puts the lotion on his skin.

[@BestKiteboardingOfficial]

Filed for bankruptcy last month, along with Serota.

[@joeyvigil]

Probably because how old fashion there production facility is, would have been more successful if it was more automated.

[@MIBicycle]

이 영상이 나올때만 하더라도 메드파이버가 망할줄은 상상도 못했는데...

[@DominoSixO]

Smart ppl pron

[@thienly]

he, he, he, he, he, he, he....could've cut those out

[@yankoaleksandrov]

yea