Clear iron-on Monokote.

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Less is more.

Don't forget to leave a hole for your air valve lol the kid in the video didn't have one I think. And that could eventually be problematic ;)

Interesting (but simple) approach.

Got a link to the video?, that would be cool to see.

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Here it is the official I build me a disc


I have yet to look at the depron instulation, don't know what that material is.


Weight of course is a concern, the foam is pretty light density, but adds maybe 250g's



<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAAEze4nMyE

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Interesting dual layer approach.

But the music on the video kinda drives one crazy.

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For anyone watching the youtube...feel free to mute. There is no speaking or otherwise useful info that you'd miss. :)

What is the purpose of the foam if you're just covering the rim/spokes anyway?

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+1 on the mute (Skrillex not my thing)

I am sorry if this is a stupid question... but is this any faster than a wheel cover?

Aren't high end disk wheels faceted to improve is low yaw wind conditions?

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I do the same thing as them, just slower

If it produces the "whomp whomp" sound, then I would find it worthwhile.

+1

The Zipp stickers are a nice touch.

+1

Totally worth it to get the whomp sound.

These guys found the whomp whomp sound. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbvxlvSIIww

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Whomp whomp is good...and you know she drums like that already... stoked about the weight. After going at it with a watermelon knife, body file, and sander I tipped the scales at under 1100g.

I drove into town on my way to get beer and smokes, looked for some sandable sheet "instulation". Nothing suitable. I wanted a spreadable filler, super light. So I made a water-based mixture using some superlight West filler I had in the shop. Binder, fillers - hope it works! 24 hours to set up before sanding, which should be super easy to do. Why foam? As it expanded, the foam is very, very light. No real structure is necessary, just resistance to blowing out of the spokes. A foam core with a thin vinyl covering should be the lightest possible setup.

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I've been making DIY discs from spoked wheels for a while. If you use spray foam insulation to
bond a DIY ABS cover to a wheel it'll do just about as good as far as producing the ominous sound that
an actual disc makes.

I have never gone as far as completely filling in the wheel with spray foam though. What I do is spray it
and smooth it out on both the spokes and the inside of the cover then let it cure for a day or two with some weight added
to the wheel to keep it from expanding.

I'll make one later in April and plan on then having the ABS cover wrapped in diamond plate look car wrap, maybe something
like this.. http://www.ebay.com/...7?lpid=82&chn=ps

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Find out what it is in life that you don't do well, then don't
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Any type of plastic or sheeting of thickness 1/16" or more will be too heavy. ABS or HDPE for example - I have both in the shop, too low tech! You won't see that on aircraft/RC builds.

The wheel builder covers are like 400- 500 grams

The PU foam was really nothing - under 100 grams. I made an error on the filler for fairing in.

This morning on my way to cigarettes and coffee, I got some lightweight spackle and also latex foam. Used some of the both to clean things up. It's setting up right now.

I also scored some awesome Carbon fiber wrap at Walmart of all places. So should be complete in 24 hours.

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I think the guy in the video use the foam sheet on top because he couldn't get the sprayed foam smooth enough.

What does the carbon tape weigh?

She'd done. The lightweight spackle filler worked well. I only sanded one round so it's a bit lumpy but at 1300g weight is half decent. The wraptech covering is nice to work with but real carbon would have been cool, if using a thin fabric, no need to beef it up. PIA project. I think a better approach might be to start with a really light wheel (eg 750g) and use Balsa sheet on each side before using a real carbon covering.Probably get to the 1000g figure.

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That looks pretty cool, but I don't think I'll try to replicate it. I need the cover to be removable.

I found that you can buy pvc foamboard in 1mm thickness, but white only. It's half the weight of solid PVC and should be stiff enough, and then a layer of wrap. This would be similar to removable plastic covers, nothing like yours.

According to the specs I found, both sides should weigh ~470g (380 for the sheets and 90 for the wrap), so it adds a little over 1lb to the weight of the wheel.

Hm. This is actually pretty cool. What was the drawback to using standard spray foam from the start?

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Do you make some kind of a mold or backing to keep the foam in place while it hardens, or does it just stay where you spray it?

The wheel I started with is reasonably light, made by XERO. Might be cheap Alum never did brake that well actually. The front of the set was wrecked in a crash. So good to experiment with. I have been wanting a clincher disc, and the older used HEDs looked really heavy/funky.

I used a tubie tire and some clear poly. I had to use 2 full cans. As the foam setup I removed the poly - it will expand and cure better with air both sides.

Foam $15
Spackle $10
Carbon Wrap $60
I bought a 1/3 sheet sander too

The problem with the foam work is that it is not deterministic. It's up to the PU foam gods as to how it turns out. The featherweight spackle is trick from the model airplane wing guys, and saved the project. Lightweight spackle is a latex based, with super light filler, so easy to work with and sand etc. Even so the spackle added 150-200 g's straight up! I had to use the whole tub, and it was a good sized tub.

I have to weigh the whole deal now, with tire, etc.

HED Jet 9 clincher all in is 1550 gms * story about this wheelset.
Zipp Tubie 900 Disc all in is 1500
Gipemme (sp?) Aero/Deep Alum wheel 1750 gms
Shimano C50 Tubular - will be lightest of the lot.

The HED wheelset/disc combo is actually for the GURU build, still in the works. I got these baby blue Michlens on special, and that rear tire is painted :O - paint color is perfect, but adhesion didn't work!!

Edit - I rode it like 500meters last night, it makes the WHOMP WHOMP sound 100% just like the Zipp. Will give it a shakedown today - in the rain

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You are my new idol. As a fellow DIY-er and anti-bikesnob, I cheer you on sir. God speed!

I love seeing DIY and creative bikes on the road. Some of the most basic are the coolest. e.g. a bull horn fixie, leather saddle, vintage racing wheels. I think it might be a good idea to ride a fixie on a regular basis as a rehab cycle.

Yeah to be honest, in my mind I thought this was a borderline $hit project... but one ride changed all that. Just got back from ripping it up: the DIY disc is fantastic. For sure outperforms my Zipp! Mostly it feels like a "wheel", and a good one at that. The DIY disc powers (accelerates) up seamlessly, way better than when it was - a cheap wheel, because it's stiffer now and whomp whomp whomp carries speed like none other too. Perfect match for a HED Jet6, which does the same thing - behaves like a good wheel should.

Tire has got to go. Warning about the Mavic Yksium comp - they are horrible in the wet & cold. This is a stock Cervelo tire. I got off these ASAP in Dec, had them sitting around.

I'll see if I can shoot an onboard video this weekend.

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Just curious: do you have any actual reason to believe either of these observations (acceleration and stiffness)?

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----------------------------------
"Go yell at an M&M"

Nice, that looks a lot better than I thought it would turn out. I know it's got to be really hard to sand that
spray foam down smooth enough to make it look good but you did a really fine job.

Because of the spokes being encased in foam you shouldn't have any problems with breaking a spoke.

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do that thing.

Stiffness has very little to do with acceleration. A disc is heavier than a regular wheel, but more aerodynamic. Since weight's (mass' actually) impact on acceleration is constant with speed, and aerodynamics are exponential with speed; a disc will accelerate worse than a standard wheel at slow speeds, but better at high speeds.

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Carbon Wrap $60

Yikes! Is that for real?

I love these types of projects but I still love my ENVE carbon clincher rear wheel with Catalyst cover for a total weight of Sub 900g's. With tire and tube it comes in at around 1100g.

Got a video - shot it as the sun went down, in like 10 mins. But I think it captures the essence of the project(s).

Excitement, just got the Guru back from the shop today, picked up some awesome leather for the "bespoke" saddle, worked quickly to get it all adjusted & ridable. Geez it rides all very nice. The aero position is great, but the drops are a little out there. Much better than my E118 for sure.

Handle bar tape, cable clean up still to go of course, as well as dialing it in - have to drop the stem, few more adjustments etc.

> https://youtu.be/bM6-oC2BDMs


edit - new tunes, still heavy tunes, but no f-word.:O

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How did you get the carbon covering to stay . is it glued or heated on. And finally your carbon isn't taped on around the rims. How did it go on so smoothly. I am starting tomorrow morning on this or as soon as I hear back from u

I used carbon-look wrap which is sticky-back vinyl. If the rim is clean the wrap with stay there no problem. Also make sure the foam filled area is dust free (blow it off). I had some bubbles in the spoke area but since they went away with a few heat cycles.

Also epoxy is good for sealing up seams and any openings like the valve access. The epoxy has held will. I am using the disc full time on the Guru, no problems. Probably race it next weekend too. Here's the disc with HED Decals, bike complete...

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So awesome man. So bottom line and correct if I am wrong. Place a piece of abs plastic I made for an old wheel behind the wheel. Spray foam and let expand. It needs to be flush with the spokes or really a little over them. If not do I use that spread or spackle to get it flush with spokes? If so then sand until it is smooth. No need in getting the foam or insulation right? Then place one piece of vinyl or two pieces. Because I have one that is 24 x 60 that could cover the whole wheel. Then cut around the axle to allow for the cassette and skewers. And let me guess the vinyl goes a little above the foam but not by much to seal around the rim. U r the man. Please inform. And let me know if u would have changed anything

Couple quick questions. Did you/can you use just the regular expandable spray foam from like Home Depot (DAP Brand) or does it need to be a certain kind? Secondly, on the non drive side did you have a problem with the carbon wrap bending since that side has more angles with the spokes?

Ok, i have a serious question from a relative newbie. you spent $85 to build this, but those AeroJacket covers are around $100 and it seems to me they would give the same aero advantage, but also be way lighter.
Is there information i don't understand? Because right now it seems to me that, although a cool project, this probably isn't the best all around way to get a disc going in the back.
I just want to reiterate that i honestly don't know and am asking a legitimate question.

Also, from random cool project stand point, A+.

Hey man. If you look back the reason is because u get the sound with it. Sure u can get wheel builder for 100 or you can do what I did and build one out of abs plastic for 30. But this transcends all that by producing one more like the fioam ones of hed and u get the whomp sound. Lo . I'm trying it today and will let everyone know how it goes. With picture . This could be a nightmare

This has to be intimidating as can be. I just put my old abs disc on one side and sprayed the foam all in the wheel. Now I sit nervous and wonder if the old abs is going to come off and wonder how I am going to fix this ugly foam that is drying in all kinds of different patterns. It is going to take two bottles of this stuff. 16 ounces is not enough.

so disc covers dont give off that cool sound? also, i have no idea why that sound is so cool, but im always jealous of those guys.

How muuch extra weight does this add though? does the extra weight really make a difference?

K. Just put on second dose of that pu foam. Took off the abs backing. No need in trying to keep it flush with the spokes. Even with the backing it still expands and does not dry as fast. So just spray with the backing and then remove after an hour. I found something promising to put over the foam to make a flat surface prior to placing the vinyl over it. Drum roll. Floor dampening foam. U can get it at Lowes or home depot. I will put pics up later. Got to go get this foam off my hands. It is messy. Next one will be easier because I know what I am doing. The hard work getting this smooth will be next.

Hi guys -

Foam is way lighter than any ABS/HDPE plastic. A simple way to make sure the foam doesn't stick is just to use some poly (PE) sheet and you can even use cardboard to support the foam.

We are building a "wing covering" much like the model airplane guys do. There is a thread on here where a guy used wing covering material - only. No foam core. I don't know how durable that would be tho. Because this is a bike, there needs to be some sort of baseline durability. The foam method does this, but with just a vinyl covering you can make a finger dent in it pretty easy. ie Zipp et al could not build like this because customers would freak out. ("I have a dent in my $2500 wheel and xxxx won't warranty it")

Vinyl covering - On the raised side (non-gear side) I had to cut the vinyl once along the line of the spokes. Do this from the valve access hole to the center of the wheel. (I didn't and it looks a bit goofy). The vinyl wrap doesn't like to stick to itself - so I cut the seam flush and used epoxy - several applications to seal the butted seam. I also used the 5 min epoxy to seal the valve access hole exposed foam edges. I mixed in carbon powder for that awesome grey look.

Also - You might want to hit the whole foam surface with a paint/primer - even water based, prep the surface so that the vinyl can stick a bit better. The vinyl did not stick that well to the foam but after a couple of weeks of smoothing it out (hot sun etc.) I have no more lifting or bubbling.

Bottom line - I took a cheap wheel that I was just going to pitch in metal recycle and built an awesome sounding & looking disc that I ride all day long. So yeah it's cool.

To do again??? I would start with a better quality, lighter, wider alu wheel. I might try using balsa wood & urethane glue as the filler vs the foam. But if that lost the sound, I'd be bummed out. And finally for the covering I think I would go true carbon fiber, thin layer of epoxy, then a clear coat, two part. Takes more time but would be more robust and easier to get a nicer, smooth finished product. I would like to build another disc. I think this is a great approach, HED/Zipp hybrid of sorts - cool sound, clincher style, and if you can score a great used/new wheel ($200) the total cost would be no more than $300, a few beers and the wife and kids wondering where u are hiding.

Note
1. ABS is a bit nasty (fumes, melts when cut, brittle etc.) I like HDPE from Quadrant, excellent stuff, but it is the PE (polyethelene) family. Which means it's slippery and breaks down with a lot of flexing.

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Put the wheel away, stop looking at it and leave it for 24 hours!! Let the foam setup and start the next day.


I used two cans and two applications. You can even do a third after cutting stage to fill holes. You could even use urethane glue - it flows and expands. For ease of use to fill holes I used DAP acrylic foam but that stuff wasn't so good imo. I used a big watermelon knife to trim the foam before sanding. It sands easily and quickly - I might have use 80 grit paper.

Forgot to add a note about spackle - you MUST use the lightweight high quality spackle (it's latex based). FYI The spackle smoothing layers added more weight than all of the PU foam.

Good luck...

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What kind of spray foam did you use? Could I use the stuff from Home Depot (DAP)? and to get it smooth for the carbon fiber does that airplane filler work the best? Does it stand up to the elements? And lastly, does the carbon fiber just stick to the rim itself around the edge or did you have to do anything special?

thanks

So you think the spackle adds less weight and is better then the EPS foam layer?
3mm EPS foam actually weights in on 130g/m2, and the Depron Aero is around 100g/m2.
Given the advantages of a solid smooth layer, I would probably go with that.

One thing is for sure, there are no sentences that can be used to prepare u for what I am looking at right now. I have started the cutting and have one side finished. I just hope this vinyl will stick to this 2mm floor foam. It looks a whole lot better now. Now I can relate to how the author mentioned a crap project. It looked horrible but is shaping up each hour

I followed your example and built one. I used a cardboard box as a base. I cut a hole for the cassette body, laid the wheel flat and started spraying the foam. After the foam set up I soaked the cardboard with the garden hose and it peeled right off. After the lightweight spackle I applied several coats of indoor-outdoor latex primer. I found some carbon foil really cheap on Amazon. 24" wide was enough to cover my wheel.

I have raced mine once but I can't tell if it sounds better than my ABS version. It was really windy that day and my helmet covers my ears.

I used urethane foam, not DAP (which could be water-based) just the $5 per can (home hardware) was good. The spackle is a model airplane trick and I used that to feather the gap and low point from the foam into the rim itself. (Zipp sub9 style). After sanding it was not a smooth consistent surface.

I don't quite remember the foam was like 75 grams.

I made sure the rim was super clean and with alcohol, and stuck the vinyl with overlap. I used a knife to trace around the brake track and the final cut.

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Just finished all the sawing off of the foam. I used a razor blade at first. Way too much work. Then I used long blade knife that was smooth edge. That took too much. Then I went with the saw edge and started takin care of business. It would have taken thirty minutes instead of the hour and a half. Next I will put the foam on the outside (floor muffler) and adhere it to the wheel. Then the carbon fiber wrap will be applied over the top.

Hey rambler. U got any pics of it. And does my Spackle need to cover the spokes y'all?

No pics yet.

The spackle is mostly cosmetic, to get a smoother surface. I don't know that it is critical that the spokes are completely covered. I tried to make the material flush with the spokes. I don't see an issue with the outline of the spokes being visible through the vinyl wrap. The Zipp disks look a bit like this even though they don't have spokes. Since the spokes are centered at the rim, the part closest to the rim are well below the surface for a few inches.

OK. Just added Spackle to the one side and bout to do the other. Looking a lot better I must say. Still nervous as to how thin the vinyl is when it gets here. I am going to sand the Spackle tomorrow morning. The floor stuff I was going to use is made of polypropylene and they say it would melt or if not hot the carbon would not adhere to it so I went ahead with the Spackle. I bought some latex primer spray to go over it first. Then the carbon.

Just finished both sides. How smooth do I have to have this stuff when I'm finished sanding tomorrow morning.

Guess that question should be for shark. How sanded do these need to be for the vinyl

I finished. Got interrupted for a bit cause I had to work that came up but got back to it. Like yall said it is slightly bumpy, however the sound is incredible and way better than my cover. I am in process of doing another. This is for my good wheel though. Can't wait. Learned a lot on this one. Realized the work is not nearly as bad since I won't be using spackle. Gonna shove foam and sand til smooth. Then use floor muffler for the top.

If we were using carbon cloth and epoxy, then the finish can be doctored more, hit it with a two part matte clear when all said and done.

But with this project if it passes the 10 foot test, then it's all good.

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It's when the light hits it is when a little undulating. Who cares tho. I am not posing it as real anyway. And based on my finishing times in duathlons no one will ever see it unless they pass out after their final run In the transition zone when I'm coming in from biking. &#128522;

I love the fake checker plate vinyl!

I think the checker plate would also work like the dimples on some wheels to reduce the boundary layer effect as well. Choice Bro!

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TriDork

"Happiness is a myth. All you can hope for is to get laid once in a while, drunk once in a while and to eat chocolate every day"

I've thought that instead of using a spoked wheel, an foam with a carbon or vinyl covering, using preformed foam sheet (Styrofoam SM or the stronger 40 and 60 versions) to fill in a blank rim.

Use a form to hold the hub in the middle, and rim at the right place. Sheet foam cut to shape for each side. Glue the two sheets together to clamp the hub and rim in place, then cover the sides with carbon. Bond the carbon to the hub and to the side of the rim (cover the braking surface to give good bond and also make a wider wheel as is the current rage) and there you have it, a wide wheel flat (not lenticular) disc.

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TriDork

"Happiness is a myth. All you can hope for is to get laid once in a while, drunk once in a while and to eat chocolate every day"

I forgot to put the final pictures. My bad. Use the floor muffler and place over the foam you sprayed on (and then sawed off) to make a super smooth surface and use gorilla glue to glue down. It will take all night to set and dry. Then place on vinyl carbon fiber and hair dry heat it to adhere it to foam. And no it has had no problems for six months. And yes it does make the sound. No one can tell it is fake but I completely tell everyone it is. I am more proud I made a fake wheel than to say it is authentic.https://goo.gl/...os/133AbSDGq4bzWUkX9

How do you replace/inflate tubes? This look really interesting, may want to give it a try, I'm assuming the foam stuff and the carbon layup is 100% for appearance as you are using a regular old wheel? But you say that it does make the whomp whomp sound?

I cut out that part and placed a piece of carbon vinyl over it. You can't tell where it is because it mtcxhes up perfectly. When time to air it up, peel it back and pump with air.

And whomp whomp whomp is a yes

Bringing this topic back from the dead, it looked like a fun project so I'm giving it a swing with some low quality items and upon success I may step it up and make something better this winter.

Went to the LBS last night and BS'd around with the fellas, told them about this project, turns out they had a take off rear wheel with the hub sitting around collecting dust which they sold to me for 25 dollars. AlexRims DA22 wheel with a Ritchey hub.

It's a tank, with tape and skewer last night it pulled in at a little over 1000 grams.

I had purchased a 2 foot by 6 foot roll of 3D carbon vinyl wrap from an amazon company "SimCarbon" late last year for something else but never used it. The roll cost me 5 dollars, this was not any sale or special price. Not sure what the quality will bring but it has good reviews on Amazon. I do plan on adding an additional adhesive before laying it down.

Last night I picked up 2 cans of "GREAT STUFF" insulating foam sealant intended for big gaps. 4 dollars a can.

Project cost so far (USD):

AlexRims Da22 + Ritchey hub: $25.00
2ft x 6ft Carbon wrap: $5.00
Poly foam sealant: $8.00

Total: $38.00

As of now, here's what I have done.

I started by removing the skewer and cleaning up the wheel as best as I could. I found a big old cardboard box, cut one side out that would be larger than the wheel itself, measured center wheel to brake track, then used the skewer (center of cardboard) + string + ink pen (length equal to center wheel to brake track) to stencil a circle on to the cardboard. Cut out the circle using a box cutter. This will be the backing to one side of the wheel so I could spray the foam in and have a surface for it to sit on, the idea being it will expand but primarily out of one side.

I decided to use the non drive side for the cardboard fairing since it has the more concaved shape and this would be the tougher of the 2 sides to evenly sand.

Fixed the cardboard to the non drive side using gaffers tape because that ish doesn't budge, sealed up around the hub so it wouldn't leak, I also wrapped the drive side freehub with paper and tape to protect from the rising expanding foam once I laid it down.

Last thing before I sprayed the foam, I decided that I would use 32mm presta tubes for this wheel. I took a tube and pushed it through the wheel and marked on the cardboard where the valve would sit. Using a paper towel roll, I traced a circle around this area, cut it out of the cardboard, then fixed the towel roll through. I also took a straw and threaded it up through the wheel where your tube stem would go and connected it to the towel roll. Thought being this would save trouble down the line and hopefully produce a nice looking space to inflate the wheel once it's read to go.

Laid the wheel down in my basement with the cardboard towards the floor, and started filling up with the spray foam. Last night I thought I ran short and should have bought 3 cans. This morning, holy crap! That stuff really expands!

I'm letting it sit today, then tonight I'll remove the cardboard and start cutting, shaving and sanding down the shape. Afterwards I'll take another can of the foam and attempt to fill some of the minor air pockets on the sanded edges. Saturday I'll sand those down, wipe it down, then wrap it up.

Hopefully by Sunday we'll be rolling.

I have taken a ton of pictures and documented the entire process, upon success I will put it in a YouTube video without the music.

Does anyone have a recommendation on an additional adhesive to use between the carbon vinyl wrapping and the polyurethane foam?

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Regards,
J. Smith

3M professional automotive trim adhesive is pretty solid stuff avail. @ auto supply shops.

The parallel genre that these DIY disc wheels fall under to me is model aircraft building.

The wheel I built is kinda heavy so I thought why not try to go at it will balsa sheet to bridge the spokes, then finish with fabric, as in wing, cover.

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Don't need the balsa sheet, just a disc to adhere the monocote to near the hub. We used to use a modified coffee can lid for this, back in the day.

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Tech writer/support on this here site. FIST school instructor and certified bike fitter. Formerly at Diamondback Bikes, LeMond Fitness, FSA, TiCycles, etc.
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I'll swing by an autozone tonight and grab some, cheers. And thanks for the topic. I've had the idea in the back of my mind for a while now, but it's refreshing to find that somebody else had already dove in and lived to tell about it, especially pointers.

Glad to see you're still active too, would you be up for a couple of questions?

How has your original disc held up? How many miles have you put on it and has it stayed true? Did you ever make your second disc going for weight reduction base on what you learned with the first?

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Regards,
J. Smith

I used it as a "beater" disc last year - just something fun and different to ride on. Not much for miles though I think. I got a set of near new HED 6/9 that I have on the CR901 at the moment. The disc is lumpy. If I were to do again, I would delete the foam completely and use balsa wood as the filler (ie a hollow wheel) then perhaps a real carbon top sheet layer to keep that all in place. Or even a fiberglass. Polyester resin would work nice. I have done a few projects recently with fiberglass.

Disc wheels - as in a good used are rare and hard to find. I've never been able to buy one. I paid almost $1000 for a worn in Zipp/flat disc years ago. This DIY one rides smoother to be honest, but it is heavier. So to make a usable training disc out of a wheel I was going to toss is a bonus really. Makes the project worth it.

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Cool. I have an aerojacket but just bought one of the Aeron discs which is a bonded carbon over a hollow spoked wheel, we'll see how that works out. One day I'll pick up a Zipp.

I picked up a variation of Gorilla glue at Lowes that specifically bonds vinyl and poly. Today I shaved off the first application then filled gaps. Tomorrows plan is shaving the second application of foam then brushing on some glue and applying the vinyl. I'm still not positive what route I'll go to seal the vinyl to the rim to make a clean edge. Was thinking g some clear caulk applied by hand using a finger, really light.

This has been a lot of fun to do, push come to shove it will make a nice wall decor and a story to boot.

I like your idea with basal, in fact if you did it right and c clamped all the way around the wheel you could still potentially foam the inside and as it expanded it would worm its way out of the tube nozzle cut out. That stuff weighs nothing I've learned, you would spend maybe 25g weight in foam in exchange for the "whomp whomp" everyone is so fond of, won't get it with just the cover.

More to come

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Regards,
J. Smith

I now see the major problem with the "lumps", my first application expanded and then retracted! I shaved it after 24 hours and it was pretty smooth but it's since retracted in about an 1/8 to 1/4 an inch between the spokes.

New plan, pick up another 2 cans of foam, reapply to one side then let it sit for 72 hours, cut and shave then another 24 hours, then any last altercations. Then the other side.

In no rush, we'll see if this helps create a smoother surface area to apply the vinyl. I e got half a mind to get 1/16 in paper poster board and apply that to the foam, hit it with "modge podge" to waterproof it, then apply the vinyl to that.

Lots of fun though!

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Regards,
J. Smith

If you can, post some pics of the progress! I'm watching this thread and your progress with interest as I'm considering making one of these too... I actually work fairly often with this type of foam in my job doing insulating jobs on houses, the stuff is incredibly sticking/messy! Their are a few options, some expand a lot more than others, I would think the foam that expands more will be lighter weight... I'm probably the most curious about "bonding" the outer skin to the foam and the wheel's rim... I know some products will "eat" the foam... curious to know from those who have made these wheels, do you overlap the skin a little over the rim? Or is the skin strictly covering the foam and trimmed right up to the rim, but not overlapping the rim?

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Tony
http://www.triathleteguru.com

I think I would be hesitant to use the poster board.. Any water infiltration would lead to warping and bonding issues, despite efforts to waterproof it.... How about Tyvek ?? Would that be of any use in such an application?

wow, just found this beautiful project! https://laserbuildingprocess.wordpress.com/2013/12/

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Tony
http://www.triathleteguru.com

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Tony
http://www.triathleteguru.com

No offense to whomever made that bike, but those welds, bro. It seems that in reading this was only meant to be sculpture, so it won't kill anyone sitting still.