Runless wrote:
The good news is that the construction technique looks like it would be more adept to running changes in differing rim shapes. I would encourage Madfiber to really actually use some CAD or wind tunnel time to refine their wheels.
My understanding is that the construction method actually makes if very difficult for a change in rim shape. The spokes enter the rim parallel with the V-shape and are bonded over a large area to the inside of the rim. If the shape was more aerodynamic like a toroidial profile, that curvature would inherently weaken the wheel because of how the loads are transferred from the rim to the spokes. The rim itself doesn't even sound like a traditionally molded rim as well, in the video posted below at 2:20 he mentions that the rim is constructed in three pieces.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9pjSP97PNc
It will be interested going forward to see what changes they make, but I see these wheels competing with the Edge/Enve and Lightweights of the world rather than the Zipp's and Hed's.