Wheel

If you were taller than average, and had a bicycle made to fit your body size, regular 700C/29-inch wheels would be disproportionately small. That's where the DirtySixer AllRoad Mark II comes in, as it features huge 36-inch wheels.

Last year we told you about the prototype Tuck Bike, which featured both a folding frame and folding full-size 700c wheels. Well, you may soon be able to own one, as it's the subject of a just-launched Kickstarter campaign.

Hyundai Mobis moves closer to revolutionizing EV maneuverability. Three years after introducing the e-Corner Module, it's testing a working all-in-one wheel prototype with integrated intelligent steering, braking, drive and suspension hardware.

Removing and reinstalling a bike's rear wheel can be quite a laborious, frustrating process, as you have to wrangle the chain, derailleur and disc brake. The new Fasten system, however, allows the wheel to quickly drop straight down out of the frame.

Few things punish bicycle wheels harder than world championship-level downhill mountain bike racing, so France's Nawa Technologies has signed up with a top-level downhill team to prove the strength of its nanotube-reinforced carbon fiber.

Hankook's R&D department has been working with biorobotics experts from Seoul National University and Harvard engineers on a weird transforming origami wheel project. These folding oddities can drastically alter their diameter and carry heavy loads.

The company that first patented the tubeless tire is thrusting forth into the future with a "rechargeable" concept wheel that lets you add extra tire tread by popping a capsule into the center of the hub, which then extrudes it out to the surface.

Ford seems to believe theft of fancy alloy wheels is on the rise thanks to improved security systems that make it harder to steal whole cars. So it's working on creating anti-theft wheel nuts, each individually 3D printed for the car owner.

​Although Teslas may get a lot of attention, many EVs are actually small cars designed solely for urban use, made by struggling startup companies. A new wheel module could help increase the economic viability of building such vehicles, by simplifying the design and production processes.

​In a demonstration of what could be commercially possible within the near future, HRE Wheels recently teamed up with GE Additive’s AddWorks team to create the first-ever titanium wheel to be 3D-printed via Electron Beam Melting. The process is said to be more efficient than traditional machining.

​If you're looking at converting your standard bicycle into an e-bike, there are now several makes of powered front wheels to choose from. You might want to hold off on making your choice, though, as the crowdfunding campaign for yet another – the EvoWheel – is starting this week.

This airless tire has some interesting advantages. Air Suspension Wheels can't go flat or get punctures, you can change treads with a spanner and no jacks, and they offer some interesting dynamic capabilities that could see them being very useful in large mining applications and even wheelchairs.