Discover reports on a new bicycle frame that’s stronger than titanium, steel, carbon composites or aluminum. It’s lighter, too – because it’s full of holes:
Unlike other carbon-fiber frames, though, the Arantix could withstand a direct shrapnel hit. The lattice structure isolates damage to a single element instead of shattering under pressure, Delta 7 says.
Despite all its empty spaces, the handmade Arantix frame costs a hefty $6,995 (a full bike is $11,995). At 2.75 pounds, it falls just short of a featherweight record among mountain bikes, but the IsoTruss easily supports the 200-pound-plus Clydesdale racers that its competitors shun.
More at Delta7: Arantix.
Check out the pictures – it looks like a geodesic bike frame. I wonder if they could do this for cars….
Given the massive weight savings, I wondered why they would put that sort of technology into a mountain bike frame and not a road bike. Then it hit me, the weight savings wouldn’t make up for the amount of additional wing drag.
For long uphills, any weight savings can make a big difference but on flat ground or downhill, aerodynamics are probably the more important factor.
Still, pretty damn spiffy.