Super-special spherical seat system
Walking the aisles of Interbike, it’s easy to slip into sensory overload and develop a bit of tunnel vision. Every once in a while, though, something unique tugs from corner of the eye, meriting a pause and a photo. Something – for example – that looks like a Pulstar hub bearing fruit.
Not a new idea, Cole’s second-generation spherical Dynamic Spoke Alignment (DSA2s) design consists of spherical spoke anchors on a straight-pull hub. The idea is to allow for the same hub to be used on any wheel size without the spokes binding in their holes. The little blue spheres self-align with the spoke angle, spreading forces over a greater area than a potentially mis-aligned spoke head could alone while reducing bending stresses on the spokes themselves.
While it’s easy to poke fun, we’re glad that there are people out there thinking about things that would probably never occur to us. The DSA2s design is available on Cole’s carbon fibre Ibex 26, 27.5, and 29er mountain wheels as well as a couple of cyclocross models. The 26in model is a 1,430g/23mm tubular, the 27.5 a 1,680g/23.5mm clincher, and the 29er a 1,640g/27.5mm clincher. Cole lists Evans Cycles as their UK distributor, but Cole’s wheels are no longer available on Evans’ website. Cole has new UK distribution in the works: look for news later this winter.
Comments (3)
Leave Reply
Post Comment
“used on any wheel size”
Come on! should be “used with any spoke lacing pattern”, wheel size is irrelevant, just jumping on the multiple size marketing bandwagon.
And for what it’s worth, Sapim Polyax nipples do exactly the same thing, for conventional pull spokes.
Badito,
Where the “any wheel size” comes in is with the spokes’ bracing angle. Imagine a wheel cut in half and viewed parallel to the axle: different sizes wheel will have spokes approaching the rim at different angles. The 5 degrees’ or so float provided by the spherical seats aren’t enough to accommodate different lacing patterns.
marc
“Cole lists Evans Cycles as their UK distributor, but Cole’s wheels are no longer available on Evans’ website.”
http://www.evanscycles.com/categories/components/wheels/f/cole#!
I hope they still are the distributor as I still have a missing QR adaptor from my 29er lite set of wheels I bought last month :/