Static balancing system for bicycle wheels

Wheel imbalance is the main cause of vibration on a bicycle. Vibration is proportional to the square of the speed and the level of imbalance. Vibration affects the rider by causing loss of performance and, above all, insecurity at high speed, on descents and when changing direction. This vibration also significantly affects the mechanics. This is a problem that is becoming more evident nowadays as the highest performance wheels are made of carbon and it so happens that they tend to have a much higher level of imbalance than aluminium wheels, due to the production process which has an important manual component. Of course, the tyre and valve also contribute to the imbalance. Because of this, the balancing must be carried out once the tyre is assembled onto the rim.

In the video you can see the vibration that occurs on a high-end bicycle equipped with carbon wheels; you can also see how the frequency and amplitude of vibration vary as the speed of the wheel is modified, this vibration is highly amplified when the frequency of the wheel coincides with the natural frequency of the bicycle frame as it would come into resonance.

At Nazca we have developed the world’s first electronic wheel balancer for bicycle wheels with the following characteristics.

• Portable: It is a small electronic sensor that is assembled on the truing stand (wheel alignment stand).
• Autonomous, it does not need power supply, it is battery run.
• Wireless communication (bluetooth) for displaying results on a smartphone, tablet or PC.
• A specific APP has been developed for communication with the balancer.
• Very high precision, better than 0.2 grams and 1°.