Conceptual Design of Shock Absorbing Bicycle Wheel

Bicycle suspension helps to cushion and insulate rider from the roughness of terrain. Till now fork suspension attached to the steering column is used to save the rider from impact. In this paper, a research involving the design of bicycle wheel that has a spring system between the hub and rim of wheel which provide tangential suspension to the rider from bumps and potholes on the road is reported. During this research, concept sketches for the proposed design were arrived from morphological chart and then Pugh chart was used for concept selection. Material indices were arrived for bow spoke that act as spring system and suitable material was suggested. Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis was done for the proposed design concept and recommendations to reduce the risk priority number were discussed. Detailed design was carried out by considering factors that affect the stability of the bicycle.