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Why Higher Tire Pressure Feels Faster But Makes You Slower
Feeling Fast. Back in my university days, I owned a 2001 Kia Sephia that had less-than-showroom suspension. While on a road trip to Death Valley, I wondered what going 100mph felt like, and accelerated to 105mph. It felt like we were flying, but the vibration was unnerving, and I feared my life! Shortly after this…
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How Velocity Affects Impedance
We knew when we started developing our FLO All Sport and Gravel wheels that rolling resistance would be a large focus of the process. We believed that a wider rim would lower rolling resistance. To test this hypothesis, we spent close to two years developing an on-road testing protocol to measure rolling resistance which included…
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Hooked vs. Hookless Rims
What is the difference and what is all the fuss about? This article will walk you through what hooked and hookless rims are, why there are two options, the pros and cons of each, and what we are doing at FLO. Let’s get started. The Difference Between Hooked & Hookless Rims The definitions and descriptions…
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Carbon Clinchers vs. Aluminum + Carbon Rims
At FLO we have two construction methods for our carbon wheel rims. The first is a Carbon Clincher rim, and the second is an Aluminum + Carbon rim. You may wonder what the differences between the two rims are and why you would want one vs. the other. This article will answer those questions by…
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Wheel Fit Guide For FLO All Sport Series
Will wider carbon wheels fit my bike? The All Sport series has a wide brake track width of 28mm and a wide internal rim width of 21mm. This article will help you determine if the new FLO All Sport wheels will fit your bike, plus tire size recommendations for the best fit. We’ve also included…
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Total Power – Measuring Cycling Wheel Performance
In cycling, the power you put into the pedals is measured in watts. Ideally, each watt is used to move you forward, but in reality, only a portion of those watts are used for that purpose and there are losses along the way. As a cyclist, every watt you haven’t lost counts towards how fast…
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FLO Gravel Wheel Design #13 – On Road Rolling Resistance
We had two questions when we started designing the gravel wheel series; one, “can a gravel wheel be aerodynamic?” and two, “Can we design a rim that lowers rolling resistance?” In Part 12 of the Gravel Wheel Design Journey, we showed we could improve the aerodynamic efficiency of a gravel wheel and save you 5-6…
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FLO All Sport Series – The A2 Wind Tunnel Results
From an aerodynamic perspective, the wind tunnel is the the ultimate test of any product. When designing the FLO Gravel series we realized the importance of a wide internal-rim width when trying to lower rolling resistance. The goal with the FLO All Sport Series was to widen the internal-rim width, and optimize rim shapes around…
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Understanding Being Aero & Watts For Cyclists
We commonly hear the phrase “be aero” in the cycling world, but what does it really mean? The quick answer, “being aero” is when the watts you put into the pedals are used to move you forward and not used to overcome drag, therefore making you faster. We already know that being aero is important;…
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FLO Gravel Wheel Design #12 The A2 Wind Tunnel Results
From an aerodynamic perspective, the wind tunnel is the ultimate test of any product. Our goal was to show that a gravel wheel with gravel tires could be aerodynamic and this was the test that would prove it. What We Tested We tested the FLO G700 and FLO G650 against traditional gravel wheels. Traditional gravel…
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FLO Gravel Wheel Design #11 Can Gravel Wheels Be Aero?
Can Gravel Wheels Be Aerodynamic? We at FLO have a founding belief that aerodynamic cycling wheels for road and triathlon can be affordable. Since aerodynamics are part of our roots, one of the first questions we asked when designing the gravel wheels was, “Can gravel wheels be aerodynamic?” We observed gravel events like the Dirty…
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Understanding Rolling Resistance & Impedance For Cyclists
Rolling resistance is a hot topic in cycling. The truth is, rolling resistance matters for all cyclists regardless of whether you ride on road, gravel, or even a track. It’s important if you race, or simply just enjoy riding on the weekends. Why? It effects things like your speed and grip which matter to everyone.…
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FLO Gravel Wheel Design #10 Working With UNLV
Creating A Partnership Part 9 of the Gravel Wheel design journey was a recap of our trip out to Calgary to work with AeroLab. We left Calgary knowing we had a sensor and the ability to measure Crr and CdA on road. We now needed a research team to help us refine the testing protocol…
