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A YouTuber called The Q decided to make "invisible" wheels for his bicycle, by using (d'oh!) Plexiglas. While this is of course a terrible idea--aside from the added weight, Plexi doesn't deal with stress very well--it was actually fun to watch him make it:
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You'll note that he's only riding the bike on smooth, paved bicycle paths. How many curbs do you reckon a Plexi wheel would survive before cracking?
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Guy Makes Transparent Bicycle Wheels
also weird: the forks are installed backwards, maybe that's why he's nervous of corners
He has the front fork turned 180 degrees.
polycarbonate does also scratch... I only looked at the photos and that's fun to look at, but... longer term it may just prove why it's not worth it...
He is not using acrylic; you can clearly see that it is Borrex polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is strong, tough, scratch-resistant and impact-resistant. It is used in safety glasses, greenhouses, fighter jet canopies and bulletproof "glass." I doubt the builder has to worry about breakage, but it is heavy...and expensive.
I'd like to see him leaned over in a corner too. Acrylic is very sensitive to notchs. Unless he polished the edges well, I would expect them to snap with the side loads of a corner.
It's also weird: spokes are invisible when you're in motion. There is only a difference when the bike is stationary.