A centreless wheel or hubless wheel is a

wheel A wheel is a rotating component (typically circular in shape) that is intended to turn on an axle Bearing (mechanical), bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the Simple machine, six simple machin ...

that lacks a centre or hub, instead being supported and driven at the

rim Rim may refer to: *Rim (basketball), the hoop through which the ball must pass **Breakaway rim, a sprung basketball rim * Rim (coin), the raised edge which surrounds the coin design * Rim (crater), extending above the local surface *Rim (firearms) ...

Design

Centreless wheels are toroidal in shape and have one or multiple bearings along the rim. Propulsion can be achieved in different ways, such as with

gear teeth A gear or gearwheel is a rotating machine part typically used to transmit rotational motion and/or torque by means of a series of teeth that engage with compatible teeth of another gear or other part. The teeth can be integral saliences or ...

along the inner surface of the rim. They can be made lighter than solid and spoked wheels, resulting in better handling, and less rotational inertia. The lack of spokes or a traditional hub also allows for more space, which can be used to more easily package a

hub motor A wheel hub motor, hub motor, or in-wheel motor is a motor that is incorporated into the hub of the wheel. Wheel-hub motors are commonly found on electric bicycles. Electric hub motors were well received in early electric cars, but have not bee ...

. Centerless wheels were built and patented for monowheels by at least 1869 and were proposed to replace conventional wheels by at least 1890. Prototypes for multi-wheel vehicles were built by Franco Sbarro at least by 1989, and Paul Lew had started small-volume commercial sales by 1993. The

research and development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in some countries as OKB, experiment and design, is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products. R&D constitutes the first stage ...

of centreless wheels has not been pursued by any large company due to their complexity, with their use limited to small companies and scientific analyses.

Examples

''Black Hole'' Bicycle Wheel

The Wear and Tear ''Black Hole'' front bicycle centreless wheel and fork was designed with the goals of lighter weight and better aerodynamics than conventional wheels. It supported the rim with several small rollers, which reportedly wore out quickly - acceptable for a race-oriented product, but not practical for everyday use. The Black Hole was sold starting in 1993. Production was stopped after it was banned by the

Union Cycliste Internationale The Union Cycliste Internationale (; UCI; ) is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland. The UCI issues racing licenses to riders and enforces di ...

, as the down-sides (cost, durability, etc.) meant it was not compelling for general use. One of the designers, Paul Lew, later developed improved lightweight aerodynamic wheels using hubs. Today (2025), conventional wheel+fork assemblies are lighter than the Black Hole. It is unclear how modern aerodynamic wheels compare.

''Tron: Legacy'' Light Cycle replica

One real-life example of hubless wheels are those used in the replica '' Tron: Legacy''

Light Cycle The Light Cycle is a type of fictional motorcycle featured in the ''Tron'' franchise. First introduced in the film ''Tron'', they are used as part of a deadly virtual game conducted by the villainous Master Control Program. In it, players must r ...

. The

street-legal Street-legal, road-legal, or road-going, refers to a vehicle such as a car, motorcycle, or light truck that is equipped and licensed for use on public roads, being therefore Roadworthiness, roadworthy. This will require specific configurations o ...

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

was modelled after the vehicle from the film and sold through

Hammacher Schlemmer Hammacher Schlemmer is an American retailer and catalog company based in Niles, Illinois. History Hammacher Schlemmer began as a hardware store specializing in hard-to-find tools in the Bowery district of New York City in 1848. Owned by prop ...

. Its hubless wheels are made from former truck tires, and a chain-driven friction drum provides power and brake force. Designed "for casual cruising and slow ride-bys at shows", it consists of a

fuel-injected Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of a fuel injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in Reciprocating engine, reciprocating piston and Wankel eng ...

Suzuki is a Japanese multinational mobility manufacturer headquartered in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Shizuoka. It manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a va ...

4-stroke A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directio ...

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ge ...

in a steel frame covered by a fiberglass body with

electroluminescent wire Electroluminescent wire (often abbreviated as EL wire) is a thin copper wire coated in a phosphor that produces light through electroluminescence when an alternating current is applied to it. It can be used in a wide variety of applications—v ...

lighting.

Skatecycle

The Skatecycle is a device similar to a

caster board A caster board, vigorboard or waveboard is a two-wheeled, human-powered land vehicle. Other names are J-board and RipStik (sometimes written ripstick or rip stick), both of which are derived from commercial brands. A caster board has two narrow ...

, but with hubless wheels and a 2-axis twisting

axle An axle or axletree is a central shaft for a rotation, rotating wheel and axle, wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to the vehicle, with the wheels rotating around the axle. In ...

replacing the function of the casters. The central axle connects two standing platforms surrounded by 9"

polyurethane Polyurethane (; often abbreviated PUR and PU) is a class of polymers composed of organic chemistry, organic units joined by carbamate (urethane) links. In contrast to other common polymers such as polyethylene and polystyrene, polyurethane term ...

hubless wheels, giving said wheels the appearance of

stirrup A stirrup is a light frame or ring that holds the foot of a rider, attached to the saddle by a strap, often called a ''stirrup leather''. Stirrups are usually paired and are used to aid in mounting and as a support while using a riding animal ...

s. In order to move the unit, the rider rotates their feet inwards and outwards, creating a wave-like motion in the hinged frame and providing propulsion. In recognition of its novel design, the Skatecycle received the Bronze International Design Excellence Award in the transportation category in 2010.

Zero Bike

Another example of a vehicle with centreless wheels is the Zero Bike, a lightweight hubless

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered transport, human-powered or motorized bicycle, motor-assisted, bicycle pedal, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two bicycle wheel, wheels attached to a ...

whose non-functional prototype won an

Industrial Design Excellence Award The International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) is an award program previously co-sponsored by ''BusinessWeek'' magazine, and in 2010 ''Fast Company'' magazine and the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA). According to the IDSA, IDEA "i ...

in 1991. Designed by then-

ArtCenter College of Design The ArtCenter College of Design is a private art college in Pasadena, California. It was incorporated in 1930 as a degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both the visual arts and design. ...

students Makota Makita and Hiroshi Tsuzaki, it is based on the principle of magnetic

superconductivity Superconductivity is a set of physical properties observed in superconductors: materials where Electrical resistance and conductance, electrical resistance vanishes and Magnetic field, magnetic fields are expelled from the material. Unlike an ord ...

, also used in high-speed maglev trains.

Ujet One

The Ujet One electric scooter, produced in Luxembourg since 2019, features front and rear centreless wheels connected to its frame with torsion-sprung suspension, as well as an electric hub motor. Such a setup is communicated to benefit from minimal energy loss in transmission. In 2019, the One won both the iF Gold and

Red Dot The Red Dot Design Award is an international, annual design competition for product and industrial design, brand and communication design as well as design concepts, in which the Red Dot quality label is awarded to winners. The Red Dot Design A ...

awards for its design.

Freedom Sprints motorcycle

A working prototype of a centreless wheel, using

ball bearings A ball bearing is a type of rolling-element bearing that uses balls to maintain the separation between the bearing races. The purpose of a ball bearing is to reduce rotational friction and support radial and axial loads. It achieves this ...

, was shown at India Bike Week 2014 in

Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

. Attached to a customized

Royal Enfield Royal Enfield is an Indian motorcycle manufacturer, headquartered and manufactured in Chennai, India. Royal Enfield (England), Royal Enfield is the oldest motorcycle manufacturer in continuous production.Ajmer Ajmer () is a city in the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Ajmer district and Ajmer division. It lies at the centre of Rajasthan, earning it the ...

Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...

References

{{Reflist Wheels