Bicycle materials have a long history with aviation. Whether you’re talking carbon fiber, titanium, or even aluminum, anything that is strong and light enough to create something that is structurally sound for flight has been used in some regard.
Typically after years of development and engineering by the military or private firms, the materials tend to find their way to the comparatively tiny world of performance bicycles. If that trend continues, cyclists may have something to get excited about years down the road. We say years, because Boeing’s newest wonder material hasn’t even found its way into their planes yet. And while Boeing has numerous technologies and patents that still have yet to see commercial viability, Microlattice is fascinating, if for nothing else other than the title of the “lightest metal ever…”
As the video highlights, Microlattice could be built to be both strong, extremely light, and even flexible. Rather that using hollow tubes to build a bike, perhaps the bikes of the future will be built with “bones” created from Microlattice with unbeatable weight, stiffness, and compliance. I wouldn’t hold your breath, but it is fun to think about.
