WHICH MARCHESI WHEEL SHOULD I BUY?

For over 40 years Roberto Marchesini has been developing advanced magnesium high performance products using sand cast magnesium techniques. These products range from engine components for Formula One, Fork Braces for motorcycles, mono arms for motorcycle applications, and the leading line of high performance and racing magnesium wheels that exist today.

For more complete information on the magnesium concepts that have been developed by Roberto please click here.

Today additional manufacturing technology is available which allows Roberto to expand his design concepts into wheels that can give higher performance in specific applications. Marchesini's objective is to give the performance and racing rider a specifically designed product that will meet the highest standards of performance and value.

The above objectives have been achieved by using the latest manufacturing techniques in the areas of:

Sand Casting: Marchesini is the leader in developing sand casting techniques that produce wheels with the highest mechanical properties for excellent performance and value. This is proven by the fact that virtually all of the leading Factory racing teams use Marchesini wheels.Sand cast wheels are produced by a gravity casting process. However, the gravity process does not normally provide pressure to align the fibers of the magnesium for maximum strength. Marchesini has greatly improved the gravity casting process by using 10 times the volume of material in the mould so the weight of the additional material helps create a stronger wheel. This is an expensive process because 9 times the weight of the wheel is scrapped.. The wheels are over designed using more material to gain the mechanical properties needed. This overall design concept and process is excellent and offers the highest value for many applications.

Forging: Another way of forming aluminum and magnesium into a wheel is to use high pressure forging techniques which aligns the fiber of the material into the direction needed for maximum strength.. By compressing the material in a 15,000 ton press a lighter and stronger product can be produced because less material is needed to make the wheel.

Unique advantage of the Marchesini Three Dimensional Forging Process: When you forge a piece you normally come straight down and cut the part out like you would make a cookie from a cookie mould.

This process is called "open die" forging and is the simplest and lowest cost way of forging. You then have to machine out the well and bead area which interferes with the fiber structure of the material causing a loss of strength.

The forging process used to make the Marchesini wheels uses a precision three piece mould, "closed" die process which is "more expensive and complex," to not only form both sides but also to form the well and bead seat of the wheel. This process makes a superior wheel with higher mechanical properties.

However, you can understand the complexity of making a three piece mould that must have side sliders operating under 15,000 ton pressures. The Marchesini forging three piece closed dies are precision, complex, and very expensive. However, you receive the benefit of this investment in technology.

The other advantage of the forged wheels is that all surfaces are "machined" which creates a precision wheel. The trueness of a forged wheel adds to the overall performance of the wheel.

How do the different processes compare in the areas of weight and mechanical properties (stiffness) under different riding conditions?

Type Wheel	Weight	Result*
Weight:
Cast	6.00 lbs.	0
Forged Magnesium	4.74 lbs.	-20%
Carbon Fiber	3.86 lbs.	-35%
Radial Stiffness :
Cast	6.00 lbs.	0
Forged Magnesium	4.74 lbs.	0
Carbon Fiber	3.86 lbs.	-3%
Moment of Inertia:
Cast	6.00 lbs.	0
Forged Magnesium	4.74 lbs.	+20%
Carbon Fiber	3.86 lbs.	+29%
Torisional Stiffness (bending):
Cast	6.00 lbs.	0
Forged Magnesium	4.74 lbs.	+5%
Carbon Fiber	3.86 lbs.	0
Moment of Inertia:
Cast	6.00 lbs.	0
Forged Magnesium	4.74 lbs.	+3%
Carbon Fiber	3.86 lbs.	-4%

*Stiffness means the amount of movement of the material in the wheel under different riding conditions. We are using the cast wheel as the "O" benchmark and computing the amount of stiffness of the forged and carbon wheels. A + means that the wheel type is better, a - means that it is less stiff.

Cast: As you can see the cast wheel offers a lot of performance and value in the areas of weight and mechanical performance.

Forged: The forged magnesium wheel is lighter and offers more stiffness. The rim is also a little lighter which reduces dynamic weight and adds to the overall performance.. The forged wheel because it is completely machined also runs very true which improves the performance of the wheel.

Carbon Fiber: The carbon fiber is the lightest of the three and is stiffer in most areas. It is also the most expensive and can only be used in certain race classes. It is also difficult to test carbon fiber after an accident has been experienced to make sure the wheel is safe to reuse. Carbon Fiber should be used in specific applications by experienced riders who will take the extra care that is necessary.However, carbon fiber offers high performance and will appeal to the rider who wants the maximum performance in a wheel technology and is not concerned about cost or extra maintenance.

TRACK RESULTS:
The Factory teams have been using and testing the Marchesini forged magnesium and carbon fiber wheels since last August. The results are as follows with each type of wheel. Again, the 5 spoke Marchesini cast wheel is the benchmark.

Forged Magnesium: 1 Second less time. per lap.
Carbon Fiber: 2 Seconds less time per lap.

Type of Track: The more curves in the track the more time will be reduced by the forged magnesium and carbon fiber wheels.

WHICH WHEEL SHOULD I CHOOSE FOR MY BIKE?
The wheel you choose depends on the type of rider you are, how you use your bike, street, competition, or both, and the amount of funds you have to spend.

Since wheels offer the most performance for the money spent your choice of wheels is probably the most important decision you will make regarding the enjoyment that you will receive from your bike.

Performance Street Rider: Most street riders will choose the cast magnesium technology because it offers a high level of performance and value.

Performance Street and Competition Rider: Many riders use their bikes for both performance street and weekend competition riding on the track. Because of overall value the cast technology may also be the choice for these applications. However, the forged technology should also be considered for the additional performance advantage received when competition riding is being done.

The above choice will probably depend on the funding available to support the riding experiences.

Competition Rider: Even though the cast wheel offers performance advantages the forged technology will give the additional "edge" which is very helpful in competition riding. For this reason most competition riders will want to choose the forged technology.

Carbon Fiber: Carbon fiber is the ultimate in light wheel technology. However, it is limited to few race classes. It also brings up the issue of verifying the integrity of the wheel if an accident is experienced and should be used by experience riders who will use the extra care necessary to maintain the wheels.

However, many riders will want to consider carbon fiber when they are looking to the overall advantages that light wheels bring to their bikes performance.

Conclusions: Since wheels have the major impact on bike performance each rider will choose the technology that meets the riders desires within the budget allocated to the bike. All the technologies can be used in street and track applications with positive results.