tdc_worm profile

Is internal tire pressure localized or does the entire tire pressure cycle up and down as volume changes with tire impact?  If its not localized, then the "ankle compliance" is only being exercised when we have a rim strike (assuming our tires sidewalls are not stiff enough to deflect the rim).  i have a hard time believing that we engage "ankle compliance", unless the tire is bottomed out.  my guess is that if we are regularly taking advantage of "ankle compliance," we should probably increase our tire pressure.  I am a fan, however, that it could potentially be a safety net to avoid pinch flats.

on the vertical compliance and spoke loading/unloading vs spoke fatigue and failure, i suspect that it is highly present in any wheel that has give.  here is a pretty cool video of WR1 doing some impact testing.  note that the failure where the spoke pulled through is very close to the unloaded spokes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgOb7__9FYs

my only uneducated concern with these wheels is that an unloaded spoke is going to routinely put pressure on rim strip and rim tape  causing premature tape failure and a loss of pressure.   all in all, i like the theory.  if they are low maintenance, durable, and add a degree of pinch flat protection without using an insert, count me in.

you have a built in natural "slip plane"....externally its called your hair and sweat, and cerebral fluid internally.

if rotational deceleration ON IMPACT were truly THE issue, we would run perfectly spherical helmets which would have zero lips/ridges, or edges, and break away magnetic visors.  All of those features serve to limit rotation on impact.  to my knowledge, only Arai addresses it from a shell stand point and Fox address it from a visor standpoint (both only in the mx world).  It is not addressed at all in the MTB world.

if you can get a concussion without ever impacting your head, then the slip plane is not a solution.  you can get a concussion from whiplash.

the reality of the matter of MIPS "success" is twofold:

1)   For any given brand model, the most attractive colorways are the highest price.  MIPS is also on those colorways.  Vanity has already justified the upcharge

2)  With no data, we cannot prove that it helps.  But for the upcharge, nobody can claim that it hurts....and after all, isnt your brain worth an extra "n" amount of dollars.  SOLD! we've all been marketed to!