Ken Fuchs wrote:
*I took my 56" big wheel with solid 7/8" grey wheelchair tire out for
a few rides *

Bruce AKA brad ) wrote:

I remember talking with JF at UNICON 2002 after the 10K race. John
raced on his 43" wheel with the wheelchair tire.

Trivial correction: John Foss has 46" wheel. I don't think he has a

When I asked him about the ride, he told me that it's quite the
beater-upper. Without the pneumatic tire, there's not much there to
absorb shocks.

Even though I use the soft solid wheelchair rubber as opposed to the
hard solid wheelchair rubber, all solid wheelchair rubber is very hard
indeed! However, the soft solid wheelchair rubber will compress on
impact perhaps 1/8 - 1/4 inch, providing a small measure of comfort from
shocks or bumps. Also, note the relative size of the wheel to a bump.
For example, a one inch bump is fairly trivial on a 56" wheel with its
huge angular moment, but it could easily cause an UPD on 16" or 20"
wheel.

Do you feel the bumps more at high speed? Must be quite a bronco ride.

You do feel (as in notice) the bumps, but I ride the 56" big wheel on
paved roads only, so I only notice the pot holes, bad patches and uneven
concrete slabs. They really aren't that much of a shock, but I may have
gotten used to a solid rubber ride via many years of experiencing it.

You don't feel the bigger bumps so much as hear the twang of the shock
hitting the wheel with a slight reverberation!

Yes, the 56" wheel twangs louder at higher speed when hitting a large
bump, but I personally don't consider it a bronco ride. I probably feel
it in the legs, but the 56" wheel's unmodified Schwinn seat is very
comfy!

I've gone down 6 inch curbs with my 40" big wheel without ill effect,
but I wouldn't do that with my 56" big wheel, because I don't want to
risk rim damage. (40" rims are a lot easier to get than 56" rims.) I
wouldn't want to try riding up (as opposed to jumping up) a curb with
any solid rubber big wheel, because the rubber may not provide the rim
enough cushion to avoid damage.

Hey Bruce! Nice to hear from you.

Sincerely,

Ken Fuchs