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#1
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More idiotic bicycle-of-the-future reportage
From the Daily Mail, naturally. This time it has the imprimatur of Chris
"Very much so" Boardman. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...ke-future-stol en-puncture-proof-tyres-play-music-ride.html First-class morons. Daniele -- Wanted: TEAC A-2300SX, Akai GX-4000D |
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#2
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More idiotic bicycle-of-the-future reportage
D.M. Procida wrote:
From the Daily Mail, naturally. This time it has the imprimatur of Chris "Very much so" Boardman. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...ke-future-stol en-puncture-proof-tyres-play-music-ride.html http://tinyurl.com/mwhssu Hmm, the spokeless wheels will be more aerodynamic, but this will be more than compensated by the extra weight of the batteries, solar panels, motors and friction from the way the wheels are mounted. The enclosed drivechain looks good, but again it looks like the exposed wheel mounting system will be worse. |
#3
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More idiotic bicycle-of-the-future reportage
On Aug 11, 3:59*pm, Martin wrote:
D.M. Procida wrote: From the Daily Mail, naturally. This time it has the imprimatur of Chris "Very much so" Boardman. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...ke-future-stol en-puncture-proof-tyres-play-music-ride.html http://tinyurl.com/mwhssu Hmm, the spokeless wheels will be more aerodynamic, but this will be more than compensated by the extra weight of the batteries, solar panels, motors and friction from the way the wheels are mounted. The enclosed drivechain looks good, but again it looks like the exposed wheel mounting system will be worse. Actually, don't knock it too much. There isn't room on that frame for sufficient solar panels to power the beast in real time, other than as a very anaemic aid to pedalling, and batteries sufficient to give you any useful boost are also going to be heavy. But let's forget the 'electric power side of the equation for a moment. The wheels are feasible; and, combined with a bottom-bracket epicyclic and belt drive, not actually that hard to do. Provided the 'forks' are monoblade (i.e. the inner, static part of the wheel is attached to the frame on only one side) changing tyres would be easier than one a conventional bike. Furthermore, the rims could be modular, so that under racing conditions you'd only have to change a rim, not a tyre, and front and rear rim modules could be identical and interchangeable. Mind you, of course, the UCI would instantly ban it for not looking like a bike. |
#4
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More idiotic bicycle-of-the-future reportage
On Aug 12, 2:13*am, Simon Brooke wrote:
On Aug 11, 3:59*pm, Martin wrote: D.M. Procida wrote: From the Daily Mail, naturally. This time it has the imprimatur of Chris "Very much so" Boardman. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...ke-future-stol en-puncture-proof-tyres-play-music-ride.html http://tinyurl.com/mwhssu Hmm, the spokeless wheels will be more aerodynamic, but this will be more than compensated by the extra weight of the batteries, solar panels, motors and friction from the way the wheels are mounted. The enclosed drivechain looks good, but again it looks like the exposed wheel mounting system will be worse. Actually, don't knock it too much. Why not? Like so many of these gimmicks, it's a solution looking for a problem (see C5, segway, recumbents...). James |
#5
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More idiotic bicycle-of-the-future reportage
On Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:56:40 -0700 (PDT), James
wrote: Why not? Like so many of these gimmicks, it's a solution looking for a problem (see C5, segway, recumbents...). Burn the heretic! Guy -- http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk/urc | http://www.nohelmetlaw.org.uk/ "Nullius in Verba" - take no man's word for it. - attr. Horace, chosen by John Evelyn for the Royal Society |
#6
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More idiotic bicycle-of-the-future reportage
On Aug 12, 7:12*am, "Just zis Guy, you know?"
wrote: On Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:56:40 -0700 (PDT), James wrote: Why not? Like so many of these gimmicks, it's a solution looking for a problem (see C5, segway, recumbents...). Burn the heretic! ....folders, unicycles, electric bikes, tandems... :-) James |
#7
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More idiotic bicycle-of-the-future reportage
On 11 Aug, 22:56, James wrote:
On Aug 12, 2:13*am, Simon Brooke wrote: On Aug 11, 3:59*pm, Martin wrote: D.M. Procida wrote: From the Daily Mail, naturally. This time it has the imprimatur of Chris "Very much so" Boardman. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...ke-future-stol en-puncture-proof-tyres-play-music-ride.html http://tinyurl.com/mwhssu Hmm, the spokeless wheels will be more aerodynamic, but this will be more than compensated by the extra weight of the batteries, solar panels, motors and friction from the way the wheels are mounted. The enclosed drivechain looks good, but again it looks like the exposed wheel mounting system will be worse. Actually, don't knock it too much. Why not? Like so many of these gimmicks, it's a solution looking for a problem (see C5, segway, recumbents...). I agree that spokeless wheels aren't a necessary invention. However, monoblades are so much more practical, and offer so many benefits over conventional forks that their more widespread adoption would do everyone a favour. Similarly, BB epicyclics (or epicyclics close to the BB, e.g. the GBoxx system). Face it, we're still riding what is essentially a Victorian design - and we're riding it not because it's the optimal solution but because of TRADITION! and the ****ing UCI. Exposed transmissions are a really poor solution on a commuting bike or a mountain bike, and not an optimal solution even on a race bike. Designs where you have to take a wheel right off the machine before you can change a tyre are really crude. And designs where the front wheel is different from the back wheel, so that a race support crew has to have two types of wheels on hand for changes, is so the century before last. None of this is necessary - we could do better. |
#8
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More idiotic bicycle-of-the-future reportage
On Aug 12, 6:20*pm, Simon Brooke wrote:
I agree that spokeless wheels aren't a necessary invention. However, monoblades are so much more practical, and offer so many benefits over conventional forks that their more widespread adoption would do everyone a favour. Similarly, BB epicyclics (or epicyclics close to the BB, e.g. the GBoxx system). Face it, we're still riding what is essentially a Victorian design - and we're riding it not because it's the optimal solution but because of TRADITION! and the ****ing UCI. I'd be surprised if the UCI really had much influence in the sort of bikes that people ride in India, China or even Japan. In fact electric- assist bikes are very popular here, I don't think the UCI allow them in many competitions :-) Exposed transmissions are a really poor solution on a commuting bike or a mountain bike, and not an optimal solution even on a race bike. Chain guards are decades old! Perhaps I'm a bit cynical, having seen dozens (ok, several) attempts at the "bike of the future" which promise to get everyone out of cars and onto bikes, but which in fact are doomed to fail in this mission through not even starting to address the real reasons why people don't ride a bike already. James |
#10
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More idiotic bicycle-of-the-future reportage
Simon Brooke wrote:
On 11 Aug, 22:56, James wrote: On Aug 12, 2:13 am, Simon Brooke wrote: On Aug 11, 3:59 pm, Martin wrote: D.M. Procida wrote: From the Daily Mail, naturally. This time it has the imprimatur of Chris "Very much so" Boardman. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...ke-future-stol en-puncture-proof-tyres-play-music-ride.html http://tinyurl.com/mwhssu Hmm, the spokeless wheels will be more aerodynamic, but this will be more than compensated by the extra weight of the batteries, solar panels, motors and friction from the way the wheels are mounted. The enclosed drivechain looks good, but again it looks like the exposed wheel mounting system will be worse. Actually, don't knock it too much. Why not? Like so many of these gimmicks, it's a solution looking for a problem (see C5, segway, recumbents...). I agree that spokeless wheels aren't a necessary invention. However, monoblades are so much more practical, and offer so many benefits over conventional forks that their more widespread adoption would do everyone a favour. Similarly, BB epicyclics (or epicyclics close to the BB, e.g. the GBoxx system). Face it, we're still riding what is essentially a Victorian design - and we're riding it not because it's the optimal solution but because of TRADITION! and the ****ing UCI. I think it is also because the traditional diamond frame is strong for its weight, and cheap to produce. Whereas a lot of these fancy shaped frames will probably want carbon fibre and/or extra reinforcing. Exposed transmissions are a really poor solution on a commuting bike or a mountain bike, and not an optimal solution even on a race bike. Designs where you have to take a wheel right off the machine before you can change a tyre are really crude. What happened to the cannondale Jacknife that was shown around a couple of years ago? And designs where the front wheel is different from the back wheel, so that a race support crew has to have two types of wheels on hand for changes, is so the century before last. None of this is necessary - we could do better. I think it will be a while before this happens as racers are often weight fanatics, and having a front wheel with some kind of drive system will add too much weight. Martin. |
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