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The Perfect Commuter Bike For The Masses?
Hey R.B.T
I suppose not many of you may have heard about an award winning, yet controversial commuter bike design that was recently hosted on the Bicycle Design blog. The winning concept was a recumbent bike, with a roof on it. Proposed transmission was a belt drive and all the lights of the bike would be powered by a solar panel on the roof! An analysis from a human factors and cost standpoint was done here : http://tinyurl.com/ag8sdd. Comments and thoughts are welcome here or in the blog. The apparent practical disadvantages are many, but the designer is supposedly going to work towards improving the concept and bring out a prototype. When we don't know. BD |
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The Perfect Commuter Bike For The Masses?
On Jan 25, 7:58*pm, bicycle_disciple
wrote: Hey R.B.T I suppose not many of you may have heard about an award winning, yet controversial commuter bike design that was recently hosted on the Bicycle Design blog. The winning concept was a recumbent bike, with a roof on it. Proposed transmission was a belt drive and all the lights of the bike would be powered by a solar panel on the roof! An analysis from a human factors and cost standpoint was done here :http://tinyurl.com/ag8sdd. Comments and thoughts are welcome here or in the blog. The apparent practical disadvantages are many, but the designer is supposedly going to work towards improving the concept and bring out a prototype. When we don't know. Bike design isn't what's keeping folks from cycling. However--the design you linked to would do a great job making cycling less popular-- as it would be invariably more intimidating and expensive compared to traditional bikes. Right now, I can send a noob down to the LBS to pick up an Electra Townie w/ fenders and a nice shopping basket for $600 in a friendly light metallic blue. However--as practical as that bike is--it's not flying off the shelf--which has very little to do with the bike's design or affordability. |
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The Perfect Commuter Bike For The Masses?
On Jan 25, 7:58*pm, bicycle_disciple
wrote: Hey R.B.T I suppose not many of you may have heard about an award winning, yet controversial commuter bike design that was recently hosted on the Bicycle Design blog. The winning concept was a recumbent bike, with a roof on it. Proposed transmission was a belt drive and all the lights of the bike would be powered by a solar panel on the roof! When I commute in the winter, its an hour before sunrise. And my bike stays in the garage overnight. Kind of hard to have working solar powered lights with no sunlight. During the day the bike sits outside so it could charge up a battery and power the lights on the way home, in the dark an hour after the sun has gone down. But during the day its 0 F outside so the battery may not take or hold much of a charge for powering lights. Batteries stink in cold. This solar powered light concept doesn't seem to be very well thought out. An analysis from a human factors and cost standpoint was done here :http://tinyurl.com/ag8sdd. Comments and thoughts are welcome here or in the blog. The apparent practical disadvantages are many, but the designer is supposedly going to work towards improving the concept and bring out a prototype. When we don't know. BD |
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The Perfect Commuter Bike For The Masses?
landotter wrote:
bicycle_disciple wrote: I suppose not many of you may have heard about an award winning, yet controversial commuter bike design that was recently hosted on the Bicycle Design blog. The winning concept was a recumbent bike, with a roof on it. Proposed transmission was a belt drive and all the lights of the bike would be powered by a solar panel on the roof! An analysis from a human factors and cost standpoint was done here :http://tinyurl.com/ag8sdd. Comments and thoughts are welcome here or in the blog. The apparent practical disadvantages are many, but the designer is supposedly going to work towards improving the concept and bring out a prototype. When we don't know. Bike design isn't what's keeping folks from cycling. However--the design you linked to would do a great job making cycling less popular-- as it would be invariably more intimidating and expensive compared to traditional bikes. Let's not forget cumbersome, slow, heavy, difficult to work on, damage- prone, ill-handling, treacherous in gusting winds (or amidst passing cars and trucks), and ugly. It would introduce the new and unwelcome element of roof fit to the already demanding number of fit issues we face as cyclists. The yokels who hatched this idea need to spend a month or more getting around on a Surrey or a Rhodes Car as part of their re-education. Right now, I can send a noob down to the LBS to pick up an Electra Townie w/ fenders and a nice shopping basket for $600 in a friendly light metallic blue. However--as practical as that bike is--it's not flying off the shelf--which has very little to do with the bike's design or affordability. The Townie is a nice bike. I think the one-size thing it has in common with cruisers and BSOs is a serious handicap for it. If you wanna sell blue jeans, you have to make more than one size. Chalo |
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The Perfect Commuter Bike For The Masses?
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The Perfect Commuter Bike For The Masses?
On Jan 26, 2:38*pm, Eric Vey wrote:
wrote: When I commute in the winter, its an hour before sunrise. *And my bike stays in the garage overnight. *Kind of hard to have working solar powered lights with no sunlight. *During the day the bike sits outside so it could charge up a battery and power the lights on the way home, in the dark an hour after the sun has gone down. *But during the day its 0 F outside so the battery may not take or hold much of a charge for powering lights. *Batteries stink in cold. *This solar powered light concept doesn't seem to be very well thought out. "But during the day its 0 F outside so the battery may not take or hold much of a charge for powering lights. *Batteries stink in cold. *This solar powered light concept doesn't seem to be very well thought out." Sounds more like the decision about where you live is the thing that wasn't very well thought out. If you ever bother to look at a globe you will observe the cold climates are the rich, wealthy, industrial countries. The parts of the world that seem to have year round agreeable weather are the poorest, most starvation affected countries in the world. Even in the USA with a wide swing of temperature from north to south, you will see that the highest per capita income is in the colder parts. Not the warmer. |
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The Perfect Commuter Bike For The Masses?
wrote in message
... This solar powered light concept doesn't seem to be very well thought out. Reminds me of a friend discussing the practicalities of caving gear at a camp up on a mountain plateau - "We can get some solar panels and use them to charge the lights up overnight" :-) |
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The Perfect Commuter Bike For The Masses?
russellseaton wrote:
Eric Vey wrote: russellseaton wrote: "But during the day its 0 F outside so the battery may not take or hold much of a charge for powering lights. *Batteries stink in cold. *This solar powered light concept doesn't seem to be very well thought out." Sounds more like the decision about where you live is the thing that wasn't very well thought out. If you ever bother to look at a globe you will observe the cold climates are the rich, wealthy, industrial countries. *The parts of the world that seem to have year round agreeable weather are the poorest, most starvation affected countries in the world. *Even in the USA with a wide swing of temperature from north to south, you will see that the highest per capita income is in the colder parts. *Not the warmer. Monaco and the Côte d'Azur Coastal California Australia Central Japan Dubai South Florida Singapore Hong Kong Contrast: Mongolia Nunavut Kyrgyzstan North Dakota Nebraska Tierra del Fuego North Korea |
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The Perfect Commuter Bike For The Masses?
On Jan 26, 8:40*am, landotter wrote:
On Jan 25, 7:58*pm, bicycle_disciple wrote: Hey R.B.T I suppose not many of you may have heard about an award winning, yet controversial commuter bike design that was recently hosted on the Bicycle Design blog. The winning concept was a recumbent bike, with a roof on it. Proposed transmission was a belt drive and all the lights of the bike would be powered by a solar panel on the roof! An analysis from a human factors and cost standpoint was done here :http://tinyurl.com/ag8sdd. Comments and thoughts are welcome here or in the blog. The apparent practical disadvantages are many, but the designer is supposedly going to work towards improving the concept and bring out a prototype. When we don't know. Bike design isn't what's keeping folks from cycling. However--the design you linked to would do a great job making cycling less popular-- as it would be invariably more intimidating and expensive compared to traditional bikes. Right now, I can send a noob down to the LBS to pick up an Electra Townie w/ fenders and a nice shopping basket for $600 in a friendly light metallic blue. However--as practical as that bike is--it's not flying off the shelf--which has very little to do with the bike's design or affordability. Give people safe(r) places to ride and more people will ride. Not only for fun but also for transportation. A bike lane(not path) would help immensely. |
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The Perfect Commuter Bike For The Masses?
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