alfine 11 sg 700 - price

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?client=google-alerts&gl=us&hl=en&num=50&oe=utf8&q=%22sg+s700%22+alfine&cid=571166582403510933&os=sellers#p

600 bux

Bikeman.com 21 seller ratings New $599.99
SmartBikeParts.com

Again, will pass if there is no direct drive.
I'll use price difference to put downpayment on a Schlumph mountain drive.

diy or kit cargo bike extensions

http://www.instructables.com/id/Xtends-Convert-Your-Bike-Into-A-Long-Cargo-Bike/

This is a welded kit.
Chop up 2 bikes carefully and you might manage a front boom/ SWB bike.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Cargo-Rack-Bike-Sport-Hauler/

Bikes that Haul People

In East Africa, there is a population of small business entrepreneurs known as "Boda Boda" operators who use bicycles as taxis. Most start their business by purchasing a standard bike and retrofitting it with a locally manufactured seat post and special seat cushion to accommodate passengers in

back.http://bikefriendlynorthshore.wordpress.com/2010/05/05/longtail-cargo-bikes/

D: I saw an extracycle in town. A mother was shopping with it. She said she can put 2 kids on it.

Why I was thinking of it?
I just went to great effort to reattach a bike rack to my Cruzbike kit.
The Mongoose chassis is a cheap supercycle.
The frame geometry is unusual, being rectangular.

I use the 'assit mount' to carry all the weight.
The aluminum part sheared, so I had custom steel replacements made.
Which never quite lined up.
So much tapping and drilling later, it is finally on again.
... standard frame geometry is a MUST for accessories!

I see recumbent bikes in town, and their frames never allow standard upgright bike accessories to be attached. Why reinvent the wheel?
I was thinking about this when I saw the cargo bike extension.
Is there any reason a 'bent bike could not also take a cargo bike extension at the rear?
This would allow me to have a long-wheel-base SWB for touring, with cargo capacity.
But then- take it off- a standard wheelbase SWB short wheel base.
Obviously, this makes the design tricky. It could still be a Flevo Greenmachine knockoff, sans frame suspension.
(A thudbuster, though not cheap, is still far cheaper. Assuming it works.)

I am also considering having some internal storage in the bike frame. Just use pressed sheet metal or plastic to enclose the chain area, with mount points.

The detachable-externa-frame-rucksack-seat-back is enouraging a fat-ass-granny bike seat on the bottom portion. I saw some ridiculously oversized ones at McPhails.
I don't see the point of a seat bigger than my ass, though.

Hmm, variable steering -at least maybe a swap-out cog for long/short wheelbase mode- would duplicate car 'power steering' in some respects.

I continue to ponder the left /right weight symmetry and how to get various structural elements to add up correctly, including both top and bottom chains.

alfine 11 price

http://www.dotbike.com/ProductsP9760.aspx?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=comparison&utm_campaign=PMP

D: 307 pounds sans shifter.
That's um..
Um US about x1.5 so... um call it 450.
A bit more Canadian.
Of course, with shifter, this goes well about 500.

Still a fraction of the price of a Rohloff.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Rohloff-Speedhub-Electronic-Gear-Shift-/330468483958?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4cf174e376
D: hmm electric pushbutton R-hub shifter.
Neat. Pointless, but neat.
Now if it was AUTOMATIC like a car...

http://www.gizmag.com/shimano-dura-ace-di2-electronic-shift/11407/
D: good reviews though. For Shimano type.

D: the NuVinci lends itself to automatic adjustment.

shimano alfine 11 gear sg-s700

http://bike.shimano.com/publish/content/global_cycle/en/us/index/products/0/alfine/product.-code-SG-S700.-type-.html

It tripped my Google search term alert.

5th gear is direct drive- I think.
.995%.
VERY nice for a day tour bike!
Yup. I'm in love.
Waiting on price.

You heard it hear FIRST.

on a foam core carbon fibre frame

The chassis of Critical Power is a carbon fiber recumbent bicycle also known as a short wheel base, remote steered, front wheel drive lowracer. The frame was constructed from a single piece of carbon fiber sandwich board, then the frame shape was cut-out of the board. The edges were laminated, and the components were installed with aluminum brackets.
http://www.justgreg.com/HPVMain.html

D: I could use foam wrapped in carbon fibre.
Different beast though.

Likely to test with plywood (!) frame.

To make sure all attachment points work.

A heat resistant foam would play well with resin-impregnated fibre.

----
I know, sad. I used canvastastic- a free demo version that imitates MS Paint.
Sad thing is that my bud Sanjay let me try Pro Engineer 2000 a few years ago, and I never used it.
I'll still need to learn it before building the Mark I.

OK, so the pic is of the Mark I (version 2) that I wish to build.
The hideous blue squiggly lines represent the general contour of a top/bottom partial fairing.
The grey parts represent the basic frame sans fairing.
I think the lower fairing may be of fiberglass or carbon fiber, and just left attached to the bike frame.
The implied fairing on the nose cone and tail box would just be lycra.
I might use pvc pipe ribs bent in a contour like an umbrella.
The Schlumph bottom bracket drive requires room for the foot to press the button.
A version that allows use of handlebar-mounted shifters would be convenient in some cases.

The fairing has the benefit of keeping the sun and weather and cold away from the rider.
However, a high ambient air temperature plus humidity will cause overheating problems.

I either need air inlets in the fairing, or the option to lower the front half to just above the knees.
Opening a vent in the tip of the nose cone would also remove an air pressure peak point.
I'm not sure how a flat fairing will actually fare in a drag test.

If the fairing is unipiece on top, and can be lowered along with the seat rear to allow a much lower profile, then the bike has
the potential to go very fast downhill with the right drive/ gear hub combo.
This has no practical application for a touring bike.
But if the bike can go that fast, then I would be afraid of crashing.
Then deforming aluminum fairing struts instead of light pvc pipe (for a mockup) would look good.
Also, the idea of the seat back/rucksack on mount securing me with the shoulder straps starts to look good.

Why bother making a short wheelbase with a long wheelbase long wheelbase, but with the pedals out front?
Cargo behind the rider. Good highracer profile. Plays well with a fairing tapering behind the rider.

One I realized the chain-thru-body-tube layout was off centre, a thudbuster could be mounted in a standard fashion in the centre. I am pondering just getting this really wide fat-ass granny seat from the bike shop.

I think in low-fairing/seat-way-back racing mode, that the thudbuster would need to be locked or removed.
The seat, being free floating, would bang on the box frame on top of the rear bike rack.

An Alice pack or other external frame backpack will face a lot of strain at the base, where it mounts to the seat rear apparatus.
I would fear it shearing while riding it. It will likely need to be reinforced considerably.
Note that all cargo must be removed from the alice pack for it to recline greatly.
Alternatively, the box mounted on the rear bike rack would need to be removable.

Can Pantour tire shocks be used to address road vibrations?
http://www.pantourhub.com/sales.html

D: at 150 for a hub, not so bad.
The main issue is that they preclude stuff like a motor assist hub or a dynamo hub.
Plus I would fear the elastomer would harden in cold temperatures.

One way to address this is to mount the dynamo in the bike frame.
This works better if the chain is laid out internally like the Greenmachine.
And the frame has a suspension point for the rear tire.
Really, an entirely different beast.

Thinking about the idea of an off-centre bike frame mass distribution, I realized that 2 very heavy tubes to the left and right of centre, and just a sheet metal bit to cover the lower chain would keep the weight balanced.
The sheet metal would provide some rigidity.
However, I may still go for 2 on the right housing the chain and one heavy one on the right.
All connected with struts for rigidity.

I don't wish to tinker with 'natural' chainlines, beyond raising it above the front wheel on return.

A motor assist that does not involve the front tire hub could still mesh with the pantour.

Too bad Shimano is sitting on the internal bottom bracket dynamo...

ego blow! calculated watt output for hour on ride

http://bikecalculator.com/wattsUS.html


D: stupid Mavic odometer has no instructions on how to calibrate to a 24" MBT tire, grr.
POS.
Mavic, you SUCK ASS.
NEVER BUY ONE.

So I've been biking in no-man's-land for speed or distance.

Anyway, I finally tweaked Mapquest to set the path I take from home to King to Heidelberg.
... It wasn't 30km.
It was... um about 15km.
It takes me LESS than an hour. I set the sim at 60mins. More like 55 these days, possibly 53.

The watt output over an hour.... 59.
Midrange accomplished amateur.
AMATEUR.
What a kick in the cojones that is.
I mean, sure, I can do bench reps with my body, perfect sets of 75 pushups, 20 chinups no prob. And much else.
I'm a generalist.
But amateur?

OK at 10 not 9 mph... about 68 watts.
11mph? 78 watts.
12 - 89.

At 13mph, I reach 100 watts for an hour- out of the limp-wristed sissy league.
Gawd, I have my work cut out for me!
Oie! About 20kph.

I mean, I can CHEAT.
Higher pressure tires. Lighter frame. Hybrid tires. Smooth rear tire. Et al.
But that is just that - cheating.
Not a better athlete. A better bike.

D: My legs run, rollerblade. Heavy squats. Deadlift- almost 500 lbs at 175 lbs!
Not specialized biking legs. Nor disproportionate. Yet.
They're starting to get the same blue veiny http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100323192329.htm my chest got around 30,000 pushups this year.
But not huge yet.

I've seen the 'specialists' Guys with these monster legs grafted, Frankenstein-esque like, onto a tiny torso.
Doesn't seem worth it.
But still - I do wanna cross Canada with my legs.

I suspect I have a lotta hybrid type muscle- can convert between strength and endurance.
Lotsa room for improved vascularity.
More local glycogen storage.
Training to use lactic acid waste byproduct is still a work in progress. I do train hard to discomfort.

And what does the super wonderful science news site Sciencedaily have to say about it?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100323192329.htm
Arginine plus anti-ox.
Nuts 'n seafood. Good fer ya anyway. Healthy fat profile.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100603091628.htm
Resistance to exhale results in improved aerobic efficiency.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100629193123.htm
Coffee megadose good- but only for submax activity.
Also reduces post exercise pain 'n increase glycogen uptake.
Use with care.

Will research more later.