strange front suspension

D - I saw what initially appeared to be a standard cruiser at the local bicycle shop.

Looking closer, it had a squat lil' spring shock mounted inside the frame just above and behind the front steering tube. I have never seen anything like that before!

http://www.bikepro.com/products/stems/soft.html

D - it looked a bit like this, but was inside the bike frame triangle.

Intriguing, since it raises the suspension to , say, inside a fairing on a 'bent bike.

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Aside - for the purpose of my internal-chainline-in-bike-frame SWB 'bent concept, I may have figured out a better way to set up a Freelight dynamo. Basically, I set up kind of a 'mirror image' chainring on the left hand side of the frame (keep in mind the frame is dual side-by-side tubes).

I need clearance away from ferrous frame parts.

I have often lamented that Shimano has the patent on a bottom bracket dynamo, but is not building one- they're just sitting on it. My thought experiment to build one externally went nowhere- I simply could not non-invasively get the clearances required.

Anyway, the pedals spin at pretty much the same rate at any speed, about 60-90rpm, regardless of bike speed - unlike the tires! So the pedals seems the place to locate a dynamo.

By placing the magnets on the edge the rim of a flat disc mounted on the crank axle, we should manage to keep the magnet, mounted on a boom, away from the mass of steel bike parts.

This has the benefit with my proposed bike design to even appear pleasingly symmetrical with the chainring located in the 'mirror image' opposition position.

Possibly inserts to extend the pedals out, often used for those with knee pain, will be needed to gain the necessary clearances.

I've thought through my Freelight 'amber sideways running light' idea.

I've decided that the 3 (not 4) single row LEDs are ideal. I can chop the base so the 3 aim over a broad range of angles. This should address any sideways directions not addressed by the front or rear lights. LEDs are notoriously highly directional.

Who knows- maybe a dynamo could power a music player, or a cell phone on standby when not in use powering lights. This would require more complex power management.

Most current mobile phones currently have standby power in the range of 150 to 300 mW.

I'm thinking about how to incorporate brake/signal lights mounted on the extra-wide 3-basket rear luggage rack.

The left-hand frame tube can be used to route all necessary power cables.

wireless bicycle brake

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111013085105.htm

To brake with the wireless brake, a cyclist has just to clench the rubber grip on the right handle. The more tightly the grip is clenched, the harder the disk brake on the front wheel works. It seems as if a ghost hand is in play, but a combination of several electronic components enables the braking. Integrated in the rubber grip is a pressure sensor, which activates a sender if a specified pressure threshold is crossed. The sender is integrated in a blue plastic box which is the size of a cigarette packet and is attached to the handlebar. Its radio signals are sent to a receiver attached at the end of the bicycle's fork. The receiver forwards the signal to an actuator, transforming the radio signal into the mechanical power by which the disk brake is activated. To enhance reliability, there are additional senders attached to the bicycle. These repeatedly send the same signal. In this way, the scientists hope to ensure that the signal arrives at the receiver in time, even if the connection causes a delay or fails.

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D: fancy. Clean looking.

But just running the cables inside the frame can accomplish that.

Update- getting bro-in-law civ engie to run stress calcs on my what-if bike frame.

See 'my entry into bicycle design contest'.

2 parallel side-by-side tubes need to match the strength of a SWB's single monolithic boom.

Note that mine is not perforated by the central tubes from steering and seat post.

My latest tweak makes keeping water out easier.

The chain return line is line with the bottom bracket now.

alfine 11 gear not cheap

http://www.bicyclestore.com.au/shimano-alfine-sg-s700-11-speed-internal-hub.html

$555.
Ouch.

Again, my concern is the lack of a very efficient direct drive gear.

solar bike concept

http://www.gizmag.com/solar-cross-pedal-electric-bicycle/19066/


The bike also has a third handlebar-mounted panel, along with a 24-volt 1-horsepower motor, a 5000 mah (milli Ampere hour) lithium-ion polymer (LIPO) main battery, two 5000 mah LIPO booster packs wired in series, and a 24-volt controller.

Terry built the solar panels himself, out of eighth-inch polycarbonate sheeting, aluminum, and 18 x 6 x 6-inch (457 x 152 x 152-mm) mono crystalline cells. In order to keep the weight down, he drilled thousands of holes through the aluminum parts. The cells each put out 3.8 to 4 watts, together providing an estimated 8.7 volts of electricity. Using the controller, riders can assign them to charge any two of the three batteries.

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nice proof of concept!
I was thinking flexible solar thin film under a partial fairing which is transparent.
Plus mainly to power consumer electronics.

off road SWB bikes. best of class

D: really, just


http://www.rbr.info/store.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&category_id=55&product_id=147
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Re: Azub Max.

The Azub Max has an offroad variant. I don't know what currency their sites u...

1:20 PM (23 hours ago)
Reply
Peter Stull to me

show details 3:07 PM (21 hours ago)


The basis Max frameset is $2200, Basic complete bike is $3200.
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D - so comparable to the price of the Meta Bike frameset.
Hmm, Orca is winning for total-setup price.

I confess, the adjustable seat/et al position of the Azub series is unprecedented.
Plus the rear-boom extension for trips allows 2 sets of panniers, like some grasshopper models. It makes me wonder about a DIY rig for the Orca.
I cannot believe the company does not offer that.

Peter Stull
Bicycle Man LLC
Recumbent bikes and trikes
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But you see the appeal of my 'long-short wheelbase' layout though.
A lot of the benefit of a 'bent bike is lower air drag.
By adding the 2nd set of panniers lower, we increase front cross section.
In fact, we end up with a profile much like an upright bike when done.

I remain intrigued by the idea of a wide carry rack that could hold an additional folding basket on top.
I have 2 side folding baskets which must be permanently affixed.
I'd like to modify that to have pannier style mounts so they can be removed.
An unlikely benefit of my 24i tires on my youth frame is the additional space between the top of the tire and the rack.
(Recall that I have a Cruzbike.)
I confess that I like the lower centre of gravity with groceries.
I hope to have 2 grocery bags with heavy stuff low and left/right,
with 1 additional lighter one high and mounted on an extra-wide rack.
Those folding baskets match the size of a reusable grocery bag perfectly.
But are darn heavy the rest of the time.
My bike weighs in at 60lbs!

Aside - not too impressed with the Front wheel drive.
My front tire tried to slide sideways when I spun out on gravel uphill.
Scary.
I suppose on pavement this is not an issue.
But you'd think something with mountain bike tires could go off-road! Nope.

D - I am intrigued by the Meta Bike biz model of just selling frames.
I mean, my 'everyman' 'bent bike entry just uses standard parts anyway.
(Just a very basic chain-inside-frame layout.)
As much as I like the Flevobike Greenmachine, it only comes with 20i tires and
costs about 6000 bux!
Plus I'd prefer if Rohloff released a 580% gear hub for it.

d30 gel gloves. review.

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/clothing/gloves/product/review-661-evo-d30-glove-09-34382/

D: they looked so promising that I ran out and bought a pair.
For 50 bux, I would not complain.
For 100 plus, I will.
The quality control is terrible.
If you look at the pic, you'll see one of the finger guards is almost 1cm off the placement on the other glove.
And the gel knuckle guard is no better.
The left glove is fine.
But the right glove has it so far over that the right index-finger knuckle is barely covered. Worse, all my friends promptly tested them by punching stuff. So the threading is starting to tear out on that knuckle too.

All in all, not worth the money.

I want my money back.

we still don'tknow how a bicycle balances

http://motherboard.tv/2011/4/14/we-still-don-t-really-know-how-bikes-work--2

Basically, they took a bike with two small wheels and built in mechanisms that canceled out the caster and gyro effects. Launched at a speed of 5 mph, the bike stayed upright. When it leaned to one side, the bike righted itself. Just like any old bike would. “It’s all about how bicycle leaning automatically causes steering, which can bring the wheels back under a falling bike,” explains Andy Ruina, professor of mechanics at Cornell and a co-author of the Science paper.

So, the key to making a bike unstable is screwing around with a bike’s ability to steer itself. Or by misadjusting the “trail, the front-wheel gyro or the front-assembly, center-of-mass position,” the paper explains in more technical-speak. The researchers expect their work might be used to innovate bicycle design in ways thought impossible before: “The evolutionary process that has led to common present bicycle designs might not yet have explored potentially useful regions in design space.”

http://www.sciencemag.org/content/332/6027.subject-index