Fun Stuff > CHATTER
Bickering about bicycles, now with occasional tips about motorised vehicles
The Seldom Killer:
That sounds a little nitpicky but I guess they have something of a point. Of course on a flat, straight, closed road like Battle Mountain, the visual accuity required to pilot along it with limited port holes. With a bit of clever lensing and good join tech you could be balancing drag against tech weight. Not sure where these debates stand on solar or even cameras powered by dermal conductivity. It's all a reminder that we're still very much in the proof of concept stage. I'm not sure how much a purpose engineered dyno hub would have affected the speed though.
Fascinating stuff.
The Seldom Killer:
Reichert now at 86.5.
Final day today and some optimism for a McFly. Hard to imagine as Reichert looked like he could barely stand after the 85.
bhtooefr:
http://ihpva.org/rules.htm is a useful read. (And, similar language exists in older revisions of the rules.)
And, here's the relevant rules:
--- Quote ---3.1.1 Power: Vehicles must be driven solely by human power. Non-human power sources (batteries, solar cells, etc.) are permitted only for powering sensors, displays, communication equipment and lights. Control devices, cooling fans, powered aerodynamic devices, etc., may not be powered from non-human sources.
3.1.2 Energy Storage: No device which stores energy over more than one input power cycle (e.g., one leg stroke), or which releases energy under control of the operator, may be used in any event except the road race, or speed events longer than one mile. Energy storage devices are permitted in these events provided no energy is stored before the start of the event (this means absolutely no chemical, electrical, kinetic, potential, or other form of energy storage at the start.)
--- End quote ---
I'd argue that solar power is treated identically to a pre-charged battery by the regulations. Dermal conduction is power generated by the human, however (unless someone slathers additives to the skin to increase the energy in that cell, then it becomes a pre-charged battery again)...
I think part of the controversy was that the "sensors" and "displays" language was intended for cycle computers running off of coin cells, that were helpful but not strictly necessary, not cameras and big backlit color displays running off of a Li-Ion, that were critical to piloting the vehicle.
In any case, there's been at least two rules revisions since that debate happened, and I think the consensus was that as long as the wheels are propelled solely by human power, the vehicle is steered solely by human power, and any aerodynamic effect changes during the run are made solely by human power, it's good. (This is why the language about cooling fans needing to be human-powered exists - and Australian International Pedal Prix actually revised their rules for this year to ban cooling fans, to avoid cheating by using a cooling fan to propel the vehicle.)
The Seldom Killer:
An interesting comment from a guy who does reporting from Battle Mountain every year.
--- Quote ---Cameras do make it easier to get a nice clean shape as the rider can be leaned further back. Jan-Marcel says that in his riding position he'd only be able to see his knees. As a bonus, the electronics enhance the view in low light such as we get when the evening sessions are running late. Reliability and resolution are now both very good and if you're suitably clever you can overlay all sorts of information onto the basic view rather than just scrawling a list of target speeds on the inside of the windscreen with a crayon. Todd is even monitoring CO2 levels
--- End quote ---
As for the Aussie Pedal Prix, I have bern begging my team manager for leg venting for years and still haven't got it. I doubt I'd be allowed a cooling fan of any description.
Akima:
An illustration of how dangerous rail/tram tracks can be, how important it is to cross them at an angle as close to ninety degrees as possible, and how quite minor changes to cycling infrastructure can make cycling safer:
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfeQvbIFBks
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