Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[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:

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.)

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.

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 

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:

[LTK]

You know, I very occasionally hear about inexperienced cyclists (tourists and exchange students mostly) getting caught in a tram track here in Amsterdam but I've never seen it happen, nor has it happened to me, and I have no problems crossing roads such as these as long as I avoid aligning my front wheel with the track. Are our tram tracks just different?

[Akima]

Tram-tracks in Australia look very much the same. In the video I linked above, the tracks are for trains rather than trams, and might be larger or have wider slots. I think rider familiarity with tram/rail tracks is the key factor. Riding over them is not difficult or dangerous provided that one takes the right angle. It *might* be that narrower wheels and tyres are more prone to "falling into" the track slot, and so require more care, which could be an issue in places (like Australia) where the bicycles mostly offered for sale are more oriented towards cycle-sports than transportation riding.

[Ignominious]

I can confirm this. My polo bike is fitted with tyres which are of a width more common to those used for daily use in places like the Netherlands and Denmark. I've occasionally taken a lazy (or drunk) line over the tracks in my home town and, apart from a light squirm, tracks don't really catch the wheel. OTOH, I have dumped the front wheel of my road bike in tram tracks and it's never a good thing.

For reference, the tyres common to a 29er are almost completely untroubled by tram tracks at pretty much any angle.

[LTK]

Oh, they're train tracks. I would never have guessed; the idea of a train crossing without multiple conspicuous red-and-white signs and automatic barriers I find so alien, it's almost unimaginable. On top of that, the vast majority of train crossings here are also oriented at ninety degrees so it's basically impossible for riders to get caught between the tracks.

[Akima]

That's pretty much true in Australia too now, however in rural districts you still see level-crossings that are signposted, but not equipped with warning lights or barriers. Drivers are simply expected to stop and look for oncoming trains. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work. Even where there are barriers and warning lights, you can't stop idiots from being idiots.

[jwhouk]

You're also seeing it from overhead.

[LTK]

That's pretty much true in Australia too now, however in rural districts you still see level-crossings that are signposted, but not equipped with warning lights or barriers. Drivers are simply expected to stop and look for oncoming trains. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work. Even where there are barriers and warning lights, you can't stop idiots from being idiots.

Funnily enough, the same is true of my country, even though 'rural' means something very different in a country roughly the size of New York.

[bhtooefr]

I'll put this here because it does end up intersecting bicycles, although it's about cars.

‘Wild West’ Ohio Beckons Self-Driving Cars Even After Uber Death

[JoeCovenant]

This thread cropped up in the Unreads - never seen it before - but a bit of synchronicity, as I saw *this* yesterday

Bike Share Oversupply

[pwhodges]

We have four companies doing bike share in Oxford.  No piles like that, but bikes abandoned in the oddest places!

[Ignominious]

Ofo, Mobike and some of the others have been implementing codes of conduct with local authorities where they want to offer services. I know Ofo have actually lead on this in order to assuage councils that have fears about what happened in China and some of the other places they operate. Part of that is introducing supply in line with demand and usage.

Abandonment in strange places is an occupational hazard of dockless systems but companies are getting better about rounding them up and being responsive to reports from the public.

[jwhouk]

Ofo and GridBike operate here in Mesa. The bikes are all over the place, but are most notably at bus stops (which isn't surprising, of course).

I haven't tried either one, though I do have the app on my iPad.

Other news: the Giant Revive is back in business, after suffering a flat tire in the front. I now also have a supercool basket on the back, instead of the saddlebag I was using to store stuff. I can actually use the bike for more than just back-and-forth stuff.

Now, I only need to convince the wife to let me use it out on the city streets...