The Bird of Prey Bicycle.
Discussion
Agree on the apparent instability - even the inventor gets a wobble on (several times) in the video.
He keeps going on about it being "the fastest racing bicycle" but has he even taken a gander at the UCI regulations? Would the Triathlon governing bodies let it race?
At 60t up front, an 11t rear would give you 34mph for 79rpm at the pedals, assuming 25mm rubber on 700c rims, but then the same would be true on a 'traditional' bike with the same gears, no? The burning question is "does the unconventional riding position allow you to deliver enough power with each pedal stroke to take advantage of the bigger gearing when compared with a conventional bicycle frame?"
The biggest barrier to uptake, certainly here in the UK, and anywhere away from those wide Californian boulevards is surely the disadvantage brought about by the semi-prone riding position. Namely visibility. You could be directly alongside a modern car in standing traffic at a junction for instance, literally a few inches from the driver beside you, and they may well be unable to see you. Then there's all that wobbling about every time you start off. Maybe it's a result of the high gearing, or inherent to the design and the riding position. Either way, it's undesirable and gearing it down to more 'usable' gear ratios just strips away the only major advantage this thing has over a conventional bike frame.
Good luck to him and all, but at $4200 US I feel it's a bit too steep to see many folk taking a punt and buying into the idea.
He keeps going on about it being "the fastest racing bicycle" but has he even taken a gander at the UCI regulations? Would the Triathlon governing bodies let it race?
At 60t up front, an 11t rear would give you 34mph for 79rpm at the pedals, assuming 25mm rubber on 700c rims, but then the same would be true on a 'traditional' bike with the same gears, no? The burning question is "does the unconventional riding position allow you to deliver enough power with each pedal stroke to take advantage of the bigger gearing when compared with a conventional bicycle frame?"
The biggest barrier to uptake, certainly here in the UK, and anywhere away from those wide Californian boulevards is surely the disadvantage brought about by the semi-prone riding position. Namely visibility. You could be directly alongside a modern car in standing traffic at a junction for instance, literally a few inches from the driver beside you, and they may well be unable to see you. Then there's all that wobbling about every time you start off. Maybe it's a result of the high gearing, or inherent to the design and the riding position. Either way, it's undesirable and gearing it down to more 'usable' gear ratios just strips away the only major advantage this thing has over a conventional bike frame.
Good luck to him and all, but at $4200 US I feel it's a bit too steep to see many folk taking a punt and buying into the idea.
That looks terribly unstable, especially for cornering.
If I wanted to wobble my way to a high speed in a straight line I'd far rather try out Graeme Obree's Beastie: https://youtu.be/3ml9Zdiotnw
If I wanted to wobble my way to a high speed in a straight line I'd far rather try out Graeme Obree's Beastie: https://youtu.be/3ml9Zdiotnw
yellowjack said:
Agree on the apparent instability - even the inventor gets a wobble on (several times) in the video.
He keeps going on about it being "the fastest racing bicycle" but has he even taken a gander at the UCI regulations? Would the Triathlon governing bodies let it race?
At 60t up front, an 11t rear would give you 34mph for 79rpm at the pedals, assuming 25mm rubber on 700c rims, but then the same would be true on a 'traditional' bike with the same gears, no? The burning question is "does the unconventional riding position allow you to deliver enough power with each pedal stroke to take advantage of the bigger gearing when compared with a conventional bicycle frame?"
The biggest barrier to uptake, certainly here in the UK, and anywhere away from those wide Californian boulevards is surely the disadvantage brought about by the semi-prone riding position. Namely visibility. You could be directly alongside a modern car in standing traffic at a junction for instance, literally a few inches from the driver beside you, and they may well be unable to see you. Then there's all that wobbling about every time you start off. Maybe it's a result of the high gearing, or inherent to the design and the riding position. Either way, it's undesirable and gearing it down to more 'usable' gear ratios just strips away the only major advantage this thing has over a conventional bike frame.
Good luck to him and all, but at $4200 US I feel it's a bit too steep to see many folk taking a punt and buying into the idea.
Yep, there's a very good reason our current bikes are made so, though a very good thing folk out there keep on trying to push the boundaries as who knows what might rub-off.He keeps going on about it being "the fastest racing bicycle" but has he even taken a gander at the UCI regulations? Would the Triathlon governing bodies let it race?
At 60t up front, an 11t rear would give you 34mph for 79rpm at the pedals, assuming 25mm rubber on 700c rims, but then the same would be true on a 'traditional' bike with the same gears, no? The burning question is "does the unconventional riding position allow you to deliver enough power with each pedal stroke to take advantage of the bigger gearing when compared with a conventional bicycle frame?"
The biggest barrier to uptake, certainly here in the UK, and anywhere away from those wide Californian boulevards is surely the disadvantage brought about by the semi-prone riding position. Namely visibility. You could be directly alongside a modern car in standing traffic at a junction for instance, literally a few inches from the driver beside you, and they may well be unable to see you. Then there's all that wobbling about every time you start off. Maybe it's a result of the high gearing, or inherent to the design and the riding position. Either way, it's undesirable and gearing it down to more 'usable' gear ratios just strips away the only major advantage this thing has over a conventional bike frame.
Good luck to him and all, but at $4200 US I feel it's a bit too steep to see many folk taking a punt and buying into the idea.
SystemParanoia said:
if im going to go unconventional,
Ill go for a low low racer... cheaper and much faster
[snip]
and you're just as likely to be crushed horribly to death under the wheels of a car/van/bus/lorry
you'll just be traveling faster when it happens!
Looks more comfortable too. Ill go for a low low racer... cheaper and much faster
[snip]
and you're just as likely to be crushed horribly to death under the wheels of a car/van/bus/lorry
you'll just be traveling faster when it happens!
groomi said:
That looks terribly unstable, especially for cornering.
If I wanted to wobble my way to a high speed in a straight line I'd far rather try out Graeme Obree's Beastie: https://youtu.be/3ml9Zdiotnw
That 'thing' really should be renamed the Wobbly 'Wobbler. If I wanted to wobble my way to a high speed in a straight line I'd far rather try out Graeme Obree's Beastie: https://youtu.be/3ml9Zdiotnw
I think I'd find it difficult taking weight on soft tissue (abs), without a lot of training. If it was on my hip bones, how would that work from the perspective of pelvic movement from cycling? It would probably be a very sensitive place to get pressure / saddle sores, and that's before we look into the fitting issues compared to the normal range of saddles available.
If you want to move from the position you're laid in whilst cycling, you're effectively doing a plank whilst moving your legs at 90rpm, but not in the plane you'd want to. Which might be tricky.
I think I'd struggle to keep my head up to see down the road too, something I struggle a little with on my TT'd up road bike. This looks like it would probably be worse.
I suspect it will be nothing more than a curio, and won't really take off, but I wouldn't mind riding with the lady demonstrating it in the pics above. She's quite tidy!
If you want to move from the position you're laid in whilst cycling, you're effectively doing a plank whilst moving your legs at 90rpm, but not in the plane you'd want to. Which might be tricky.
I think I'd struggle to keep my head up to see down the road too, something I struggle a little with on my TT'd up road bike. This looks like it would probably be worse.
I suspect it will be nothing more than a curio, and won't really take off, but I wouldn't mind riding with the lady demonstrating it in the pics above. She's quite tidy!
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