gmane.culture.transportation.humanpowered.general

Cycle helmet

2008-09-03T19:09:15

Many thanks for all the advice I've been given - I'll carry on wearing my helmet even though the Highlands of Scotland are relatively traffic-free (got to watch out for the downhill sharp bends and the deer, though). Regards Nigel Healey -- This message comes to you via the hpv< at >bikelist.org mailing list, sponsored by http://ihpva.org/ Visit http://bikelist.org/mailman/listinfo/hpv to manage your subscription.

Wanted: Velomobile for a day

Nick Hein — 2008-09-03T09:56:57

Good morning, West Virginia University is headquarters for the national Alternative Fuels Training Center (NAFTC) and they are planning a symposium to increase public awareness of alternative transportation modes. A friend of mine is organizing the event here in WV on Sept 27 and would like me to bring vehicles that represent the latest technology in human power, in addition to giving a talk. I was wondering if anyone in the Morgantown, WV area (Pittsburgh, DC, Buffalo, etc) has a velomobile they would like to bring for the event. I'll have display space to show it to attendees all day and will be giving a 15min talk during which it will be featured. My first choice would be an Alleweder Versatile, but all others are welcome. If it isn't too far I may be able to come get it. I'll take good care of it. Also, the event is open to the public and I'd invite anyone interested to attend as well. I may also have my electric car (Fiero) running by then and on display. Nick Hein Morgantown, WV -- This messag

Cycle Helmet

Ed Logan — 2008-09-02T20:10:54

I always wear a helmet unless I am just tooling around the neighbor hood where everyone knows me. In addition to my flag I have a flashing light attached to the back of my helmet. Others tell me they can see way in the distance. I also notice that cars give me a wider berth when my light is flashing. While I have never fallen/ hit etc. where my helmet would have helped I am not taking any chances. Here in Florida there are just too many nut cases who like to run bikes off the road. Your head, your call. Ed Logan GRR, Kettwiesel and Vision Metro -- This message comes to you via the hpv< at >bikelist.org mailing list, sponsored by http://ihpva.org/ Visit http://bikelist.org/mailman/listinfo/hpv to manage your subscription.

Re: Cycle helmet

John Clary — 2008-09-02T17:48:58

All I have to say is that every trike I have built has been rolled over during the testing phase, usually deliberately but on many ocaisions with no warning as rollover resistance was not on the test agenda (I was building a drag race trike that would flip at the drop of a hat, or a badly timed sneeze). I wear a motorcycle helmet when I test trikes, but obviously for a factory built trike you won't need this level of protection, a regular bicycle helmet should be adequate protection.

Re: Cycle helmet

Alan Lawrence — 2008-09-02T16:39:51

I thought it was "I used to think my brain was my favourite organ, but then I thought about who [/what] it was who was telling me this"? :-) Some excellent points raised, tho - thanks to the list for an interesting discussion! (non-triker ignoramus me had not thought about rolling a trike!). Cheers, Alan (HP-Velo Grasshopper / Hack bike / Schlumpf-drive Unicycle :-) ) 2008/9/2 Al Krause humboldt1.com>: -- This message comes to you via the hpv< at >bikelist.org mailing list, sponsored by http://ihpva.org/ Visit http://bikelist.org/mailman/listinfo/hpv to manage your subscription.

Re: Cycle helmet

Al Krause — 2008-09-02T16:34:49

as Woody Allen said "My brain?! That's my second favorite organ!" -- This message comes to you via the hpv< at >bikelist.org mailing list, sponsored by http://ihpva.org/ Visit http://bikelist.org/mailman/listinfo/hpv to manage your subscription.

Re: Cycle helmet

Dave Larrington — 2008-09-02T14:26:42

Someone who may be Nigel Healey wrote: I don't, but then again I don't on two wheels[1] either. 1 - except when obliged to by race regulations

Re: Cycle helmet

JW Stephens — 2008-09-02T13:17:14

Hi Nigel and welcome to trikedom! In my case I moot the question by making my helmet "required" from a usefulness standpoint. I add a Take-a-Look mirror, which is much more useful than one added to the trike because you can rotate your head at the neck and get a panoramic view. I also add a long visor to the helmet to protect the face from the sun. Voila! A helmet that I wear because it makes triking better. Elrey in Orange County, California, USA On Mon, Sep 1, 2008 at 11:30 PM, nhealey.demon.co.uk> wrote:

RE: [hip] Cycle helmet

tomm — 2008-09-02T13:15:11

To add another important thing, drivers key off of your helmet visually. When you your head to the side, their vision picks up the movement and you're on their screen. Better odds ... Tom Mallard Software Design - Architecture Consumer Product Design -----Original Message----- From: hpv-bounces< at >bikelist.org [mailto:hpv-bounces< at >bikelist.org] On Behalf Of Nick Hein Sent: Tuesday, September 02, 2008 4:05 AM To: hpv< at >bikelist.org Subject: Re: [hpv] Cycle helmet Good morning, Although I'd recommend wearing a helmet at all times it is useful to know this. Of all bike crashes 80% don't involve any other vehicle. They are the result of inadequate skill for the riding conditions or poor maintenance by the rider. They also tend to occur mostly at low speeds, and to riders of upright bikes. These are the factors that prompted helmet laws. The fact that they could prevent minor crashes from causing massive head injuries. In a major accident they may or may not prevent massive injury. The other way to el

Re: Cycle helmet

Nick Hein — 2008-09-02T11:05:18

Good morning, Although I'd recommend wearing a helmet at all times it is useful to know this. Of all bike crashes 80% don't involve any other vehicle. They are the result of inadequate skill for the riding conditions or poor maintenance by the rider. They also tend to occur mostly at low speeds, and to riders of upright bikes. These are the factors that prompted helmet laws. The fact that they could prevent minor crashes from causing massive head injuries. In a major accident they may or may not prevent massive injury. The other way to eliminate most of those non-collision injuries is to prevent crashes in the first place, through better rider education. The LAB Road I class that I've been trained to teach (LCI #1761) has also been shown to reduce accident rates by 80%, and it does it by prevention - teaching riders to recognize crash conditions before you get to them so you can avoid them. It's far more important what's in your head than on it when it comes to staying safe on a bike. S

Re: Cycle helmet

Fred Larimer — 2008-09-02T09:40:43

We both wear helmets when riding my wife's trike. We've both rolled the trike during spirited riding. In my case it was during evasive action when a minivan pulled into my path. I rolled into a grassy area so my helmet wasn't really needed but it could have been a curb or paved berm with a great deal more potential for injury. Or I may have hit the minivan with a strong potential for head injuries. I suggest wearing the helmet. On Tue, Sep 2, 2008 at 5:12 AM, Alan Lawrence cantab.net> wrote: -- This message comes to you via the hpv< at >bikelist.org mailing list, sponsored by http://ihpva.org/ Visit http://bikelist.org/mailman/listinfo/hpv to manage your subscription.

Re: Cycle helmet

Alan Lawrence — 2008-09-02T09:12:02

That depends on what you mean by "need"... Legally? Depends where you are, but you're almost certainly covered by exactly the same legislation as you would be on a conventional bike.... For safety by choice? Well, you must form your own judgement, but then, I guess that's why you're writing to this list - to gain some information on which to do so! Personally, I would say not - I do wear a helmet on a conventional bike, but not on a recumbent (and mine is a two-wheeler) - as I'd consider the odds of actually injuring my *head* as being much less than on an upright (e.g. head-over-handlebars). I'd think the most useful bit of protection would probably be elbow pads...:-) A cap with a peak, tho, is useful; indeed, vital, tho such can be combined with a helmet if you so chose. I know other (recumbent, tho again mostly 2 wheeler) riders who ride both with and without helmets, too, but I'm not sure I've met anyone who actually wears one when riding a trike. Whether the likelihood of head injury is actually an

Cycle helmet

2008-09-02T06:30:59

I've just become the proud owner of an HP Velotechnik 'Scorpion' recumbent trike. After years of wearing a cycling helmet on my various two-wheeled machines, do I need to wear one on the trike? Regards Nigel Healey -- This message comes to you via the hpv< at >bikelist.org mailing list, sponsored by http://ihpva.org/ Visit http://bikelist.org/mailman/listinfo/hpv to manage your subscription.

Re: Opinions on Rotor cranks and Q-rings?

Zach Kaplan — 2008-08-28T17:05:59

In 2004 I started using 170 mm Rotor Cranks with 54/42/26 rings on my Bacchetta Aero, replacing 170 mm cranks with 53/39/24 round rings. I noticed right away a smoother pedaling feel and i was able to ride harder before knee pain came on. In actual practice I ended up going the same speed but my knees and legs felt better. I was so impressed that despite the weight and cost, in 2005 I converted my Trice XXL to 165 mm Rotor Cranks with 54/42/26 rings (from 165 mm cranks with 52/42/24 rings) and also added Rotor Cranks to my second Aero. Now I don't own anything with Rotor Cranks because I sold one of the Aeros and the Trice and converted the other Aero to 152 mm cranks with 44/33/23 Q-Rings. The Q-Rings aren't quite as effective at reducing the dead spot at the end of the power stroke as Rotor Cranks but I now prefer Q-Rings because they don't have a weight penalty, allow me to use arms that curve out for better shoe clearance (Rotor has straight right arm and my right foot pronates

Re: rotor cranks

Mark Stonich — 2008-08-26T23:22:31

Abt. 20 years ago my sons were test pilots for the University of Minnesota's human powered hydrofoil project. The the loss of inertia in the dead spot, so common to human powered watercraft, was a major problem. We used BioPace rings, but oriented them to reduce time in the dead zone. They definitely helped, but I think a little more ovalization would have been optimum. We all felt that major and minor axes of 110%:-90% would be a good starting point. But they didn't have the capacity to create such rings. The Durham rings proved too extreme. Unlike a hydrofoil, where every ounce counts, I think a flywheel might be advantageous for a displacement craft. Ideal would be a two rider craft with the cranks 90 degrees out of phase. BTW I was in Sparta WI when the Kevin & Karin Hughes and John Howard records were set. They must have planned for Karin to rest in the evening because Kevin showed up at the Ice HPV races we were holding on an indoor hockey rink . IRRC He had an MTB with long

HPV Event Nov 8 Long Beach Calif

Gaines, William — 2008-08-26T21:45:59

OK folks keep the 8th of November free. That is the date of this year's Halloween Hydrobowl! Same place as before: Long Beach Marine Stadium. Let me know if you want to help. The best help is to let as many as possible know to bring their craft! Does anybody want to organize a ride that weekend? Photos from one past event! http://www.recumbents.com/WISIL/racing2004/longbeach/halloween_hydrobowl .htm Bill Gaines o\_oo+ o-\_oo+ -- This message comes to you via the hpv< at >bikelist.org mailing list, sponsored by http://ihpva.org/ Visit http://bikelist.org/mailman/listinfo/hpv to manage your subscription.

Re: hpv Digest, Vol 49, Issue 15

Patrick Franz — 2008-08-26T20:44:17

The inventor of the otec/sdv drive was at Interbike 3 or 4 years ago. I thought it was a very interesting drive, with the most interesting thing being the ease of creating new pedal paths to test out. There is no reason the guide chainrings have to be the same size, or that there be only two of them, or even that they be round. Might be able to design a nice power path that would fit into a velomobile really well. My only concern about the drive was that the pedals attached to the guide chains via standard sized chain pins. I thought this would be a problem (cyclic bending on such a small pin) but the inventor assured me it was not an issue, that the link arms were designed to keep everything straight. They seem to be getting some systems out there, so I suppose any kinks are getting worked out. It will be interesting to see what they can get that airplane to do. An airplane probably has a similar continuous drag feel like Greg's boat. --Pat Franz TerraCycle, Inc. Recumbent Acc

rotor cranks

Greg Kolodziejzyk — 2008-08-26T14:22:06

Has anyone experimented with elliptical chain rings? I recently got an elliptical chain ring custom made for my human powered boat Critical Power 2 and 24 hour distance record attempt coming up in a couple of weeks on Sept 8th. http://www.adventuresofgreg.com/HPB/2008/08/gps-distance-measuring.html Since there is less momentum on water than rolling on smooth pavement, I found that my legs were being stressed differently during the pedal stroke on the boat than on my M5 lowracer. On the boat there is more resistance all the way around the pedal stroke rather than concentrated at the power positions that I am used to on the road bike and recumbent. The solution was the elliptical chain ring which Matt Cochran at kittadyne http://www.kittadyne.com/ made for me. It concentrates more of the power at the usual power positions. The oval chain ring works very well to better simulate the kind of power distribution that I am trained for by riding the M5. More information about the record attempt and Critical Powe

Re: Opinions on Rotor cranks and Q-rings?

cobaco (aka Bart Cornelis — 2008-08-26T13:01:12

you might want also want to check out the Japanese SDV drive at http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~otec/ they quote a paper and tests run by Japan's AIST (Advanced Industrial Sience and Technology) Institute

Re: Re: Opinions on Rotor cranks and Q-rings?

Mark Stonich — 2008-08-26T03:18:23

Bill, How were the rings oriented? This makes all the difference. Get it wrong and you just make things worse. Mark Stonich; BikeSmith Design & Fabrication 5349 Elliot Ave S. - Minneapolis. MN 55417 Ph. (612) 824-2372 http://bikesmithdesign.com http://mnhpva.org -- This message comes to you via the hpv< at >bikelist.org mailing list, sponsored by http://ihpva.org/ Visit http://bikelist.org/mailman/listinfo/hpv to manage your subscription.

Re: Q rings

Mark Stonich — 2008-08-26T03:49:09

Not unless the ratio between major and minor axes is different. Any time you make two changes at once you don't learn a darn thing from the experiment. My two cents, (and of course I'm biased) is that Rotors help by ensuring that your legs spend less time in the extremely bent position where many people's muscles don't work efficiently. With short cranks you spend zero time with the legs bent that much. Mark Stonich; BikeSmith Design & Fabrication 5349 Elliot Ave S. - Minneapolis. MN 55417 Ph. (612) 824-2372 http://bikesmithdesign.com http://mnhpva.org -- This message comes to you via the hpv< at >bikelist.org mailing list, sponsored by http://ihpva.org/ Visit http://bikelist.org/mailman/listinfo/hpv to manage your subscription.