Hyperbike

[BringOnI2]

Not sure if anyone else posted this:

http://www.hyperbike.info/

The guy invented this "upright" bike just to avoid the discomfort of a bike seat.
It's like a racing wheelchair for able people :confused:

[polo_pro]

And how does this relate to segways? Time to move the thread to the Science and Technology forum.

[KSagal]

The technology looked almost indistinguishable from segways... NOT!


Please note the generous use of spandex!

[JohnM]

ggggaaaaaakkkkk!!

[polo_pro]

delete this dup post plz

[polo_pro]

ggggaaaaaakkkkk!!

Oh come on...innovation takes strange forms. And throwing a cute model on it will "make it work", right? Didn't cute models sell segways? 8^) 8^) 8^)

So what do you think the Sanibel city council will say about that beast rolling around their fair town? It's technically a bike....heck, a trike. So it should be perfectly safe, right? What ya think it weighs? 300 pound?? But weight isn't an issue...it's those evil things called "motors"!

[KSagal]

Aren't tricycles allowed on the sidewalk?

Considering the snipes I had to endure because I pedal hard, I can imagine the response to showing up on one of these...

Still, even tho it needs work, I can see this as a rough terrain bike. 8 foot tires will take quite a bump, and at speed, would handle a lot of obstacles that a standard mountain bike could not...

I did not see the little wheel in front at first. THat is likely for steering, but I would see this as a better bike than trike, and use variable speed on the wheels to steer.

THis is reminescent of a vehicle that has been in many people's minds, and occationally someone makes a prototype, I have seen two over the years, of a large wheel, and a toothed track on the inner rim. A person, either peddaling or on a motor, sits inside the wheel, and there you have it... Kind of like an inside out capital Q but the person is on the inside, instead of that tail on the outside...

[JohnM]

Oh come on...innovation takes strange forms. And throwing a cute model on it will "make it work", right?

Not necessarily........
http://forums.segwaychat.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10100/normal_Trike.jpg

[KSagal]

Not necessarily........
http://forums.segwaychat.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10100/normal_Trike.jpg


Forget about the trike. I guess everyone's version of a cute model to sell the vehicle is different. To each their own...

[JohnM]

I forgot to label my last posting as 'humor'.
Sorry if there was any misunderstanding.

[GadgetmanKen]

I think its pretty interesting, because it is similar to a couple ideas and designs I've been working on. Karl, remember your little Godzilla or Barney toy you saw and posted about a few weeks ago? If you watch the video on this hypebike you can see that it too balances at below the axle. You can see the person iside kind of roll or, rock back, and forth, inside it and the front wheel bobbing up and down. With the front steering wheel bobbing up and down I would think it would be hard to steer. If they want to get this working better they need to find a way to stop that. In one of my designs there is no front wheel, to worry about and the glider would be swinging almost like the one on the video. Oh, and the wheels, very similar on another design, I've been coming up with. On his written document about it he said he already had his huge wheels made. I wonder how or where he got them or made them. I have thought about getting one of those huge tubular wire racks that the powerline companies abandon in fields after the stringing some cable or power lines. They are about the same size. And that would be stealing, which I'm not akin to do. Now if it was donated that would be ok. How did he get rubber on them. Can you imagine all the tubes of silicone or what ever to make it. Perhaps he used bicycle innertubes for 24 or 26 inch wheels and stretched them over, and, or glued and layered them on one at a time. But I guess I could find out.

Karl, can you provide a link to the toothed track one you mentioned?

I like the design but I don't think I would try to ride it because I think it would be terribly exhausting to ride. But there are elements of it I like.

[KSagal]

I am not nearly the researcher that other on this forum are...

One design I saw was from the 20s or early 30s and I believe it was french. I saw a newsreel type short of a guy on a seat on a small gasoline motor, kind of like a rear engine lawn tractor. The whole thing was in a large wheel, about 8 or 9 feet in diameter. This film had him rolling along under power, and turning by leaning the whole thing... I do not know about stopping. It was a typical clip from a movie like, "Those incredible men in their wacky machines..." Try this link...
http://www.dself.dsl.pipex.com/MUSEUM/TRANSPORT/motorwhl/motorwhl.htm#gd (http://www.dself.dsl.pipex.com/MUSEUM/TRANSPORT/motorwhl/motorwhl.htm#gd)

Another design was in a cartoon, where there was a truck sized tire, and the entire interior was the cabin, and there was a plexi glass style bubble on either side which allowed for more room inside, and for the pilot to see. It was a cartoon, and tho it showed it moving, I do not know if there was a working prototype, or just an idea... I also now recall seeing something more like this in real life... try this link on for size... http://www.gizmag.com/go/4506/ (http://www.gizmag.com/go/4506/)

Lastly, I thought I saw another one, similar to the first listed here, but far more recent, like the 70s or 80s or maybe even later... I recall the image, but cannot recall much else... This idea on the link should give you something to think about!
http://www.theriotwheel.com/index.html (http://www.theriotwheel.com/index.html)




I went back and edited my post, and added links. They do not exactly match up with my narative, but are worth the look...

[GadgetmanKen]

Those are great finds Karl. I have seen a few of them especially the Wheelsurf, Riotwheel and some of the monowheels. Did you see this video of a diwheel. It looks like a blast and of recent past 1999
The Swedish diwheel

http://www.dself.dsl.pipex.com/MUSEUM/TRANSPORT/diwheel/diwheel.htm

It seems you can only access the link from the site but if you cut and past this lower one into your browser you can get it quicker
http://www.mtek.chalmers.se/~johjes/doc/hjulet.mpeg

[hellphish]

the front wheel is not for steering. it is there so that the rider doesn't become inverted while riding this abomination.