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Blog Description: As mechanical engineer and aspiring cyclist, I bring you some of the more enigmatic lyrics of Lycra, from racing, equipment, bicycle engineering to humor and pain. Questo sport e' molto grande! Enjoy!
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1. INTERNATIONAL TERROR IN INDIA : Very disturbing news across the globe, and my condolences to everyone involved. The virgin-seeking brothers of Muhammad have struck again, this time in a dramatic fashion. In an opportunistic move, taking advantage of intelligence failures and maritime security loopholes, a dozen fearless Islamic fundamentalists got off a speedboat with bags of RDX explosives, automatic weapons and ammunitions. Parting into teams, they then headed into multiple locations in the financial center of India, spraying bullets into streets, killing hundreds of people commando style and then seizing two major hotels in the city and a third Jewish center with many hostages in hand. With 125 dead, the hostage situation is still unfolding as I write, and a fierce and chilling gun battle ensues between terrorists and the government's National Security Guard. Citizens of India, America, UK, Australia, Italy, Germany etc are among the dead.
A Limited List of Victims (Google Docs, via Twitter. Can You Imagine? Twitter being used extensively in a terror crisis?? Amazing! It shows how powerful blogging can be.)
2. SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH FROM FORK MODIFICATIONS : Fox has put out a statement on its website for all Fox Shox users against misapplication of its forks. Its pretty interesting. The bottom line is that, in the name of saving money, don't modify forks or use them for the wrong applications. Here's the opening part of their statement : It has come to the attention of FOX Racing Shox that certain individuals and / or entities are modifying FOX forks to accommodate mountain bike wheel sizes other than those having 26 inch nominal diameter. One such modification includes removing material from the lower leg cross bridge in order to fit a 29 inch tire in the fork. Such modification will ultimately separate the lower fork legs at the cross bridge (i.e. the weakened cross bridge will fracture) and may cause bicycle instability and crash that result in SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH.
3. SHIMANO DI2 WINS 2009 IF DESIGN AWARD : First, it was Popular Mechanics handing them the "Best of What's New 2008" innovation award. Now Shimano's electronic shifting technology has further diversified itself by bagging the prestigious IF Design Award 2009 in the 'Leisure/Lifestyle' category. The basis for the award was upon its innovation, functionality and design level. I wonder what SRAM and Campagnolo are thinking now. Read more on this story here.
4. VINTAGE SHELBY BICYCLE AD : Shelby bikes was made well before my time. But here's an interesting graphic ad showing shocks inside their head tubes.
5. USACYCLING LICENSES ON SALE ON DEC 1 : Get your hands on one for next season. Just one reminder. They are bumping up their insurance surcharges. Check it out.
6. BOBBY JULICH EXPLAINS THE PRO CYCLING BUSINESS : If you're a talented rider but don't know a nut about the pro cycling business, then retired pro Bobby J. is taking it upon himself to explain it briefly. He reveals how cycling contracts work, what the first salaries are like, the "free agent" market, and his personal experiences on rest and relaxation off the bike. He also admits that getting back into training after the break wasn't always easy. Read his Nov 19 column here.
The bottom line on today's post is that, if you're a designer of a bicycle, you have to sit down and understand that your bicycle alone may be a good design. However, there is a rider sitting on it. And there are multiple aftermarket products that will be fitted to it over its life. Will they comply? Well, if the rider doesn't comply, then the design is an outright failure, which is plain to see. But the subtler problems often arise in the latter. Good design can cut time and money and will also mean customer satisfaction in the end, whether its you or your bike shop mechanic handling it.
I had to borrow a rant from a blogger I follow closely. The writer of Citizen Rider works in a bike shop in the North East of the U.S and seems to frequently handle varied customer requests. This time, it just got into his head. Let hear what he has to say on his cable routing puzzle, because I think it did make a lot of sense to me. Happy Thanksgiving for my readers in the U.S!
* * *
Monday, Nov 10
"Any company that sold a bike with head tube cable stops owes their customers each a new frame if the old one can't be reconfigured to put the stops on the down tube or top tube where they will actually work.
I spent hours last night trying to figure out cable routing on a Serotta Legend Ti that wouldn't destroy the cable housing within weeks. The longer I worked the options with no success, the more I hated whoever came up with the idea in the first place and whoever else thought it was good enough to slap on several model years' worth of what would have been decent bikes. The idiocy was industry-wide. Stupid, stupid, stupid idea. It cured the problem of cable chafe on the head tube at the cost of far greater functional problems with the shifting and steering systems.
The black bike defied my efforts to get a good picture of the setup in its mangled condition as I started the repair.
In this case, the problem is aggravated because the rider is a triathlete using aero bars with bar-end shifters. The pricey carbon aero extensions are drilled for internal cable routing. The stiff housing index shifting has to make two radical bends to get from the exit hole in the bar to the stop on the head tube.
The original housing, CD 4 mm, had broken through the alloy ferrule in the head tube stop. Incidentally, the ferrule was corroded into the cable stop because of the constant bath of salty sweat that poured onto it as the rider used an indoor trainer. The housing had twisted itself up into a strange curl under the wide wing section of the bar.
I had to drill the remains of the alloy 4mm ferrules out of the cable stops so I could install brass 5 mm. I still haven't solved the routing riddle. One option would be to remove the threaded stops and take the housing through the part welded to the frame, but that would look even more cluttered on the sleek road frame than the rat's nest of curled brake and shift housings at the head tube already does.
Trying to overcome gratuitously stupid design drives me INSANE. It's even worse when I'm trying to fit this repair in with a wad of other important stuff, for a rider who has trusted me numerous times with her race prep. So far, I've managed to come through every time. This is her last big race of the year, and it's in Arizona or something, so the stakes are high.
Like all tri bikes, it's crusted with sticky and salty deposits from the energy drink and perspiration that get poured over it day after day. The crust on the rear brake has actually hardened into rock candy. If she runs short of energy out in the desert, she can hop off and lick the brake for a while. [Buahahaha.... ok that's me]
Speaking of sticky, this $5,000-plus marvel also had another of my nemeses, sticky-back cork bar wrap.
There is absolutely no reason to have aggressive adhesive on the back of your handlebar wrap. It just makes repositioning or reusing tape impossible and makes it more difficult to remove old tape to put on new. Unless you're some kind of twine-wrapping shellac-slapper, you WILL re-tape your bars. Just to change this rider's cable housing I will have to replace the little sections of cork wrap on the aero extensions because the sticky backing shredded what would have been reusable tape. I know this is just a nuisance, but it does add the cost and time of wrapping bars to a lot of repairs where it would not have been directly relevant. Suppliers should say in the product description whether a model of wrap has adhesive backing."
Don Jones, who's also an anchor of the NBC 17 Morning Show, happened to take a shot of his rear wheel hot in action on one of his rides. He did it using his cell phone.
He loves his wheels, don't get me wrong, but this article of perfect shape, pattern and symmetry appeared ridiculously warped in the resulting image. Given that Don is an award winning news anchor who has traveled all around the world in the name of journalism, we all thought this might be some strange manifestation of 'spokely' attraction towards celebrity star power.
Okay. Maybe not.
Infact, this is not really new to me. It brings to mind some of the finish line pictures from my collegiate racing days. I dug this one up for you :
The spokes look like giant spidery infestations on the wheels (Courtesy : Velocityresults)
Before you mouth obscenities at your camera manufacturer, know the situation. The wheel is turning really fast. If there was a way to follow or track the motion of the spokes with the camera, you may have reproduced the image much better. Think of your camera as your own eye. Focus on a rotating wheel, keeping your eyes stationary. The spinning spokes appear like a blur that makes no sense to you apart from the fact that the motion is fast. But now spin the wheel much slower and try to track the spoke as it rotates around the hub. Much better?
The characteristic warped spokes in the images above, I think, is a result of slow shutter speed. The camera has no way to track motion this fast in the perpendicular direction. Any camera with a shutter speed of lesser than 1/500th of a second will most probably produce this effect since they are incapable of freezing fast movement. A bicycle company definitely wouldn't prefer something like this to go into their product brochure.
So I believe you can avoid this by using higher shutter speeds. In digital cameras, you can do this by increasing the ISO settings. However, you'll have to play around and experiment with the amount of noise you're getting in your images as a result.
UPDATE/CORRECTION (11/25/08) : When I talked about shutter speeds above, I was pertaining to proper digital cameras. It must be mentioned that cellphones have no physical shutter at all. Instead, they use software to tell the camera how long to record light coming through the lens (mostly plastic). But because the internal processor and software are often slow, the lag between when you press the button and when the picture is captured can be a second or more. It will be interesting to see whether a digital camera with a good sensor and ISO range, when substituted instead of a cellphone, will eliminate the warping. Nevertheless, it is still a pretty cool effect.
Meet Johannes Hofbauer, a 26 year old musician who hails from Karlsruhe, Germany. He's quite passionate about the sport of cycling. However, differentiating himself from the typical serious cyclist who would do nothing but ride his bike all day, this young guy spends more time away from the saddle in his studio, seeking to translate his emotions for the sport into interesting pieces of electronic music. When I say interesting, I mean very interesting. The stuff he makes probably has little in common with what you mostly chill out to on your mp3 player.
In the sport of procycling, where huge, memorable battles are fought at the finish line or in the premises of high Alpine slopes, you'd imagine they all could use the same sort of epic musical theme of almost cheesy proportions. But is challenge, pain, fear and joy all there is to cycling? What about the other emotions? How do you express that?
I guess Johannes believes in letting the music talk for itself as he creates some really cool, unique music to narrate the rhythmic, pedal powered lifestyle. Its really a step away from some of the cheesy retro tunes that commonly accompanied race commentary.
So far, he has created three albums, and here's a preview from one of them called Cycling World :
I recently had a small chat with him across the Atlantic to further understand his drive to create music for cycling. Some of his work is also featured between my questions.
Q : Hello Johannes. Tell our Cozy Beehive readers a little about yourself, where you are from, and what your hobbies and passion in life are?
Johannes : Hello America!!! Thanks for letting me be part of this interview! I'm Johannes Hofbauer and a 26 year old musician from Germany. I live in the city which created the first bicycle in history! The city is Karlsruhe and the inventor's name was Freiherr Karl Drais. He invented the first bicycle called Draisine in 1817. And when I was at Drais High School in my younger days, I saw every day a Draisine in a showcase at the entrance of the school. That made for a perfect conversation that I could initiate with anybody - why I love that bike! :) And yes, its true that cycling is my passion and my hobby.
Q. That's what I thought, that you would be a big cycling fan. So I'm curious. How much do you ride your bike?
Johannes : Well, unfortunately not very day, because I'm often at studio for my work. But if I really want to ride, all I have to do is drive to France to do it. Actually, this is quite easy since I live near to the border to France. Frankly, here in Germany we have bad roads and too much traffic. But if I were to rank myself somewhere, I would say I'm an average cyclist.
Q. Right. Riding in traffic is one of the big problems we have here in the U.S. And I'm nothing more than an average cyclist, like you. Switching topics, tell us how you got involved in music.
Johannes : I have music in my blood. Everyone in my family is a musician. In my childhood days, growing up, I heard a lot of songs on the radio. I love the music from Falco, you know.. the crazy guy from Austria, who was number one in USA charts back in 1985. And so many other tunes come to mind. When I was 16, I finally decided to make this passion serious and so built my own studio. Hence, I'm a self-made music producer and I learn through self experimentation or through reading audio magazines. I'd say my knowledge about music and producing took 10 years to develop before I started making the music you're hearing. For a year, I even worked in a radio station and that was a great experience as well.
Q. Very interesting. May I ask you, what inspires you to create these tunes? Is there emotion, you think, that can be expressed through such music?
Johannes : The inspiration for me was the whole atmosphere of cycling. It was great. Through that inspiration, I found that I could combine my work in the studio with my personal passion for this sport. To be honest, I think cycling is like a movie. The riders are the actors, the races are their stories. Its that simple. And I think the task of a composer in this picture is to give a sound to this adventure on wheels. He must be like a reporter, speaking and describing through music. And yeah, you're right, I create music for the emotion. That's what its all about.
Q. So how does an idea for an album come about?
Johannes : For the Cycling World music album, it was very easy. I wanted to make a music album for the big name races on the pro tour calender. In the next step, I sought to give an international touch to the music. That means variety of cycling music for different countries, which explains why I created a track in the album called Tour of Britain or Japan Cup. My opinion is that if the music encompasses many parts of the world, it becomes unique. If you'll remember, Kraftwerk made their Tour de France album in 2003. I too made a Tour de France album in 2008. But after that experience, I thought an album with other cycling races will be more unique. That was my idea.
Q : Wow. I heard some of your work. I have to say the music sounds very different from some of the mainstream electronica that's out there. How would you classify your music, like a genre for it if you will? And whats with the characteristic periodic beats and patterns? Do you believe it should be cyclical, like the nature of cycling itself? I wonder if that was your idea.
Johannes : Sure! My music is a new kind, I know that. The beat is totally off and very progressive. That's what I love about it. You know, I'm a self-made musician and I have an innovative procession with samples and sounds. I can experiment with a lot of variations to create a new touch of music. You can consider me an inventor of music, not really a composer like the old way. Hence, I created the word "cycling composer", because I specialize in creating music for only for cycling. But who knows, maybe I'll end up making music for the moon landing or some other international event in future (laughs).
Johannes in his studio
Q. Well, I'll bet you the astronauts would love to hear something to get them going on that dead planet! Anyway, so you talked about how your ideas before creation. Now, give us an understanding of the tools you use to create that music. What instruments do you use at the studio?
Johannes : Well, I have a studio in a one room flat. The studio is built by me and I use many old electronic instruments from Korg, Yamaha, Roland and many more. I believe I can create unique music due to the nature of the equipment I use. The secret is the fact that, here, in my studio, you must combine old analog instruments with the more modern digital equipment for recording. I don't use computer programs like Ejay for example. I compose and play everything from the scratch, without using any templates made by software applications.
That was an interesting conversation. And after hearing some of his music, I tell you that you must approach it with the same open mindedness as you would to just about anything you experience in cycling such as being on a saddle for 5-8 hours, wearing Lycra in public or even shaving your legs! Music is really in the ears of the beholder, and there's always a right tune for your tastes!
To visit Johannes Hofbauer's website and to get more information on how to download his album through iTunes, click here. Some of his work is also featured on his Youtube page.
Avid cyclists will remember that in the market today, there is essentially only one stationary indoor trainer that is capable of side to side motion. This is the Rock & Roll trainer made by Kurt Kinetic. The system has a broad base, magnetic bearings (although I doubt the capability of magnets in high bursts of start and stop like in sprint training) and an overwhelming green color (see my past rant on this green at Invasion Of the Frogs).
Its almost like a monopoly. Not a single other brand has anything close to it. So you either have a choice of spending a huge 500 dollars on it, or another huge 700 dollars on an alternative called the E-Motion rollers, or settle for not getting anything with this feature at all.
Maybe a month ago, I came across a short 14 second video on the internet. It interested me a lot because the movie showed a nice deck built for a trainer that had this side to side motion. Since I was pretty interested in who built it, I went ahead and contacted this person to find out more about the setup.
It turns out that if you have a little creativity and a skill with mechanisms, you can create your own rock and rolling trainer.
So I found myself talking to Roy Bailey from Wisconsin, who is the designer and maker of the Training Deck :
By profession, Roy works for Dekkora Products which specializes in rock enclosures. But in his spare time, he was able to construct this setup without much cost so he could train indoors in a manner mimicking actual riding.
I managed to spend some time with Roy asking him a couple of questions on his idea and design. In the midst of his busy schedule, he was able to answer them for me, so here it is that conversation :
Q : So tell me Roy, what sparked the idea to design and construct this?
Roy : I came up with the design for this training deck during the summer about 8 years ago. I knew the off season here in Wisconsin would be right around the corner and I just could not stand riding inside. My drive to work pretty much included about 45 minutes each way so I had a lot of down time to think it over.
Q : What materials did you use in your design?
Roy : I started my basic design with plywood and hand held clamps and then progressed to a steel square stock frame with steel flat stock for the spring locators. A plastic deck is attached to the top to allow for several different configurations of trainers to be attached.
Q. Talk briefly about how it works for our readers.
Roy : Well its simple. The design works off compression springs to maintain a neutral position when not on load from side to side. The pivot is done with shoulder bolts which act as bearings for the smooth motion.
Q. Great. How much did this project cost you overall?
Roy : I built several pieces and still feel there is some possible updated version awaiting discovery but overall the unit works great and quite reasonable. I can produce and sell the units for $150.00 per unit and still have some cash to buy new tires for the bikes each year!I would love to offer up the idea to individuals to make their own unit as I really have my hands full on my current business.
Its little ideas like this that we need more in the cycling scene, to drive down costs by encouraging competition. Perhaps bicycle design itself is a little stunted now but there's a lot of opportunity in aftermarket products and bicycle training systems.
I told Roy about getting a patent on his Training Deck before someone else does it. However, it looks like he's been cool on it but I'm not sure what he's thinking.
If you'd like to get in touch with Roy Bailey, this is his email. Please do not get excited and flood his inbox. That's all I ask. :)
Beginning some 3 years ago, many websites, blogs and a handful of TV shows were raving about a new kind of gas powered, motorized bicycle wheel called RevoPower. The idea even piqued the interests of publications like Machine Design, Popular Science and even CNN :
When I first heard about it back then, I thought it was a pretty neat concept. Non-cyclists tend to stay away from pedal power due to the very requirement and consequences of pedaling! Sad, but true. So if this new idea was part of an answer to help target the vast blue ocean of non-cyclists, it was welcomed by all means. Hey, gas was cheap!
A snippet on the invention from the Machine Design magazine (2005)
Breakdown of proposed design : A gas powered 23cc 2 stroke engine rated 1 HPmax for 7800 RPM, and a slim gear transmission all at the hub of the wheel, nestled between the forks of the bicycle
As the rider of this bicycle, you would substitute the 15 pound Revopower wheel for your normal spoked front wheel, slip a tank of standard gasoline into your water bottle cage, clip the throttle to your handlebars using the given attachment, and start pedaling like you would normally ride a bike. When you are ready for some supplemental power, you operate the thumb powered throttle to get the engine to kick into action. The clutch would then automatically engage and you are on your way to wherever you need to be between 15-20 mph claimed speeds.
Tank and throttle attachment accessories come with the wheel
While the concept and prototypes looked fine, the product just didn't come out. In fact, Denver based RevoPower first said it would be out by late 2006. Then it was shifted to early 2007. Then to late 2007, and finally into 2008 according to the latest update on their website. We're almost nearing the end of this year and there is still no sign of the product.
The time to market has been nothing short of horrible. We all know that every fortnight, something new comes out in the commercial bicycle scene. I may be exaggerating but my point being that in a time sensitive market, it'll be against your opportunity by not getting the product out quickly.
Presentation on Target Markets, Distribution and Pricing Strategy
So the question then begs to be answered. Where are they? Whats happening behind the scenes? What is the bottleneck exactly? Did the credit crunch get them? Was the record gas prices early this year turning it into a non-viable product?
According to some sources : "RevoPower is in the hands of the secured creditors. There is no product imminent. The product could not be produced after 4 years and millions of dollars of investment due to thermal issues and performance constraints. The IP is in dispute with the original investors, and no one may offer this product without the consent of the creditors, which has not been granted. Please contact David Kendall, KKO Attorneys at Law, 999 18th St, Denver CO with any information which may lead to civil action."
While I'm choosing to trust whoever filled us with that information, I also want to talk a little about some other drawbacks of this design.
1. In this day and age, when cyclists are complaining about the very chain and sprocket transmission system (greasy and oily), here is RevoPower proposing to contribute 15 more pounds in weight of oil & gas powered componentry to the front portion of the bicycle.
2. In an impact, its the front wheel that often takes the first blow. While 400 dollars may not be overly expensive, placing all this setup at the most vulnerable site just opens it to the possibility of damage.
3. Clean, electric, battery powered pedal assists are being very compeitive in the market these days [see this video of a hub powered motor]. Whats the chance of a gas powered system standing up to them? 100mpg of claimed system efficiency might cut it for a while, but battery technology is leapfrogging and will catch up in no time.
4. The idea of placing a can of gas into one of your water bottle holders takes away the real estate for your drinking water. Besides, who would like the idea of carrying a flammable liquid between their crotch on a hot day?
5. A gas powered engine might trigger regulations in some states, requiring the rider to hold a two wheeler driver's licence.
6. The components might not be easy to understand for the new, unassuming cyclist. The installation of the setup is also crude and has to be taken to a bike shop or a RevoPower certified professional.
7. Every bike company is in for the money to be gained from claimed weight savings on their design. Being light and svelte is one of the chief selling points we commonly see in today's bikes. A lighter proposition for a pedal assist will most likely be preferable over something heavy.
In conclusion, I'm not positive where this company is headed. RevoPower's fate perhaps highlights the classic pithole that an idea or invention need not always make it successfully to market. You need more than an inventive genius to finance and manage your operations and see it to the end of the tunnel.
It'll be very interesting to see if RevoPower pushes their date a fifth time into 2009. If you've further information about the company, or if you're Steve Katsoras, the inventor...please feel free to put some information in the comments here. There might be a good number of people painfully waiting to get a hold of this product. Wait, painfully huh?
Additional Resources : One of my readers posted a nice link to a 56 page PDF report on Revopower presented by New York Private Equity. Thanks! Readit here.
Blog Directory ID: 1534
Blog URL: http://cozybeehive.blogspot.com
Google Pagerank: 4
Blog Description: As mechanical engineer and aspiring cyclist, I bring you some of the more enigmatic lyrics of Lycra, from racing, equipment, bicycle engineering to humor and pain. Questo sport e' molto grande! Enjoy!
Blog Tags: Bicycle Design - Bicycle Engineering - Bicycle Technology - Bicycle Manufacturing - Bicycling Science - Education 
Blog Category: Cycling Blogs
Blog Owner: Ron George
Blog Added: January 29, 2008 06:57:20 AM
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