Mountainman44 Posted September 11, 2012 Share Flying Scotsman Graham Obree intends not only to break the human-powered vehicle land speed record, but also hopes to be the first person to break 100 mph (161 km/h) In 2012, in the days leading up to his 47th birthday (on Tuesday), Obree has again been doing things the hard way. This time he's building a prone bicycle, which isn't unusual for the land speed record. That he's eschewing external help is hardly surprising either, given his history in the sport, but there are other obstacles to overcome. Not least of these is missing the window for a scheduled meet at Nevada's Battle Mountain because the bike, Beastie, you'll recall, isn't quite ready. Now Obree has the task of finding an alternative venue in the UK, preferably an airfield with a 2-mile runway made of fast tarmac, with no joins or blemishes. But this means doing without some of Battle Mountain's luxuries: a 6° gradient in the rider's favor and a 5000-ft (1500-meter) altitude, reducing drag. "In an engineering journal I read, they said that Battle Mountain is worth 156 watts extra in energy," he told Humans Invent. "And that is just the slope. Then the surface is actually purposefully built for the record attempt, so that has to be worth another fraction in terms of surface resistance." Though Beastie is yet to be completed, Obree says he's "really happy" with its aerodynamics. In fact, the bike in general is every bit as innovative as Old Faithful. Critical to the design is a compact frontal area, which necessitates an incredibly contained riding style. He claims this is one of the smallest bikes every created as far as frontal area goes. "The feet just miss each other on the way past which means the width at the back is the minimum possible so the vehicle can be tailed of short," Obree told Humans Invent "Also it means the knees are closer together and partially share the same space at the bottom of the stroke which means that the skin can be tucked in closer, and that means less frontal area." This sacrifices the direct drive of the rear while, necessitating a series of chainwheels—the theory being the loss in efficiency in the drive mechanism will be more than offset by the aerodynamic advantage. And the pedaling action isn't circular, but a push/pull arrangement which, as Obree said, reduces the need for the rider's knees to dip, also boosting the aerodynamics. Perhaps the most eye-catching feature of Beastie is its clear skin, and for this Obree did receive some outside help: from The Glasgow School of Art. He says he wants people to "see the engine," by which he means the rider. It sounds like only tweaks remain to be made. A shoe-plate here, an elbow guard there: potentially crucial tweaks when seeking to break 100 mph, to be sure, but nothing that affects the principle behind the bike. A time and place for the record attempt are yet to be confirmed, but there's a limited window before the British winter sets in. "To be honest, I am happy it will be a British attempt now. Designed in Britain, made in Britain and broken in Britain," Obree told Humans Invent. "This also means that we can go for the world human-powered land speed record, and also the British human-powered land speed record." Of course whether he will crack the 100 mph mark, or even the record, remains to be seen. But he's clearly set his mind, and, more importantly, his will to the task, and that usually means only one thing. I certainly wouldn't bet against him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tumbleweed Posted November 21, 2012 Share http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/graeme-obree-tests-land-speed-record-vehicle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woofie Posted November 21, 2012 Share Flying Scotsman Graham Obree intends not only to break the human-powered vehicle land speed record, but also hopes to be the first person to break 100 mph (161 km/h) In 2012, in the days leading up to his 47th birthday (on Tuesday), Obree has again been doing things the hard way. This time he's building a prone bicycle, which isn't unusual for the land speed record. That he's eschewing external help is hardly surprising either, given his history in the sport, but there are other obstacles to overcome. Not least of these is missing the window for a scheduled meet at Nevada's Battle Mountain because the bike, Beastie, you'll recall, isn't quite ready. Now Obree has the task of finding an alternative venue in the UK, preferably an airfield with a 2-mile runway made of fast tarmac, with no joins or blemishes. But this means doing without some of Battle Mountain's luxuries: a 6° gradient in the rider's favor and a 5000-ft (1500-meter) altitude, reducing drag. "In an engineering journal I read, they said that Battle Mountain is worth 156 watts extra in energy," he told Humans Invent. "And that is just the slope. Then the surface is actually purposefully built for the record attempt, so that has to be worth another fraction in terms of surface resistance." Though Beastie is yet to be completed, Obree says he's "really happy" with its aerodynamics. In fact, the bike in general is every bit as innovative as Old Faithful. Critical to the design is a compact frontal area, which necessitates an incredibly contained riding style. He claims this is one of the smallest bikes every created as far as frontal area goes. "The feet just miss each other on the way past which means the width at the back is the minimum possible so the vehicle can be tailed of short," Obree told Humans Invent "Also it means the knees are closer together and partially share the same space at the bottom of the stroke which means that the skin can be tucked in closer, and that means less frontal area." This sacrifices the direct drive of the rear while, necessitating a series of chainwheels—the theory being the loss in efficiency in the drive mechanism will be more than offset by the aerodynamic advantage. And the pedaling action isn't circular, but a push/pull arrangement which, as Obree said, reduces the need for the rider's knees to dip, also boosting the aerodynamics. Perhaps the most eye-catching feature of Beastie is its clear skin, and for this Obree did receive some outside help: from The Glasgow School of Art. He says he wants people to "see the engine," by which he means the rider. It sounds like only tweaks remain to be made. A shoe-plate here, an elbow guard there: potentially crucial tweaks when seeking to break 100 mph, to be sure, but nothing that affects the principle behind the bike. A time and place for the record attempt are yet to be confirmed, but there's a limited window before the British winter sets in. "To be honest, I am happy it will be a British attempt now. Designed in Britain, made in Britain and broken in Britain," Obree told Humans Invent. "This also means that we can go for the world human-powered land speed record, and also the British human-powered land speed record." Of course whether he will crack the 100 mph mark, or even the record, remains to be seen. But he's clearly set his mind, and, more importantly, his will to the task, and that usually means only one thing. I certainly wouldn't bet against him. Where did he find such a big condom.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTBeer Posted November 21, 2012 Share Where did he find such a big condom.... I had some extras lying around... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ss_quassie Posted November 21, 2012 Share I had some extras lying around... Because they don't fit. Azonic 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robodog Posted November 21, 2012 Share Saw a film about his early riding career and record breaking attempts on DSTV a few months ago. He really is a stubborn dude who loves doing things his own way - come hell or high water. He invented the time trialling position with the high bars touching his chest and built his record breaking bike out of bits from a washing machine. But kudos to him for what he did manage to achieve without any backing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shebeen Posted November 21, 2012 Share loved the movie. but that video clip needs subtitles! wonder if he would consider upington, not high enough. go graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogusOne Posted November 21, 2012 Share http://www.redbull.com/cs/RedBull/RBImages/000/000/52/743/photo610x343a/1209_INT_GraemeObree.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andydude Posted November 21, 2012 Share Is he trying to do it purely on his own strength? Couldn't get that part from the article. Why doesn't he just jump from space and beat the sound barrier as well... or technically go faster than the speed of sound at ground level, but not faster than the sound of speed at altitude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andydude Posted November 21, 2012 Share And that bike doesn't have a UCI sticker on... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shebeen Posted November 21, 2012 Share and here's the world record holder, at battle mountain.http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5V2FgwN_re4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooterza Posted November 21, 2012 Share Bloody hell - you wouldn't catch my riding at that kind of speed on a bike that looks like it was welded together by my farsighted granny! But it is inspiring - looks like the kind of guy who swims against the flow and manages to be a game changer because of it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robodog Posted November 22, 2012 Share And that bike doesn't have a UCI sticker on... Yep. If you are familiar with his life story - he and cycling authorities didn't exactly get on well. They did everything they could to ban him, his bikes, the position he invented... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky Luke. Posted November 22, 2012 Share Broke the hour record clean. Something LA and all his drugs never even attempted, despite making noises in that direction. five-time Tour de France winner, Merckx said it was the hardest thing he had ever done, and many believe he was never the same afterward. Read more: http://failuremag.com/feature/article/graeme_obree_bike_geek/#ixzz2CvNYrW2A Edited November 22, 2012 by Lucky Luke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldron Posted November 22, 2012 Share Broke the hour record clean. Something LA and all his drugs never even attempted, despite making noises in that direction. Oh look. A post about Lance and drugs. On an Obree thread. Can you say "fanboy"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bianchi Posted November 22, 2012 Share Where did he find such a big condom.... I also wanted to know why he stuck himself and a bicycle into a giant condom. It certainly won't save him if he comes tumbling down at 100Mph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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