> Mark Rushton wrote:
> I am in the middle of making a low rise carbon giraffe at the
> moment with a three speed gear. If this was geared up suitably
> it could theoretically be ridden very fast. Would this be the
> right sort of unicycle to have a go at breaking such records?
In the 1970s, a unicyclist named Larry Chebowski (a.k.a. Arnold
Wheels) of Phoenix, Arizona, USA built a one-speed geared up
unicycle. Unexpectedly, it was very difficult to ride. I will
attempt to explain why.
When you push down on a front pedal of a standard unicycle, the
wheel tends to roll forward which causes you to fall backwards.
By leaning forward, you compensate for this and maintain your
balance. When you enter gear ratios and fulcrums into the
equation, the result isn't what you expect. You may have
noticed that when a car drag races from a dead stop, the front
end pops up before the car begins to move forward. This is
because it takes less energy to raise the front end than it
does to move the whole car forward (momentarily). When you
push down on a pedal of a geared unicycle, it takes less energy
to rotate the fork (and you!) than it does to move the entire
unicycle. You will have to compensate for this in your attempt
to maintain balance. Also, make a seat that comes up high in
front and back so that you won't need to use your hands to keep
it from being yanked out from between your legs.
As far as I know, Larry and myself were the only ones who ever
learned to ride his geared unicycle.
o/ Thank you and have a FANTASTIC day!
/|
>> Captain Fantastic
|
| (aka) kevin.seaman@nb.rockwell.com
_O______________________________________________________________