Mr Obree is at it again!

[guest18]

If it was anyone else, you'd write this off as an old fool wasting his time, with Mr Obree however, the fool would be the man who writes him off! 
Inspirational bloke and I really, really hope he succeeds, more than a little of the Burt Munro about some of his exploits sometimes 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/9248769/The-100mph-bike-designed-in-the-bath-and-made-from-an-old-saucepan.html#disqus_thread

[Steve Lake]

It's an extreme riding position... and it would appear that efficient breathing (really opening ones chest for huge lungfuls of air) might be an issue...and that ridiculous comment about doubling the power using a lay shaft with 2nd set of gears must have been dreamt up by some idiot journo, i'm sure o'bree would.nt have said that..
but all power to his elbow!... if anyone can do it... it'll be graeme

I wonder if he's spoken to Mike burrows... mike built a carbon fibre torpedo to break the record... totally enclosed...rider clamped fibre optic eypiece to his head.. small lense at front of torpedo... i seem to remember trials at elvington involved the rider aming for car headlights at far end... narrow field of vision ....to easy to lose sight of target

[Andy M]

That's the spirit. Good luck to the guy.

The power/layshaft thing is normal. Outside engineering the size of the engine (it's a 1000 cc etc.) usually gets them first, then the idea of power dawns but torque and energy are just too much. Our marketing department still think it's a good thing we have to use bigger motors than our competitors 

The breathing bit (and weight) are where I'd unfortunately have to bet on a University instead of the bloke working on fag packets. He needs the exact riding position for his chest to expand and the muscles to get the best leverage on the pedals, but his mouth (the intake) needs to be in still or lighly pressurised air. Use a big lump of fibreglass to get this right and the weight kills you.

I wonder how light an oxygen set you can buy?

Andy 

[guest18]

"I wonder how light an oxygen set you can buy"

Well if you went for a plastic hospital type face mask, grammes for that, the regulator would be a bit heavy, but you could use a fire brigade type Carbon Fibre cyclinder...
But would it be within the rules, and would a mask risk a restriction in breathing ability, and if you were to dispense with a mask and just inject O2 in a (relatively) enclosed space risk some Apollo 1 type horror?

Nah, better just with an airflow to the riders face (NACA ducts are clever) and relying on the "engine"'s prodigious output I reckon!

[Ian]

The film "The Flying Scotsman" is on BBC2 tonight (Monday7th May) ....as you all know is a fact based film about said Mr Obree

Ian

[guest7]

I have, and always will, idolise this bloke. Every time he sets out to do something he does it in a way that only he could. How could you not admire a man who aims to break a speed record and says something like this:

One obvious problem is testing his new bike in advance of the record attempt. "We'll just have to take it out onto the A78 and try it there – I'll get a mate to drive behind me while I'm doing it," he said.

Other people would be worrying about the design of the team's logo and how to promote the brand, Obree just gets out the brazing torch 

GC

[guest18]

The meeting was highlighted during the film, between Mr Obree and Mr Boardman, both awesome, talented skilled cyclists and athletes, where Mr Boardman was on a lotus designed hugely expensive carbon fibre bike, and Mr Obree was on a bike of his own design, built from old bits of BMX frame amongst other things, and Mr Obree won.
The contrast could not have been more obvious, nor Mr Boardman's sportsmanship, nor the raw ability and incredible drive of Mr Obree.

The whole country should be proud of him, and cheer him on in his latest madcap venture, it's people like Mr Obree who make the world an interesting and exciting place and expose my excuses for the weak excuses they are. At the same time he should be an inspiration to anyone who has ever picked up a spanner and exercised their imagination in a shed, garage or bedroom!
A legend, be glad you are alive at the right time to watch his exploits      

[Steve Lake]

Yeah..well said smudge
just out of interest here's a pic of a pre-production lotus bike ( mine, and my mountain bike, built from the same carbon fibre pre-preg as all the lotus bikes... dunno why mine didn't go as fast....
also, behind the 'iron stick' trike you can see Mike burrows recumbent, and behind that my little fixed wheel time trial bike with wonderfully crafted alloy aero seat stem, 24" sprint front wheel... you can see Mike's design ethos running from that little tester bike through to the lotus bike (my tester bike is 12c years olde than the lotus bike.
Interestingly, Mike did help Graeme on his original Hour record attempts when the first bottom bracket using washing machine bearings, failed.... as far as i'm aware Graeme ended up using the same bottom bracket assembly as you see on the mountain bike.

I really do hope Graeme does well in this attempt... at least he won't have a load of 'blazers' telling he can't do this that or the other....the IHPVA are far more forward thinking.

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[guest7]

Great picture Steve, thanks for posting it

GC

[guest7]

Orbree is mentioned today in the i newspaper (possibly the The Independent too). There's a great photo of his bike build cluttering up the kitchen table in his flat.

There's also a mention of this bike, built to highlight cycle awareness (not by Orbree I hasten to add)... yes those are train horns driven by air from a scuba tank!

[Ian]

GC

Im sure these ideas could be applied to PTWs


Ian

[Steve Lake]

for anyone interested in HPV record attempts (be they land, sea or air) this site is worth a look, you'll see what Graeme is up against.
http://www.ihpva.org/pipermail/hpv/2000-October/009664.html
cheers