bike height

rob said:

i'm planning on designing a tandem bike similar to the one used by
these guys www.steppebysteppe.com.au but was wondering about how to
best setup the bike to get maxmimum clearance without a loss in
stability, i have had a play with some bikes (not like theirs) and
even going over a few small logs it seems to bottom out, how high up
have people had their recumbents raised before?

thanks

-rob

Like this? http://drugssale.info/pict/1162203292229.jpg

rob said:

i'm planning on designing a tandem bike similar to the one used by
these guys www.steppebysteppe.com.au

Wow!!

Had a look over this site. My first thoughts were about the craziness of
trying to ride a quad-bike, with all it's complexities, across Asia. Then
the bit about carrying up to 500kg!! And the idea of making it amphibious.
Hope these people haven't bitten off more than they can chew. Weights of
this order are not the sort of thing to be pedalling under human power, and
the central Asian mountains will be steep, with rough roads and scarcity of
supplies. People have done this sort of trip, but on regular bikes, maybe
assisted with BOB trailers, and more lightly loaded. I see great
difficulties pushing that quad. And a fairing to prevent frostbite? Correct
me if I'm wrong, but frostbite is really about a bit more than wind chill...
something about the - 30 deg temps in Siberia?? Even still conditions,
especially if you get compromised circulation, will produce frostbite risks.

Then I chaecked out the bike specs. Put together by Greenspeed, well they
have got some good help there. Still I'm not a recumbent afficionado. Every
ride I've ever been on with the Greenspeed trikes I've only ever
encountered them in one sitiation - going past them!

The Steppe by Steppe team is more interesting. Roger Chao, bushwalking
Federation Peak, crossed Greenland, Australian Geographic young adventurer
of the year.... hmm, impressive.

Megan Kerr... ??? (thinks: "I know that name?"😉 Omigod, an ex-student of
mine!! There's her picture, yes! And reading her background she's doing a
lot of cycling. Wow, Megan has come a long way. Can't recall if she ever did
the GVBR with our school, don't think so, but she sure seems to be a convert
to cycling.

Well, I wish them all the best in their expedition. Might send them a
message. I hope their chosen vehicle proves effective on the vastness of
Siberia.

--
Cheers
Peter

~~~ ~ _@
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~~ (*)/ (*)

PeteSig wrote:
Firstly,thanks for the info. could not be bthered doing
anotherregistered site atm.

Quoted message said:

Had a look over this site. My first thoughts were about the craziness of
trying to ride a quad-bike

Independent suspension solves a lot, but a rocking front is probably easier.
, with all it's complexities,

Hub gears. It is getting or building a workable diff that is the
problem, unless you walk it through all tight curves.
across Asia.

That is like three times across Australia, or is it four?

Quoted message said:

Then the bit about carrying up to 500kg!!

Two people(?). No problem. Have people forgotten that guy towing a
ton(?) around the USA as his bid for the US olympic team?

Quoted message said:

And the idea of making it amphibious.

Well, you are going to need that to cross some of the waterways, unless
you wait for a friendly truck to come by as they did on the Peking to
Paris recreation (ABC, Warren Brown)

Quoted message said:

Hope these people haven't bitten off more than they can chew. Weights of
this order are not the sort of thing to be pedalling under human power,

So long as you are not worried about the speed. It is the braking that
terrifies me.

Quoted message said:

.... Australian Geographic young adventurer
of the year.... hmm, impressive.

Naah. Aus Geo thinks being the 1,001st person to ride a push bike up
Cape York is adventure. There was even a printed guide around at the
time put together by a guy who ran commercial bicycle tours up there.

Quoted message said:

Well, I wish them all the best in their expedition. Might send them a
message. I hope their chosen vehicle proves effective on the vastness of
Siberia.

It isn't the machine, but the muscles in the brain that matter.