I was looking at some of the Lars-cycle photos. Yes, it looks like a
large piece of foam over a Viscount seat, with fabric over the top of
that. Not sure where the air part fits in, but like John C. said, if he
kept getting flats it was probably because something was rubbing or
pinching. I have way less than 9000 miles on my three air seats (or
1000), but all of them are on the original tubes. I think the key thing
to do is make sure the tube will not be pinched or otherwise compromised
when you ride on it. It's possible Lars even had a rough edge somewhere
in there that he couldn't detect, that was causing all the flats.
His handlebar system is interesting. I can imagine a very stable ride,
once you get used to having your hands on those bars. You can lift your
butt right off the seat, and the hands-down position is probably very
stable. It's not very aerodynamic, but at country-crossing speeds aero
is probably a relatively minor thing. Except in a headwind.
I was surprised to see how his whole rack and handlebar system was
attached to the seatpost by what appears to be a single, basic weld.
Looks like a weak spot there, hope he didn't have problems with breakage
on his rides (haven't read the book yet).
It's easy to look at the cycle now and see ways to improve it. I don't
know if Lars started out with such a setup, or it was developed over the
course of much riding. It should be easy to take a couple of pounds of
excess metal off his setup without changing any of the ergonomics. The
Viscount seat base could be replaced by a lighter one, and the handlebar
setup could be done with a lot less tubing. Upgrading to the Airfoil rim
would also probably save a pound or so. But by using the stock wheel,
Lars has shown the world just what a plain Coker can do.
Not having tried side-handles myself, I'm comfortable with my own handle
setup. For longer rides, I think I'd want something to rest my elbows on
while keeping my hands in front of me, like a triathlon bike setup. This
would allow me to lever my butt off the seat as desired to reduce saddle
weight, and be more aerodynamic. I don't know if I'd get a sore neck
(like other ultramarathon cyclists have) or have other problems. The
triathlon position is also what Christian Hoverath used on the European
Unicycle Tour.
--
johnfoss - Walkin' on the edge
John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
"jfoss" at "unicycling.com" -- www.unicycling.com
"Read the rules!"
'IUF Rulebook' (http://www.unicycling.org/iuf/rulebook/)
'USA Rulebook' (http://www.unicycling.org/usa/competition/)
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