Obree record attempt sponsorship

BillyMansell

I did a quick search so know this has ben mentioned before but this is the first picture I've seen of the bike itself;


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

It briefly mentions in the article that there's a manager looking to raise sponsorship but then they haven't really used the opportunity of the article to sell the idea to raise money. Have they considered asking the cycling community to help? Asking cycling fans for donations?

I'd be willing to contribute a few quid as I have great memories of Graeme's achievements and a fond affection for the guy with his pragmatism in facing up to his challenges in life but getting on and living it on his own terms anyway.

RDW

Good stuff - I had no idea he was doing this. More pictures and an article linked from his Twitter page:

http://twitter.com/#!/GraemeObree/statu ... to/1/large

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/edito ... -23849885/

briantrumpet

I hope he's going to use what's left of the saucepan as a helmet.

mattshrops

Is that the chainset? - I hope hes double jointed.

That bloke is brilliantly barking mad-well played sir

Gizmodo

mattshrops wrote:

Is that the chainset? - I hope hes double jointed.

I thought that, but I suspect the crank will be elsewhere and that is the first of 2 gear sets. So I suspect that there will be a big ring linked to that cassette, if you notice there's also a big ring there, so I assume there will be a second chain from that big ring to another cassette that isn't yet shown.

BillyMansell

I suspect that they'll be a big rear chainring driving the sprockets at the front whose output is multiplied by the front chainring which drives a single sprocket on the rear wheel. That way all the complex and bulky gearing is kept inboard and he can keep the rear of the bike as compact and aerodynamic as possible.

RDW

From the article:

'To reach that speed, he will be pedalling in a gear, which is around three times bigger than the top gear on a road racing bike. The pedals turn a chain which drives one set of gears, which then transfer the power to the rear wheel through a second chain, doubling the pedal power of a conventional bike.

A single turn of the gear will propel his bike around 30ft – compared with around 10ft achieved by a road racer's top gear.

"You just roll it and go up through the gears. If you get into the top gear you are already doing 80mph," he said.'

and:

'To maximise aerodynamics, Obree will also be surrounded by what he calls "the skin", a carbon shell that is reinforced with bullet-proof Kevlar so that it does not disintegrate if he crashes. "It's basically a torpedo – a land based missile," he said.'

BillyMansell

The article doesn't go into great detail so if people want to know more try Googling 'double reduction gearing system' or 'John Howard's land speed record' of 1985.

mattshrops

RDW wrote:

From the article:



"You just roll it and go up through the gears. If you get into the top gear you are already doing 80mph," he said.'[/i]


woop woop (not much of an addition to the discussion granted- It just made me grin)

go Obree go

BelgianBeerGeek

Still thinking about that one. Hang on, why bother, he's thought it through, right?
Read his biog a couple of years back. He is one interesting, and driven, bloke. So he has a master plan.
Chapeau!