Gravity Bike Holiday

[Artkansas]

I spent Memorial Day weekend in the hills of Oklahoma chasing a wild bunch of people who were tearing down the hills along the Talimena Scenic Highway. They recorded speeds of up to 75 mph. Here is Fast Eddie taking off on a run. Right Purdy!

[Hal Hardy]

They recorded speeds of up to 75 mph.

I've always wanted to try gravity bike riding, but two problems keep getting in the way....fear and common sense. ;)

[Artkansas]

But that's only one problem. Common sense. Get rid of that and the fear goes away.

Seriously, I was impressed with the common sense that they showed. Everyone was required to wear leathers and a motorcycle helmet. As you can see, the road was not heavily traveled, They posted large signs warning the motorists of their presence. They made sure things were cool with the sheriffs. They waited till the road was clear. A sag wagon followed them to slow any traffic behind them. They checked out the course before to note any problem areas and made sure the equipment was in good shape.

I didn't have a helmet and leathers, but they did let me do a couple of runs down the bunny slopes to get a feel for what the bike is like so I can get a better idea of what I need to do to make a bike for myself. What impressed me was that the bike was stable at speeds, but also very stable virtually stopped.

Really I do a bit of gravity biking everyday on my commute to work. There is a hill that drops 60 feet in .1 miles and gets me going about 40 miles an hour. So I'm training, even if my bike still has pedals. :D

[Hal Hardy]

The first time I saw this sport was when a TV show covered an event in California. The bikes were BMX frames modified to use a small motorcycle's fork (not MTB) and wheels which gave them the advantage of drum brakes. They even had down sized versions of motorcycle road racing fairings. What bugs me is the short wheel base and lack of weight in the frame which makes the center of gravity too high for my taste at those speeds. Now, give me a low racer recumbent, and I'm there.

[Artkansas]

I thought about that too, so I discussed low racer recumbents with them. They felt that they didn't give them as much control. The leverage from up top there was greater. Though I bet if you turned up there next year, properly dressed on a recumbent, no one would force you to stay at the top of the hill. Who knows, you might surprise them. ;)

[Fast Eddie]

it was good to see ya out on the hills, come back next year and bring a bike, leathers, and a helmet and we'll see if we can get some better top speeds!
This is the bike i took to Oklahoma this last memorial day, top speed for the bike was 61.3 mph, top speed for luges was over 70mph. here are the specs for this bike... Crupi hubs w/ cartridge bearings, Wheelsmith spokes, Taipan Velocity 36 hole rims, thick walled thorn resistant tubes, Velum heat resistant rim wrap tape-double wrapped with no "overlap" to keep wheels balanced, Odyssey 120 psi road tires, metal valve stem covers, RST Sprite shock fork, SRAM and Tektro v-brakes front and rear, Big Cheese v-brake adaptor on the rear, custom painted Mongoose frame, Dyno stem, kneelers by Dave Kessler, grip tape on the kneelers and foot rests, custom fabricated tabs on the seat stay to hold the sissy bar and foot rests - keeping the rear wheel free for quick replace and accurate tracking at installation, Serfas grips, custom cut "horseshoe" handlebars, mongoose trick pegs/foot rests, black swirl velour bananna seat.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j64/gravityracing/FEGB2.jpg
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j64/gravityracing/FEGB2-4.jpg
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j64/gravityracing/FEGB2-5.jpg

there are barbells attached at the lower bracket which sets the extra weight almost as low as the axls, any lower and you risk "scraping" in tight, high speed turns. i think it would be cool to see a recumbent gravity bike. i dont think i would try it at these speeds cuz i just dont think a recumbent could corner as well as a g-bike set up, not as much control by the rider cuz of the way a recumbent is mounted.

find out more and see more of these bikes at www.freewebs.com/gravityracing or www.gravitybike.com

[Knudsen]

I've always wanted to try gravity bike riding, but two problems keep getting in the way....fear and common sense. ;)

No worries, Hal. Visisit your pharmacy. Ronrico makes a wonderful product for the removal of all traces of fear and common sense. Check near the other solvents and flamable liquids. Hint: mix 70/30 with crushed ice topped with 2 oz. tangerine diet rite for a happy evening :D :D :D

[Knudsen]

Erm, uh, I assuming there's a good reason those guyz are clad in leather. (ever seen a cow with road rash scars?) Looks like fun, but be careful, friends. Life is short, don't need to make it any shorter!

[Hal Hardy]

i think it would be cool to see a recumbent gravity bike. i dont think i would try it at these speeds cuz i just dont think a recumbent could corner as well as a g-bike set up, not as much control by the rider cuz of the way a recumbent is mounted.

I forgot to ask about the course when I brought recumbents up. I was assuming that any curves would be sweepers. If they are sharper, a 'bent would have to slow down more for the turns and hope to recover on the straightaways. Since I see that adding ballast is kosher, I would stick with the standard bikes. I also now see what a 6'4" dude like me does with his knees on those short bikes. I was thinking of strapping on titanium knee protectors and shooting roostertails of sparks in the corners. :D

[powers2b]

Someone got a link to the rule book?
How about an OH based club?

[Fast Eddie]

there are two north american organizations that put on races that include a classes for gravity bikes. one is www.gravitysportsinternational.com (GSI) and they have a rulebook on their site. the other is the international gravity sports assocaition (IGSA) and i think their rule book and events listing is at www.gravity-sports.com. the IGSA currently hold races on almost every continent. as for Ohio, there is an annual gravity race held by IGSA this coming october in Bainbridge Ohio. from what i understands it coincides with a fall festival of leaves if im thinking of the right race. a streetluger and his girlfriend came to OK for our annual fun run last month.

these bikes are actually steered with your knees, with a small shift of the hips, weight is transferred to that knee tray applying leverage to lean the bike over, it doesn take much and if the bike is set up correctly they are suprisingly maneuverable through very tight turns at high speeds. im still getting used to how fast they can take very sharp turns and how far i can lean the bike over without falling-thanks to the upgraded tires that is! ride hard, ride safe, fast eddie outty

www.freewebs.com/gravityracing/

www.gravitybike.com