Sail Bike (http://www.vsv.cape.com/~harharb/windbike.html)

Plug a search term into google, and there it is... :lol:

And there's more! :eek:

Sail Rig for bicycle (http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4557495.html)

Sailing Bicycle (http://www.freepatentsonline.com/3986722.html)

How to Attach a Sail to a Bicycle (http://www.riparia.org/sailbike.htm)

Apparatus for Harnessing Wind to Drive a Bicycle (http://www.patentlysilly.com/patent.php?patID=6932368)

Sailing Bicycles (http://webpages.charter.net/gmaclaren/sailbike/1.html)

Adjustable Bicycle Sail Apparatus (http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6007081.html)

How do you tack in a headwind?! :eek:

Could be fun to watch at rush hour... :lol:

Did you see that crazy French guy and the speeds he claims!! I want one of those things! In the deep cold of January we get sustained winds from the N of 30-60 MPH. The supercooled air is also very dense, and packs a great deal of energy. I wonder what kind of speeds you could get up here on a frozen lake.

I'm a sailor myself, so I'm not necesarily against the idea in and of itself, but even so, this guy is nuts! :) What are you supposed to do in a headwind, short tack like a madman in the right lane? And how do you keep from heeling too much? Does it have an outrigger? (I imagine a keel would be impractical...)

Do they have any rigs with a Lateen sail?

Damn that looks like fun! I sometimes "sail" my bike in a good wind with just my own back as the sail. But I've never gotten much over 10 mph in a 30 mph wind.

Bragi, I imagine your heel would be the outrigger, like with mountain bikes and cyclocross.

The cruiser bike with its foot control safety brakes and wide handlebars made controling the eratic "on-off" power of the breeze controlable. I could easily travel in a straight line. An English style bike, a ten speed, or even a mountain bike in this application would prove dangerous!

and

editorial note: .... I've been riding (and sailing) regularly for 45 years.

He's full of more BS then most Craigslisters. Nobody can control a ballooner with those god-be-dammned steerhorn handlebars - whether it has a sail or not! I'd more sooner try it on his so called "English-style bike," or even on an MTB.

-Kurt

However, I'm all for promoting these things to America as the #1 way to travel to and from work...

...provided they use them only on Bike Forums A&S-stereotyped MUPs with approximately 250 other cyclists, skateboarders, joggers, runners, walkers, snoozers, dopers, insanely-long-leashed dog walkers, et cetera.

Remind me to bring a nice sized video production crew to film the mess. "M*A*S*H II," anyone?

-Kurt