Thread: Sail bike?
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Old 04-20-06, 11:48 PM
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meb
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We don't need no stinking low center of gravity

Originally Posted by AlanK
I thought I'd go ahead and revive this thread since it's an interesting topic. Sounds like my thinking is pretty similar - I was thinking about the idea. It also occured to me that a recumbent would be more well suited for a sail because of the lower center of gravity.

That said, as others have mentioned a small, adjustable, removable sail on a standard bike might be useful in some situations. If you were traveling with a tailwind or light sidewind, it could provide a useful boost. This is especially true with hills: if you're riding a long, steady incline with a tailwind, it seems to me that a sail would make climbing much easier. Since you would be going that fast, there'd be a little to no drag effect.

Obviously there are conditions where a sail would be a hindrance: When you are riding on flat or downcline surface with little or no wind a sail would obviously create a great deal of resistance (which it why it would need to be easily removable). An obviously it's probably not a good idea in the city, only on an open road (even then it would need to be fairly small). But I'm really curious if anyone has had any progress and success with this idea.
These Frenchies are on a world tour with one of the tallest recumbents on the market and have a discussion going. Optima Condor Sailbent World Tour:
http://ventduvoyage.free.fr/Materiel.htm#voile

There making us eat crow on the feasibility of two wheeled recumbent sailbikes.


Here's a thread in the recumbents forum on subject:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...50#post2431550
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