EKW in DC

Yay! He's back!

lz4005

Don't leave us hanging swbluto...unless you're stuck on the side of a mountain under cloud cover waiting for a recharge.

cycle_maven

Please don't feed the trolls. It just encourages them.

AdamDZ

In that case why don't you just go with a micro fusion reactor or a differential gravity engine and forget the solar panels altogether? Might as well ditch the wheels and convert to to a hoverbike.

EKW in DC

Yeah. I mean, at least then, you don't have to worry about breaking spokes. Of course, you'll need to make sure your anti-gravity flux capacitor and anti-matter concentration chambers are properly calibrated for maximum performance. <---- That's the tire inflation of tomorrow. :-)

AdamDZ

I heard that they working on a design that does away with anti-matter concentration chambers so the problem should eventually go away to some degree. Although, the flux capacitors will remain an issue for some time. They had enough problems making them compact enough to be used in portable applications. The original ones used in time travel applications (larger vehicles) were too big to be used in portable energy sources and anti-gravity engines, so there was a tradeoff: smaller size but less stability that requires more frequent calibration. Although, in real life that shouldn't be required too often: once a month is the worst case scenario. Topeak makes a small multitool that makes the calibration easy enough on the road.

Although, on a second thought, a hoverbike will take away some riding enjoyment I think, and we won't be able to praise Schwalbe tires any more. I think the self-tensioning and dynamically adjusting rims and spokes will be good enough for now. I'm just waiting for some price drops and I'm not sure what kind of hubs are required for those.

On a side note, the Brooks saddles will now use sensors and "smart leather" that will adjust the saddle shape and tension automatically to your butt's shape on-the-fly and even to your riding position and road conditions. So no more wearing-in! And one saddle can be used by different riders.

iconicflux

I do have some experience in this area (support for a team that races in the world solar challenge and some tour del sol' s) and I can say that I think what he is doing is possible but some of his numbers don't seem to make sense.

If OP is interested I could get them in touch with my team's engineers.

One question that comes to mind is what type of charge controller is he using? I can't spot it in the pics and they are usually good size.

fietsbob

Going back to #15, Get a Velomobile. tadpole trike in a full Monocoque fairing,
(no separate frame)

In order to get the sustained speed you wish, Air resistance will be 90% of your work,

full suspension, Maybe not , you got 10K$+ to put into this buy, right ?

AdamDZ

That's the whole point. He's dreaming. He'd need a $10k+ ultralight velomobile (where the body is the frame) to start with and probably another $5-10k in cutting edge solar tech and batteries and he'll have no room for any significant cargo. What he's talking about is good for some tech/racing or tech demo experiment but not for real-life bicycle touring. It would be too expensive, too hard or impossible to maintain on the road and he won't get the kind of mileage from it he thinks. The technology needed to make this a reality the way he envisions it (30mph, 100+ miles a day with cargo) is in its infancy, cutting edge and prohibitively expensive. It just seems like he doesn't get that and keeps talking nonsense.

Mr. Jim

I'll answer the one question I know about and leave the rest of this trash alone.

"The question I wonder is a bob trailer capable of safely traveling at 30 mph?"
Yes i believe so, stopping a fully loaded Bob and your bike and heavy motors and batteries however requires adding yet more weight to this so called touring machine. I've had my trailer up to about 40 (downhill of course) and stopping it with regular brakes was an interesting experience.

RWBlue01

Having skimmed this thread:
I find the concept of a part solar/motor/recumbent interesting. It could make an interesting commuter vehicle. But to be practical you would need to recharge the capacitors at work and at home and only use them sparingly and have an place where the sun is shining 80+% of the time and have roads specifically designed for vehicles going 30MPH without stop signs, stop lights, drivers doing 80…..

For your touring requirements:
3K for the motorcycle is cheaper than your project bike.
OR
You can rent motorcycles.
OR
You can buy used and then sell it a few months later after you have done your tour. It might actually be cheaper than renting.
OR
You could drive to the location you want to see, ride there and then get back in the car to go to the next location.
OR
Pretty much the same, but using the bus or train.

At this point you are dreaming.