Here we go again – first post of the new season 🙂
This will be the sixth season of cycling on ice. And this season we are going to cycle faster (of course) and slower (there’s a surprise!). We will have 3 versions of the Icebyk: the standard Icebyk will stay the same as last year and can be hire for team outings via MV-Moves; there will be a development model to push the speed boundaries; and a slower, much cheaper and simpler Icebyk for ice hockey rinks and smaller. More about the ‘fun’ Icebyk later.
We have proved that the Icebyk can reliably go round the inside bend of a standard 400m Olympic ice oval at 40km/h. The next phase of development is not so much about going faster, but increasing the efficiency so it is easier to maintain that speed. And this means improving the aerodynamics. The concepts can be copied from the recumbent racing bikes: seat as reclined as possible, steering above the chest as opposed to under the seat, and the side arm needs to be an aerofoil section. And obviously chop off any bits of Icebyk that are not needed! I haven’t done this before because it all makes the Icebyk harder to adjust and use, so Icebyk Red will no longer be used for open events. I should point out that all the modifications will be within the Ice Track Cycling rules (which do not allow the addition of fairings etc purely for aerodynamic purposes ie excluding a fully enclosed rider).
I hesitate to show you some picture from my workshop because it is a bit full at the moment..
Without the under seat steering, a side support on the seat has been added to counteract the G force in the left hand corners.
Mock up for the steering position to get the geometry right before making the actual parts
Experimenting with the new steering mechanism – 2 other prototypes are in the bin but this is looking promising!
New minimalist rear suspension – Colin Chapman (Lotus Cars founder) would approve. May need ‘tuning’ !
