Possible aero mods for conventional frame bicycle

[freebeard]

...found the tail so important that he enclosed the parachute tubes entirely inside a boat-tailed cone which could be shot off the car as a prelude to parachute deployment.

How do the track officials feel about shedding parts in mid-run?

[BamZipPow]

Originally Posted by Vman455

There isn't that much to it, though--I count eight bolts, two rods, four plates, and the fairings themselves. To compare, this wheel:

[img]http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii252/jbradle3/IMAG0572.jpg[/img

...which is an aluminum box-section rim with a fairly substantial fairing, weighs just over two pounds.

Also, he shouldn't be claiming "up to 20 percent faster without any extra effort," when there was no controlled testing to generate that number.

The fairings are made from aluminum...so I'm guessing they aren't just some thin sheets on there.

Upper Wheel Fairings, by contrast, are attached to the top section of the fork and seatstays, then finely adjusted in order to get the aluminum fairings themselves as snug with the sides of the wheels as possible – without actually touching them. Nylon spacers keep the fairings from damaging the rims, should they make contact due to wind gusts or vibrations.

[Grant-53]

COcyclist, I am a long time commuter too and I had a paper route in the '60s. I have dealt with the crosswind issue successfully by mounting the front fairing to the head tube instead of the steering. Trikes are cool and the neighbor across the street has one. The advantages of an upright in stop and go traffic are eye level and weight even with fairing. I have found many buses and trains are compatible with bringing an upright onboard. Most of the work in streamlining is done between the rider's shoulders and knees. A great deal has been done with the wheels and the shape of the tubes. A fairing gives comfort to the hands in cold weather and I find that I need lighter clothing behind the fairing. I am good to go using a light coat and wind breaker most of the time (25+ F).

[Grant-53]

For a car the airfoil shape is basically horizontal since width is greater than height. A motorcycle is taller than it is wide so the airfoil axis is vertical.

[3-Wheeler]

Originally Posted by aerohead

Phil,

Thanks for the above verbiage. I really like the image above, as the tail is designed for a crouched rider, and certainly not as tall and bulky as some of the "upright position" tails.

The enclosed portion of the front fairing around the handlebars looks similar to Matt Guzetta's entry in the 1980's.

Jim.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by freebeard

How do the track officials feel about shedding parts in mid-run?

There are no extant photos of how the Summers Brother's dealt with the tail.It's only vaguely described.The support crew would have followed Goldenrod right down the course and retrieved the tail on the way to the car,before ferrying it to the impound location.

Now it's just done with clamshell doors which are exploded open under compressed gas pressure rams,which also launch the parachutes.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by 3-Wheeler

Phil,

Thanks for the above verbiage. I really like the image above, as the tail is designed for a crouched rider, and certainly not as tall and bulky as some of the "upright position" tails.

The enclosed portion of the front fairing around the handlebars looks similar to Matt Guzetta's entry in the 1980's.

Jim.

At this years IHPVA speed trials,the IHPVA had just about every major newsletter from day-one available at the Battle Mountain Civic Center.
I grabbed one of each,and you can definitely see the evolution of fairings and fully-enclosed bodies from 'upright',crouched,supine, recumbent,reverse-recumbent,and 'camera' designs.
*The upright fully-enclosed bodies seem most appropriate for a closed-course environment because of blow-over.
*The fully-enclosed recumbents are prone to blow-over as well.
*The semi-open body seems like the safe compromise for a road bike unless it was a trike.
Here's one of the non-Olympian IHPVA members 'all-coroplast-bodied' trike he 'rode' at 47-mph!

[freebeard]

So... reverse-recumbent is prone; but I'm having trouble picturing a 'camera' design.

[Frank Lee]

[freebeard]

Picturing... Get it?