I’ve been experimenting with the gearing on my homemade giraffe, to see how fast I can go. It’s got a 24" MTB wheel, with the freewheel welded, and I left all the sprockets on. My great idea was to get used to it, then move the chain up a gear, and try again, etc. I got as far as a 32" effective wheel diameter, (which really moves) when the tack weld blocking the freewheel gave way. Unfortunately I was on a slight downslope, so i did an impromptu freewheel glide for around 15’ before I came off. Strangely painful wrists and elbows this morning…
That’s quite impressive. How hard was it to control at the “geared up”? How in the world did you manage to stay up while gliding? Was there any resistance, or was it just really fast?
What was that dismount like?
On a side note, that frame looks strangely like a Hunter:
Ouch, get some wrist and elbow guards for future speed runs. Even if the hub holds in the future there is always the chance of a high speed forward fall into a superman slide.
Sounds like you’re working your way up in the gear ratios. I have a 20" wheel geared 2/1 for a 40" equivalent.
I don’t ride it often, my only injury so far is from when I was getting used to it after a long period of non-use. Because of the light wheel and the large gear the wheel tends to “shoot” out in front because the wheel has traveled twice as far as your brain thinks it it going to. One time it really shot forward, I went straight down and my leg hit the chain ring. Only a little pain and a grease sprocket tatoo. No permanent tatoo.
What a cool giraffe. Are you going to reweld the freewheel and try again?
UniBrier’s giraffe is actually pretty easy to ride. It’s REALLY difficult to mount and, surprisingly, to dismount. I had a hard time predicting where the rascal would go when I got off.
Are you freemounting this thing? Do you find it hard to dismount with a large effective wheel diameter?
Hey, If you welded some pegs to the side where the seat was just above the pedal clearance you could glide, that would be awesome. it would be the first giraffe glide ive ever seen. But definetely a cool thingymabobbit.
thats really cool!
there is another story about unintentional giraffe gliding
i wasnt there, but i will throw out the word “freewheel”
talk to ender about it, i’ll try and get him to post it for you
-------How hard was it to control at the “geared up”? How in the world did you manage to stay up while gliding?------
It’s easy enough to ride once you get up to speed, but very counter intuitive setting off, it keeps shooting out from underneath.
I didn’t so much ‘manage to stay up’ whilst freewheeling, more I ‘happened to stay up’, briefly. By the time I’d twigged what was going on, gravity had helped itself to a greater share of the equation, and I was landing backwards onto my hands. I got away with minor bruises and aching wrists.
With the freewheel fully seam welded, I took it along to the unimeet where a few others had a go, geared to 36". Roger tried to freemount it, but the cluster loosened from it’s thread (I’d spent hours trying to make it do this!)
I’m confident it can be ridden at much higher gearings (60"?), but needs the cluster welding on tight, and plenty of body armour. Could do with a new heavy duty chain, as it’s taking some serious forces, also needs some ‘prettying up’ too…
if you remove the freewheel and smear epoxy all over it and inject some into the bearing housings, it’ll hold. that’s what I did on my home-made artistic bike. use 2-ton epoxy, not quick set
