When attempting tricks involving freewheeling, it is easier to perform
them if there is resistance to the turning of the wheel. This includes BC
wheeling and coasting.
I can see that a wheel with high resistance in the bearings will slow down
quicker, but will it also allow the rider to be less precise in their
fore-aft balance?
When I think about extreme cases of high and low rolling resistance, it
feels that my hypothesis is right, but how much effect would normal levels
of differing resistance have?
I’ve always ridden (freestyle) with very high tyre pressure, making
rolling and turns easier. However, if I lowered my tyre pressure, would
this introduce rolling resistance and make my coasting attempts more
successful?
Could you get or make especially resistant bearings (ie. smooth but
resistant) for learning these skills, then go up to more free-running ones
once the basic skill has been acquired?
These are all thoughts of the top of my head. I don’t know if anyone has
ever actually done any research on the matter.
This is an interesting concept but I believe all one needs to do is select an appropriate grade on which to practice, rather than go through the trouble of replacing their bearings. A slight uphill would have the same effect as using “stunted” bearings on flat ground.
As to making the resistant bearings, I found salt water corrosion does a good number on my skateboard wheel bearings…
Did I read that right? Are you using VI to edit your postings? Helloooo uber-geek! If that’s truly the case then I can no longer call myself a geek. It looks like, yet again, the bar has been raised.
> Stu Carter wrote:
> This is an interesting concept but I believe all one needs to do is
> select an appropriate grade on which to practice, rather than go through
> the trouble of replacing their bearings.
Ok… a slight uphill gradient prevents forward motion, but doesn’t hinder
backward motion - so surely the uni can fly out behind you easier. I can
see that the coast will be shorter and not gain speed (good thing!) as it
would if you were on a slight downhill, but I’m still not sure if it would
make things easier.
It’s really not clear in my head… maybe I need to draw myself some
diagrams.
> As to making the resistant bearings, I found salt water corrosion does a
> good number on my skateboard wheel bearings…
Hehe.
>> :wq
>
> Did I read that right? Are you using VI to edit your postings?
> Helloooo uber-geek! If that’s truly the case then I can no longer
> call myself a geek. It looks like, yet again, the bar has been raised.
On Wed, 1 Jun 2005 13:59:42 +0100, Stu Carter wrote:
>When I think about extreme cases of high and low rolling resistance, it
>feels that my hypothesis is right, but how much effect would normal levels
>of differing resistance have?
If the wheel isn’t turning, then I can see that in extreme cases your
hypothesis is right. In that case your wheel is a solid (yet sort of
pivoting around the tyre contact patch) support. The resistance acts
one way or the other, depending on the direction of the force acting
on it.
But if, in spite of the high resistance, the wheel would be constantly
rolling in one direction, I don’t think the high resistance would help
you. It would ensure a constant deceleration which you have to
counteract with going downhill (or by losing speed). But other than
that it would not provide any stability because the resistive force is
constant in direction. I think.
Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
wouldnt you be grumpy if somone just said you had PMS? - jagur
Simplistically, reducing your tire pressure slows the wheel down, and can make quite a few things easier to do as a result. One pro unicyclist uses about 35 psi for freestyle instead of the tire’s stated 80 psi.
That would be the easiest and best method to introduce rolling resistance in a controlled way.
If your amount of rolling resistance is constant, I don’t see it affecting your fore-aft balance. If you have input into it, such as in gliding, this would of course be entirely different.
Only if you have a way lot of friction would you have something useable to actually push against. In other words, the resistance of the bearings gives “push back.”
On a big wheeled unicycle, one of the reasons you can ride much farther without a dismount is because pedal input not only moves the wheel in the desired direction, the mass of the wheel allows you to push back against it.
For example. Ride into a corner somewhere, with your pedals level. Now if you press down on the front pedal, what happens? The cycle will lean back. You can actually use this force to kind of shoot away from the wall, if done right.
On Thu, 2 Jun 2005 13:22:30 -0500, “johnfoss” wrote:
>>If your amount of rolling resistance is constant, I don’t see it
>affecting your fore-aft balance.
That’s what I tried to explain too. And then there’s the “if”, because
the amount of rolling (or rotational) resistance may NOT be constant
but varies WITHOUT your input, such as from too tightly clamped
bearings that bind more at a specific part of the revolution. Then you
are WORSE off for coasting!
All in all I think: for coasting the lower the resistance is, the
better.
Disclaimer: I can’t coast (on a uni).
Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
wouldnt you be grumpy if somone just said you had PMS? - jagur
> On Thu, 2 Jun 2005, forrestunifreak wrote:
>
> > Why cant you and others just…register?
>
> I have. My username is kddpivvuohi.
>
> However, I read a bunch of USENET groups, which is what I am looking
> at. USENET. The fact there is an intermaweb forum gateway to it,
> doesn’t change the fact I’m looking at USENET.
>
> So, I use my newsreader to read news.
>
> Seems sensible to me
>
> Cheers,
>
> Stu
>
> ObUnicycle: Commuted to work this morning with a 7lb backpack -
> that’s the weight I’ve lost in less than a month since I’ve been
> riding again.
I can do newsgroups too.
Your MIME type is funky (MULTIPART/MIXED). Your post got imported to
the forum as an attachment with no body text.
That may be because the newsgroup RSU is a text-only group and hence it UPD’d on the attachment.
The solution is to either put the attachment somewhere on the www (or an ftp server but that is less ideal) and then post the link on here, or to post via the forum using the “Attach file” option.
If that’s truly the case then I can no longer call myself a geek. It looks like, yet again, the bar has been raised.
If that’s truly the case then I can no longer
) -used ed beforehand-