Friday, July 13, 2007

Bikes and steam trains (again)

How fast can one go on a bike? In 1899 "Mile a Minute Murphy" went 60 miles per hour on a bike

Here is more of the story as told by the rider himself.

Posted by PP at 10:56 AM

9 comments:

LS said...

Another thing I would never do :) Poor guy, crashing into the train and have his shirt melted onto his skin!

July 13, 2007 at 11:49 AM
O.K. said...

I've heard about him before but it was interesting to read about it from his point of view. They sure had a different attitude towards safety in those times, regardless if it was sports, expeditions or just working environment.

Let's see, 70 mph the last quarter mileon a 112 inch gear, that's about 210 rpm. Not bad! As for the speed, he was right in his conclusion that without windresistance the limiting factor is friction, and in his case, guts. Anyone who has drafted behind a bus knows that when close enough you can just coast and brake a little now and then.
Another guy who used this "secret" was the late Bruce Bursford, "world's fastest cyclist" according to himself, setting records exceeding 200 mph (320 km/h) on _rollers_. On a superlight, aerodynamic bike no less, as if it would matter. That he had Uri Geller as his coach kind of makes the picture complete. Maybe he should have been into PR or lobbying instead, it's not a bad feat to have Nature, BBC etc reporting that you achieved those speeds when you actually were spinning a wheel and not moving at all...

July 15, 2007 at 3:09 AM
LS said...

Did Bruce's record really count if he was on rollers and not actually moving? Who was Uri Geller?

July 15, 2007 at 11:55 AM
O.K. said...

Well, maybe I should have written "record", we can all be world record holders if we make up the rules ourselves. His big feat was to get the press to report about his achievements, littered with questionable facts. Like that he accelerated 0-60 mph in 2 seconds while putting out 5000 watts... I think it means that it would have taken 5000 watts to accelerate him and the bike to those speeds, if he actually had moved.

Look at this picture, the bike is propped up on the rollers so it doesn't even support the riders weight. Less friction that way, and why does the bike have to weigh just 10 lbs when you do that? I love how he sits in an aero position on his aero bike with an aero helmet, but there's no wind... And he tops it off by wearing sneakers! :) Of course you need an F1 car in the background to give the right associations.

When Chris Boardman set a new hour record (furthest distance in one hour), Bruce "beat" that. But Chris did it on a velodrome and Bruce did it on a road with steep downhills...

Uri Geller is a famous israel who bends spoons with his mindpower. I can see why they worked together. Check out Uri's website. He has quite high opinions about his own abilities.

July 15, 2007 at 1:53 PM
O.K. said...

I am thinking of setting a new unicycle land speed record of over 581 km/h. On a japanese train that is. Any sponsors?

July 16, 2007 at 5:05 AM
LS said...

581 km/h, that is 10 min between Stockholm and E-tuna!!! Incredible. What if there is a cow on the tracks?

Bending spoons with mind power: Why not use that kind of power for something more useful like creating peace in the world or stopping hurricanes or bending all the weapons in Iraq? Imagine if everybody wakes up and all the weapons are bent in a whole country. Not much shooting that day!

July 16, 2007 at 6:55 AM
LS said...

Suggestion - do a land speed record with the back tire digging a ditch for a groundhog secure fence around out garden instead. It is not long-distance, but you can go many circles :) Don't you think the friction will take you down to maybe at least 1 foot deep? That is enough to fool the wood chucks (aka hot doggies). We will provide fresh water, cucumbers, sunshine, and hot tub. And scotch, afterwards.

July 17, 2007 at 8:46 AM
O.K. said...

Hmm. Maybe if I backpedal while going forward?

July 17, 2007 at 3:29 PM
LS said...

Funny! I can see it right before me... you backpedaling fast, fast, while the bike goes down a hill - oooooaaaahhhh (as LA would say).

July 17, 2007 at 3:31 PM

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