tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-248030962012-01-25T13:31:09.138+11:00The Whoops Tick Speedbike TeamA site dedicated to creating Australia's fastest push bike, called Whoops. Our first bike was built in March 2006. Our team is slowly developing. Our ultimate aim is to break 3 world records: 200m (130kmh), 1 hour (90.4 km) & 24 hr (1069km).Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.comBlogger321100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-50238749569642571752010-03-03T20:53:00.000+11:002010-03-03T20:53:45.788+11:00Nearing the end... Yeah SURE!
Since our last trial, we've made some big changes:
We've replaced the rear wheel with a smaller Mavic Crossmax SLR, which also utilises disk brakes, which will allow us to cover the full wheel with Mylar film, thus making a cheap light disk wheel.
We've swpped to a 100tooth chainring & added a chain guide. It just looks huge!
We made new handlebars, which allow usTeam Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-82526829204297823122010-02-04T23:24:00.001+11:002010-02-04T23:24:31.755+11:00We went a riding
Finally, after several months of intermittent shed time, we managed to drag Whoops out & take her for quite a few laps, most of the time during which it remained upright!
Here is Mick rolling around the velodrome fully faired for the first time. It's a pity you can't see his ear to ear grin! The windscreens were removed, as it was getting late in the day & there was a fair bit Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-1037203593998344262009-11-11T23:26:00.000+11:002009-11-11T23:51:23.936+11:00More Subframe Lamination...Tonight Mick & I bonded in the front subframe as well as finishing off the rear with a few more layers of Kevlar tape (which will save us in the event of sniper fire!). Last week we 'glassed in the rear mounts, both on the base & on the sides, with 2 layers of kevlar braided tape. This is amazing stuff. Nominally 50mm wide, you can stretch it down to 25mm, or gather it Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-4338349242614975702009-10-27T21:36:00.000+11:002009-10-27T22:13:38.277+11:00Rear subframe part 2 & Front Subframe.So, tonight we bonded in the top supports of the rear subframe, meaning the rear wheel is essentially now in it's final resting place. We ran a string line to make sure it's all nice & straight. And then we wait until it all cures, and then we'll glass in all the supports. We've left the back end open and will bond that back together with a few shaped spacersTeam Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-3462633352063161632009-10-07T23:20:00.000+11:002009-10-07T23:31:29.048+11:00Rear Subframe mounting Step 1Tonight we bonded the rear subframe into the tub. On the first attempt we tried to attach the main pivot point of the rear triangle, plus the two top supports in the one batch of resin. Big mistake ! Because of the tight fit of the rear subframe the top supports prevented us from 'bedding' the main pivot point to the floor of the tub. We were convinced that we Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-88003085405965053602009-10-05T20:54:00.000+11:002009-10-05T21:01:10.803+11:00Fronk Fork CompletedPete Heal, the CroMo Magician of Canberra, has been working hard on the fork for Whoops. This has now been finished. It looks odd from the front, but is perfect for the bike: tyre on the centre line of the fairing, minimal fork where the knees will be travelling up & down, hanger for a derailleur. Magnificent. Nice one Pete!Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-19744124867968406152009-10-05T20:43:00.000+11:002009-10-05T20:54:04.451+11:00Sub Frame PhotosGreat news from Canberra... Pete Heal has finished the front sub-frame & fork. These photos make the frame look a bit rough, but with a little time & an angle grinder & some spray paint, it'll look superb.The Cranks & bottom bracket will be placed in the hole towards the front of the frame. These are ready to go, but we do need a biggish (80T) cog which will be one of the next Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-58943167853336834602009-10-05T20:35:00.000+11:002009-10-05T20:43:10.861+11:00Training ProgressBoth Mick & I have been training regularly, sometimes at Casey, but mostly at home on windtrainers. We are working on 2 areas: Maintaining a constant speed at as close to maximum sustainable HR as possible for an hour, and working on strength, with the aim of increasing overall max speed.Last night we did a session at Blackburn Velodrome together: 2 x 10Min steady, and 3 x max Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-8878644585457793302009-08-26T23:35:00.000+10:002009-08-26T23:46:17.593+10:00Tubbing complete !The last sections of the tubbing have now been laid and this entry is being written with the background din of the vacuum pump from the garage. A photo of the initial layer of CF and foam is below. The carbon is covered by a layer of peel ply, followed by a layer of breather blanket which allows air to flow, and absorbs excess resin. A mylar bag covers everything, and the Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-18085999293614988012009-08-11T23:43:00.000+10:002009-08-11T23:50:37.938+10:00New members, new builder, news...Firstly, congratulations to Peter Heal, the current OzHPV treasurer who successfully crossed the continent from Perth to Sydney, without any outside assistance, in a remarkable 11 days & 20 or so hours. A truly amazing performance. He rode a Velokraft VK2. More on his ride soon.Pete has also made quite a few recumbent bikes, under the Lizard name, over the years. Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-33155761554822714132009-08-07T14:29:00.000+10:002009-08-07T14:38:30.109+10:00Whoops adds a TICK...As of Aug 2009, Whoops has gained a full time team member & added his initials to the team. So, welcome Mick Donovan, to the Whoops team. Where did the TICK come from, I hear you ask wordlessly through the ether... TIm & miCK.Mick & I are going to build one bike between the 2 of us, which halves each of our costs, and ensures we are both work in the same direction. Our goals Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-36683479434473803532009-05-09T14:53:00.000+10:002009-08-07T14:29:27.228+10:00What a WeekendEaster 2009 may go down as the beginning of Australia's speed bike era. 1 world & 2 Australian records were broken.I completely failed to break any records, but my time in Whoops was valuable & I established that the records are well within reach, if I can get my bike to hold together!More soon....Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-11676308641220616522009-03-04T08:55:00.000+11:002009-03-04T09:12:02.501+11:00Easter 2009This Easter, 2009 (April 10-13) will see a Varnyle of speedbikes assemble at Lang lang for a crack at the 2 long standing Australian speed records.Trisled are working on a new head in version of their Black Betty bike. I have a new chassis under way with a new fairing to come soon. Pete Heal from Canberra will be coming down to try & break the unfaired 1hr record. Mick Donovan is Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-34712318005319752852007-04-10T21:52:00.000+10:002007-04-10T22:09:17.481+10:005 Kyles & no Records!SO, another 3 months gone, and A LOT OF SHED TIME LATER, and what do I have to show for it all?But the biggest piece of news in this time was seeing my son, 12 yr old Jack, having his first ride in a speed bike, but riding using a PERISCOPE! You can just see his helmet behind the top mirror & below the normal bubble cover. Eyes are well below the top of the fairing, but the Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-1167889463719115452007-01-04T16:37:00.000+11:002007-01-04T16:44:23.740+11:00Where did those last 3 months go?So, Whoops is now being cut up to fit over my new vehicle... a TILTING Trike. You see the prototype here. At rest, the rear wheels are locked in the vertical position. Once moving, you unlock the rear end & ride it like a 2 wheeler. I'm cutting 30cm of the Whoops fairing (race rules) as well as removing the rear wheel cover (no longer required). It's really fun Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com56tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-1160400061154143242006-10-09T23:08:00.000+10:002006-10-09T23:21:01.173+10:003 Kyles & a GaleSO, whilst reading this, turn on 3 fans really near your face. Then use that wind to imagine what it was like at Casy for the 6hr challenge. WINDY! Cold, but mostly, really WINDY. SO windy, Whoops & her sister, Black Betty, were simply blown over when riding. The wind just lifted the front wheel off the ground & over they went. twice each.That's Matt racing around, but without Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-1157935540051906532006-09-11T10:30:00.000+10:002006-09-11T10:45:40.070+10:00Casey 6 hour Challenge preparationsSunday Sept 24 will see Whoops running in a 6 hour challnge at the new Casey Fields track. We have made a few changes of late to help ride comfortably for that length of time.1. Ben modified the fork so the crown(top) of the fork is now just above the tyre, with an extension added under the existing steerer tube so the wheel remains in the same position. This Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-1153962148080775142006-07-27T10:59:00.000+10:002006-07-27T11:02:28.080+10:002 World Records BrokenWell, just to keep us honest, 2 of the 3 world records we are going to challenge have been broken:Greg K from Canada just added 25km to the 24hr record taking it to 1046km, and 49yr old Fred Markham added 1500m to the hour record to take it to just under 86km.Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-1153961898302257262006-07-27T10:41:00.000+10:002006-07-27T10:58:18.313+10:00A New BackAS you can see, I've made a new back top section for Daily Whoops. It's made of polystyrene (insulation) foam & epoxy. If you look closely, you can see the strips of polystyrene, which I hot glued onto a template, and then covered the whole thing, inside & out, with a very light fibreglass cloth & epoxy resin. This part is really light (under 2kg) but really quite stiff. You can also Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-1153701148856986722006-07-24T10:19:00.000+10:002006-07-24T10:32:28.873+10:00Full Battle dress!SO, I've finally managed to get some pics from the Lang Lang ride, with Whoops in full battle mode. That's Jeff over there taping me in prior to the run. The black thing in front of the windscreen is a NACA duct, which directs air into my face, with apprenetly little increase to the aerodynamic drag.Now, the astute amongst you will notice you can't see my eyes. Which, by reverseTeam Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-1152790080245661832006-07-13T20:57:00.000+10:002006-07-13T21:28:00.260+10:00Post DMSo, despite a lack of updates, lots has been happening. Much can be seen at Ben's blog:www.trislednews.blogspot.comWhoops has been ridden by Jeff during training, so I've not had time to ride or modify.So, when she came home, I decided to make her more road ready... i cut a big hole in the floor, in front of the seat:Then with considerable skill & patience (i.e. none at all) I cut a piece Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-1149509350461145342006-06-05T21:49:00.000+10:002006-06-05T22:09:10.473+10:00 Casey Fields Training DayWell, so that now y'all know, our rider is Jeff Nielsen. And that's him over there on the left hurtling around a corner. Jeff spent nearly 2 hours in Whoops at Casey Fields on Sunday. Very little wind, cool conditions & little sun all enabled Jeff to have a really productive time. We practised stops & starts to ensure he is confident at those critical times.We also Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-1149247385773614442006-06-02T21:08:00.000+10:002006-06-02T21:23:05.786+10:00Whoops 2 - Sled Edge is bornToday Ben, Ken & I spent a day working on the 2 halves of fairing #2, which will be used as the bike for our attempt on the hour record. This fairing is a mixture of carbon, Klegecell foam & S glass. Day one saw us lay the first skin & foam ( in 2 separate processes). We hope to add the 2nd layer of cloth (the sandwich layer) tomorrow, and begin the joining process Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-1147990501254305742006-05-19T08:11:00.000+10:002006-05-19T08:15:01.266+10:00A reminder of what I do.... Mostly I sweat a lot.When I get to 80, and look back on my life, I'm going to realise I spent a disproportioinate amout of time wet: Swimming, sweat from cycling & running, showering because of the former activities. At least I've been moving!Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-1147724346534794612006-05-16T05:48:00.000+10:002006-05-17T07:27:55.863+10:00RefinementYesterday I fixed up the 2 biggest problems with Whoops.Calf catching the derailleur as I push forwardsKnee hitting the handlebar as I recover my legYou can make these things out on the left... There's not too much spare room in there once the cover's on! So, I made a few changes to the mid drive....The Mid drive is a step up gear arrangement. As it was, the initial drive was geared, Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-1147150340034796702006-05-09T14:36:00.000+10:002006-05-09T14:52:20.046+10:00World Record AttemptWell, the gods of speed have decided that Whoops is in need of a challenge. SO we have accepted this , and thus, Ben & I are going to have a crack at the elusive Dempsey Macready Prize: Breaking 90km in one hour under only human power!!! The attempt will be made before July 1, as that's when the prize will be awarded.So, what does this mean to Whoops. Well, it means Whoops Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-1144875338201564662006-04-13T06:45:00.000+10:002006-04-13T06:55:38.213+10:00A Daily Whoops... When we first made a shell for Whoops, we made a few mistakes, and ended up with a shell that was useable but pretty rough. SO we decided to make another one. Which is what you've seen in the posts before. But, in a moment of inspiration, I decided to use the top half of the not so good first shell, cut it into 2, and create a version of Whoops I can get into & launch all by Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-1144358556221901612006-04-07T07:17:00.000+10:002006-05-17T07:29:27.946+10:00Perhaps I will fit... This is a pic of Sam Whittingham, the current world record holder in the flying 200m (81mph/130kmh) & 1 hour (84.5km) sitting in his bike, the Varna Diablo, before the lid is put on.Also notice the very low tech seat, and the very narrow back wheel.So, this pic inspires me to believe I may eventually fit inside Whoops.Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-1144300912813648882006-04-06T15:13:00.000+10:002006-04-06T15:28:28.520+10:00Bike builder Ben took Whoops for 5-6 laps at Chelsea after me. Now, Ben you see, is a might smaller than me. He can squish his shoulders into a 30cm span! That's pretty small. So needless to say, he fits inside the full fairing easily. And so he took whoops for her first fully faired ride. To quote his SMS: "She goes like stink". Without bubble, ben was cruising around the velodrome at 60+ kmh Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-1144192266901751802006-04-05T08:55:00.000+10:002006-04-05T09:11:06.920+10:00First Test Ride... VERY successful. Yippee! She rides superbly; stable, easy to start, stops fine. Very easy to accelerate. Handlers can let go at walking pace & the bike is easy to balance & accelerate. I hope that once I've had a bit more practise, I'll be able to accelerate from a standing start under my own steam, which will enable solo training. First gear (77") was great for starting, but Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-1144016952114142472006-04-03T08:13:00.000+10:002006-04-03T11:07:47.516+10:00So, Now we have a complete bike... not exactly polished or finished or in any way complete, but at least rideable, and suitable for initial testing.Ben & I added the head bubble last night, so now we can see out whilst riding. The view is a bit like a Ferrari... so I'm told... lots of bonnet & a long view down the road.Here is the drive system. 2 separate chains drive the front wheel. The one Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24803096.post-1143684266647478362006-03-30T12:50:00.000+11:002006-03-30T13:53:51.326+11:00Greetings.If you're into push bikes & going as fast as you can on or in one, this may be of interest to you.I have imported to Australia the moulds for a bicycle fairing, which will fully enclose a rider inside. This fairing is primarily an aerodynamic aid, though it will also improve safety. That's V1.0 of the fairing on the left, with frame, wheels, gears & brakes all attached & inside. The Team Captain Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04160132876707525546noreply@blogger.com2