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Unicycle Racing Series


mhpr262

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Does anybody know whether such a racing series with unicycles, similar to the Formula E of the FIA,  in in the works anywhere in the world, be it a national or an international series?

What rules would you propose? IMHO the first rule should be a lower limit to rider weight, otherwise it would exclude too many people from ever competing. A 60kg guy would have a massive advantage over an 80kg guy. 70kg should be the lowest limit, lighter riders should have to wear lead weights strapped to their body or wear a weighted backpack.

Also, the use of carbon fiber, titanium, magnesium and ceramics in the wheels should be forbidden from the start, to keep costs down. Perhaps a lower limit for the wheels should be introduced as well, to forestall any such foolishness with hyperexpensive, custom made parts from exotic materials that will never be availble to the general public

Plus I'd introduce a maximum weight for the battery pack, as an incentive to come up with ever better batteries. The participants should have to use the same pack for every race there is in a year, so they can't use a brand new pack for every race or trainig/qualifying run - another way to keep costs down.

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Hehe, I can see that - each rider with a sturdy belt around his waist, with a big grab-handle at the back. Let another rider come up close enough for him to grab you and you get what you deserve!

 

Another question - should the races be indoors, like in abandoned factories or bicycle race tracks, or outdoors, like mountaibike courses? Or both, so you couldn't have "one-trick pony" unicycles?

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I think this video helps show the difficulty of what you're proposing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj112mSyMN0

:D:D
Quite witty but could have actually been so much more funny if it wasn't American!

This cropped up somewhere a while ago.  If I remember correctly, Team UK currently consists of me & Toby Stevens (@Adrian Stevens) - who is captain due to his superior technical abilities!
How many should there be in a team?!

:D:lol::D

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9 hours ago, mhpr262 said:

Also, the use of carbon fiber, titanium, magnesium and ceramics in the wheels should be forbidden from the start, to keep costs down. Perhaps a lower limit for the wheels should be introduced as well, to forestall any such foolishness with hyperexpensive, custom made parts from exotic materials that will never be availble to the general public

As racing develops product performance enhancements, this restriction will stifle development of high performance after market accessories that owner/users like me will most likely purchase if available - just like Hot Rodders have done for many decades.

 

9 hours ago, mhpr262 said:

Plus I'd introduce a maximum weight for the battery pack, as an incentive to come up with ever better batteries. The participants should have to use the same pack for every race there is in a year, so they can't use a brand new pack for every race or trainig/qualifying run - another way to keep costs down.

I also have a problem with this - other racing sports are not restricted in parts replacement between races. Special Racing Batteries not currently available off the shelf by anyone who wants them should be illegal. After all, other racing sports use special fuels that can be ordered by anyone.

Basically, I believe that every rule, limitation and restriction used in every racing sport should be examined for application in EUC Racing. After all, they have stood the test of time and have promoted High Performance After Market Accessories available to everyone.

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6 hours ago, Kroy said:

I think this video helps show the difficulty of what you're proposing

Remember Snow Boarding? This sport was ridiculed by 'legitimate' skiers and restricted/banned on slopes for many years. It was ultimately accepted as a popular sport AFTER it drew large crowds and financial support/sponsors at independent competitions. If there is money to be made, it will become a recognized sport.

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2 hours ago, Donald1800 said:

 

As racing develops product performance enhancements, this restriction will stifle development of high performance after market accessories that owner/users like me will most likely purchase if available - just like Hot Rodders have done for many decades.

 ...other racing sports use special fuels that can be ordered by anyone.

Basically, I believe that every rule, limitation and restriction used in every racing sport should be examined for application in EUC Racing. After all, they have stood the test of time and have promoted High Performance After Market Accessories available to everyone.

It may be like that at the beginning ... but I bet it has been a long time since any Formula 1 tech has found its way into a production car that couldn't have been developed just as well and a lot cheaper without F1 involvement. Racing tech has diverged so much from ordinary cars that they have almost nothing in common anymore. Sooner or later there comes a point of diminishing returns. Look at what the (theoretical) laissez-faire approach has done to the F1 racing series, it has basically ruined it. It has become so expensive for the teams involved that the F1 bosses have to worry about getting enough cars onto the grid. And that is despite already having a colossal number of restrictions to curb costs in practice - otherwise F1 would consist of perhaps two teams with four cars, and no spectators.

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57 minutes ago, mhpr262 said:

It may be like that at the beginning ... but I bet it has been a long time since any Formula 1 tech has found its way into a production car that couldn't have been developed just as well and a lot cheaper without F1 involvement

I'm sorry, folks, but I find it just a little bit difficult equating F! racing with EUC racing!  Out of all of the motor sport racing genre, why did you choose the most outlandish, expensive and elitist one?

Remember that EUC's have a very limited number of relatively small parts - case, batteries, electronics, motor, wheel and tire.  There are a whole lot of improvements that can be rapidly incorporated in these EUC's through smart race rules implementation:

1. Superior low ESR, high capacity and lower volatility batteries

2. Better street, off-road and snow/ice treads,  and lighter wheels

3. Truly safe BMS boards and  'SMART' electronics boards with interlinked BMS signals and ramped motor control current for both personal safety, battery safety and optimum motor efficiency

4. Corrected case design and construction with easily accessed battery/replacement and rapid tire repair/replacement for changing environments

5. The potential for a suspension system that will reduce road irregularity sensitivity for reduced bump crashes and improved ride comfort

6. And I personally would jump on parts that would reduce the 40lb. KS 18 weight

All of these items will make EUC racing more exciting and a superior personal ride.

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6 hours ago, Donald1800 said:

 

Remember that EUC's have a very limited number of relatively small parts - case, batteries, electronics, motor, wheel and tire.  There are a whole lot of improvements that can be rapidly incorporated in these EUC's through smart race rules implementation:

...

THose are all very good points, but just the fact that you were able to list all of them shows that it is already quite clear what the EUC riders want. No expensive no-limits racing series is needed to develop better EUCs. All of the improvements you have listed (except maybe the batteries) could already be easily implemented right now with the engineering from 100 years ago and the electronics from 10 years ago.

 

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