Esash Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 Marty's thread on cutting through the wind on a Monster got me thinking about having the wind at your back. Has anybody tried EUC-ing with a small kite sail, or EUC-ing with baggy clothes or a kitesuit (see below) to extend battery range? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esash Posted January 20, 2018 Author Share Posted January 20, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esash Posted January 20, 2018 Author Share Posted January 20, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fat Unicyclist Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 Hi @Scouts Honor. You mentioned in another thread that you have never ridden an EUC, so I thought it might be worth explaining a bit of the physics of this with my answer to your question... On an EUC, everything is about your center of gravity! Just like on a (stationary) bicycle, if your center of gravity is to the left or right of where the tyres touch the ground, you will fall over. In addition, on an EUC, if your center of gravity is forward of that one little spot where your wheel is touching the ground, you will accelerate. And if it behind that point, you decelerate. Most importantly, on an EUC you need to always be in control of where your center of gravity is, otherwise there will be a lot more than just one tiny spot of your tyre that is touching the ground! Regenerating energy while riding downhill is quite achievable, but there are two key things to remember about this scenario; The forces are acting on both the rider and the wheel itself. Gravity is very consistent (relatively speaking). The problem with holding a kite, a bed-sheet, a dog leash, or even an umbrella is that the wind force will not be consistent (changing in both velocity and direction) and it will impact on you (the rider) but not the wheel. So while the theory is good, the reality is that it will be way to difficult to be beneficial - it's much better to stop at a cafe and have a wee snack while you recharge you wheel a little from the grid! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esash Posted January 21, 2018 Author Share Posted January 21, 2018 13 minutes ago, The Fat Unicyclist said: Hi @Scouts Honor. You mentioned in another thread that you have never ridden an EUC, so I thought it might be worth explaining a bit of the physics of this with my answer to your question... On an EUC, everything is about your center of gravity! Just like on a (stationary) bicycle, if your center of gravity is to the left or right of where the tyres touch the ground, you will fall over. In addition, on an EUC, if your center of gravity is forward of that one little spot where your wheel is touching the ground, you will accelerate. And if it behind that point, you decelerate. Most importantly, on an EUC you need to always be in control of where your center of gravity is, otherwise there will be a lot more than just one tiny spot of your tyre that is touching the ground! Regenerating energy while riding downhill is quite achievable, but there are two key things to remember about this scenario; The forces are acting on both the rider and the wheel itself. Gravity is very consistent (relatively speaking). The problem with holding a kite, a bed-sheet, a dog leash, or even an umbrella is that the wind force will not be consistent (changing in both velocity and direction) and it will impact on you (the rider) but not the wheel. So while the theory is good, the reality is that it will be way to difficult to be beneficial - it's much better to stop at a cafe and have a wee snack while you recharge you wheel a little from the grid! Thanks a lot for the info, that all makes sense. I have enough money for a low capacity MCM3, but I'll just keep saving for higher WH wheel since I can't sail around on an EUC, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Persona Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 Yeah , carried a kiddie pool over to my daughters on my monster and a tiny amount of wind almost blew me over . Was like a huge sail , not fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fat Unicyclist Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 11 hours ago, Steve Persona said: Yeah , carried a kiddie pool over to my daughters on my monster and a tiny amount of wind almost blew me over . Was like a huge sail , not fun. I can only imagine... The bigger the "sail" the bigger the mission! If you could predict a good steady wind (with no change in direction or force) it would be manageable... But then if you knew that about the wind you could just ride a BC wheel! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.