More hair, less speed

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Adrian Setter View Drop Down

BHPC Member

Joined: 04 March 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 1606

Topic: More hair, less speed
Posted: 30 October 2006 at 12:27pm

Cut your hair and go faster - http://www.bikebiz.co.uk/newsitem.php?id=24644

Challenge Hurricane - MicWic Delta (Front half) - Burrows Ratracer

fards

Visitor (regular)

Joined: 06 October 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 2543

Posted: 30 October 2006 at 12:38pm

I've got slower as the hair as decreased, but then that seems to parallel with getting fatter and older.

GeoffBird

BHPC Member

Joined: 20 September 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 2396

Posted: 30 October 2006 at 9:24pm

I've never had any trouble keeping my head cool when wearing a helmet....oh....I see why now...

I doubt a lot of cyclists go fast enough for anything more than convection currents to have any effect Handbag

. Perhaps the BHPC could utilise it's collective expertise in aerodynamics to market an improved racing helmet.

Edited by GeoffBird - 30 October 2006 at 9:26pm

Right Time - Right Place - Wrong Speed

Hadden

Visitor (regular)

Joined: 20 June 2006
Location: England
Status: Offline
Points: 580

Posted: 05 November 2006 at 2:56pm

Are we allowed to use a helmet of our own design and construction to race in? how about a series of NACA ducts in it to keep the drag down?

Simon Sanderson.

GeoffBird

BHPC Member

Joined: 20 September 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 2396

Posted: 05 November 2006 at 5:12pm

Hadden wrote: "how about a series of NACA ducts in it to keep the drag down?"

Interesting idea. My experience of wind tunnel testing is that exit ducts are at least as important as entry ducts. It would certainly be an fascinating project though. Conventional helmets look like they are optimised for low speed use. Geek

I think using our own designs of helmet would be problematic and my invalidate our insurance (Alan?), but perhaps a light shell fitted over a type-approved helmet?

Edited by GeoffBird - 05 November 2006 at 5:15pm

Right Time - Right Place - Wrong Speed

Hadden

Visitor (regular)

Joined: 20 June 2006
Location: England
Status: Offline
Points: 580

Posted: 05 November 2006 at 6:03pm

It should be possible to make a much tougher and better shock absorbant helmet as mass produced ones use quite low performance materials.

Simon Sanderson.

fards

Visitor (regular)

Joined: 06 October 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 2543

Posted: 05 November 2006 at 8:23pm

And very few UK available Helmets comform to any form of sensible standard nowadays.. The new euro/uk regs are a joke.

Rob

BHPC Member

Joined: 28 May 2005
Location: Derby
Status: Offline
Points: 1450

Posted: 05 November 2006 at 8:37pm

fards wrote:

And very few UK available Helmets comform to any form of sensible standard nowadays.. The new euro/uk regs are a joke.

What, worse than the old 10mph fall from 1metre[1] onto a flat surface?

Rob
[1] Hey, does that imply that a 'Sports' class recumbent is considered the 'standard' bike???

--
Rob, Westcountry Recumbents
http://www.wrhpv.com http://mullimages.com http://glydearoundbritain.blogspot.com

AlanGoodman View Drop Down

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Club Chairman

Joined: 04 March 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 8036

Posted: 05 November 2006 at 9:34pm

There is nothing in our insurance specifying what helmets (if any) should be worn...

Our insurance only covers us for damage we do to other people...

I spent 16 years at the British Standards Institution testing (among many other weird and wonderful things) cycle helmets.

Apart from the often poor quality of the shells many have retention sysyems that are VERY poor at keeping them in the right place in the event of an accident.

Having said that in certain types of impact you are certainly better off wearing one than not...

I usually wear a woolly hat in the winter and a peaked cap in the summer...

gNick

BHPC Member

Joined: 22 February 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 1977

Posted: 05 November 2006 at 10:25pm

Hadden wrote:

Are we allowed to use a helmet of our own design and construction to race in? how about a series of NACA ducts in it to keep the drag down?

Basically no - we work to a requirement for a helmet that is "approved by a recognised national standards authority". Unless you are in a fully enclosed streamliner where you have to wear some kind of padding on the bonce.

If someone is prepared to make a helmet that is a helmet rather than a head fairing then if there is sufficient evidence to its conformance to standards we would probably allow it. Whether there is any sense in making one is another issue!

The helmet rule is something that came in some time ago but is not in any way related to our insurance. Whether or not the helmet is of any value to HPV racers could evoke much debate but certainly you won't be allowed to race without one!

gNick

"I'm afraid it's definite, Mrs Banker - your son has bicycles"