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Main
Date: 30 Jan 2007 03:57:39
From: Bill Baka
Subject: Drag racing on bicycles.
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This one is my pet. Since all the car freaks like to do drag races, both
at stop lights and at a track, why not have the same event for bicycle
riders. A quarter mile is a good distance for a healthy rider to cover
at 110% effort and the finishing speed should be about 40 MPH for a
really fit rider. Given an average of 30 MPH that would give 30 seconds
of pure leg busting effort and a near heart attack at the end.
I know that a rider set a record by riding at 35 MPH for one full hour
in a velodrome so it can be done, although that record may have been on
a 'bent.
New sport anyone?
Bill Baka
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Date: 10 Feb 2007 17:51:59
From: tetsuoni@gmail.com
Subject: Re: Drag racing on bicycles.
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I think this is a splendid idea!
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Date: 08 Feb 2007 06:02:59
From: OldRoads
Subject: Re: Drag racing on bicycles.
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Yes, sometimes it is pretty slow. The site gets a lot of hits and the
databases are pretty large.
I'd encourage you to try again.
Vin - http://OldRoads.com
> I went I saw the references to "Bat chute" and gave up waiting for an
> absurdly slow site. My high speed is useless when the site itself won't
> load.
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Date: 03 Feb 2007 07:36:13
From: joseph.santaniello@gmail.com
Subject: Re: Drag racing on bicycles.
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On Jan 30, 4:57 am, Bill Baka <b...@comcast.net > wrote:
> This one is my pet. Since all the car freaks like to do drag races, both
> at stop lights and at a track, why not have the same event for bicycle
> riders. A quarter mile is a good distance for a healthy rider to cover
> at 110% effort and the finishing speed should be about 40 MPH for a
> really fit rider. Given an average of 30 MPH that would give 30 seconds
> of pure leg busting effort and a near heart attack at the end.
> I know that a rider set a record by riding at 35 MPH for one full hour
> in a velodrome so it can be done, although that record may have been on
> a 'bent.
>
> New sport anyone?
>
> Bill Baka
Not quite 1/4 mile, not elite riders, but fun 2-up drag racing anyway:
http://www.digave.com/videos_alley_races.html
Kind of boring until 1/2 way through the video.
Joseph
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Date: 02 Feb 2007 07:59:31
From: OldRoads
Subject: Re: Drag racing on bicycles.
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Click on "Picture Database", then under "Model" find "Bat Chute".
Vin - http://OldRoads.com
> I found the site but there is a lot there so it gets a book k. I am
> going back to look for parachutes, since that sounds like a bit of
> overkill or just 'bling' for a bicycle.
> Bill Baka- Hide quoted text -
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Date: 02 Feb 2007 21:35:40
From: Bill Baka
Subject: Re: Drag racing on bicycles.
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OldRoads wrote:
> Click on "Picture Database", then under "Model" find "Bat Chute".
>
> Vin - http://OldRoads.com
>
>
>
>
>> I found the site but there is a lot there so it gets a book k. I am
>> going back to look for parachutes, since that sounds like a bit of
>> overkill or just 'bling' for a bicycle.
>> Bill Baka- Hide quoted text -
>
>
>
I went I saw the references to "Bat chute" and gave up waiting for an
absurdly slow site. My high speed is useless when the site itself won't
load.
The only use I can think of is as an emergency back up on a dangerously
steep and paved downhill where you might fry the brakes.
So bat chutes are for real, even if a crazy idea.
Why not?
Bill Baka
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Date: 31 Jan 2007 19:05:40
From: Chalo
Subject: Re: Drag racing on bicycles.
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DougC wrote:
>
> I searched online for any images of F-1 bikes for a long time and got
> absolutely nothing--most people have never even heard of it, or aren't
> old enough to remember it.
http://leys.com/basic/rockfish/sales.html
http://leys.com/basic/rockfish/images/toddracesmall.JPG
http://www.schwinnbike.com/heritage/attachment.php?attachmentid=35385
http://www.schwinnbike.com/heritage/showthread.php?t=32954
It does seem to be a mostly forgotten footnote in bicycling history.
Chalo
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Date: 01 Feb 2007 03:51:33
From: Bill Baka
Subject: Re: Drag racing on bicycles.
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Chalo wrote:
> DougC wrote:
>> I searched online for any images of F-1 bikes for a long time and got
>> absolutely nothing--most people have never even heard of it, or aren't
>> old enough to remember it.
>
> http://leys.com/basic/rockfish/sales.html
> http://leys.com/basic/rockfish/images/toddracesmall.JPG
> http://www.schwinnbike.com/heritage/attachment.php?attachmentid=35385
> http://www.schwinnbike.com/heritage/showthread.php?t=32954
>
> It does seem to be a mostly forgotten footnote in bicycling history.
>
> Chalo
>
>
The F-1 looks a lot like parking lot Gymkhana(sp?) that was done in mall
parking lots in the 60's. Not quite a drag race but pushing things on
cornering. Totally amazing what you can accomplish with an empty parking
lot, maybe it could be brought back. (hint!).
Bill Baka
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Date: 31 Jan 2007 18:42:59
From: Chalo
Subject: Re: Drag racing on bicycles.
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>
> Ever heard of formula one bicycle racing? It was asphalt-track racing on
> multispeed 20" wheel teardrop-tube funny-bikes, that a lot of former BMX
> riders competed in. Sanctioned races only ran 1988-1990. I remember
> seeing a bike in the LBS at the time, I think Haro and GT made bikes for
> it.
Redline, too, and probably others. F1 bikes usually came with 1.5" to
1.75" slick tires, plastic wheel covers, 6- or 7-speed rear gearing
with single chainrings, and flat bars positioned lower than the
saddle. One bike shop where I worked in the early '90s used an unsold
Haro F1 as the go-to-the-store bike (duly modified with tall BMX bars
and a rear rack with milk crate). At that shop, F1 was pronounced
"Fwun".
>From what I understand, Formula 1 races were conducted on tightly
twisting short courses, making the sport more like a bicycle version
of autocross than like a bicycle version of drag racing.
Chalo
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Date: 31 Jan 2007 15:13:34
From: DougC
Subject: Re: Drag racing on bicycles.
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Bill Baka wrote:
> This one is my pet. Since all the car freaks like to do drag races, both
> at stop lights and at a track, why not have the same event for bicycle
> riders......
>
> New sport anyone?
>
> Bill Baka
Maybe not /totally/ new.
Ever heard of formula one bicycle racing? It was asphalt-track racing on
multispeed 20" wheel teardrop-tube funny-bikes, that a lot of former BMX
riders competed in. Sanctioned races only ran 1988-1990. I remember
seeing a bike in the LBS at the time, I think Haro and GT made bikes for
it.
I searched online for any images of F-1 bikes for a long time and got
absolutely nothing--most people have never even heard of it, or aren't
old enough to remember it.
The ONLY mention of this racing I have ever been able to find online is
in the Wikipedia entry for Tinker Juarez:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinker_Juarez#Miscellaneous
I emailed Tinker at his website and he said he'd send me some bike pics
but never got around to it apparently.
~
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Date: 01 Feb 2007 09:02:31
From: Curtis L. Russell
Subject: Re: Drag racing on bicycles.
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On Wed, 31 Jan 2007 15:13:34 -0600, DougC <dcimper@norcom2000.com >
wrote:
>Maybe not /totally/ new.
>Ever heard of formula one bicycle racing? It was asphalt-track racing on
>multispeed 20" wheel teardrop-tube funny-bikes, that a lot of former BMX
>riders competed in. Sanctioned races only ran 1988-1990. I remember
>seeing a bike in the LBS at the time, I think Haro and GT made bikes for
>it.
Back in the day, the Brits and some areas in the U.S. NE used to race
smaller wheeled bikes on cinder tracks. Same kind of real rough, tight
racing. Sliding on asphalt is bad enough - wonder what a long slide on
cinders would be like. Not enough to go down to the local high school
and try it, though...
Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...
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Date: 01 Feb 2007 00:53:38
From: Bill Baka
Subject: Re: Drag racing on bicycles.
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DougC wrote:
> Bill Baka wrote:
>> This one is my pet. Since all the car freaks like to do drag races,
>> both at stop lights and at a track, why not have the same event for
>> bicycle riders......
>>
>> New sport anyone?
>>
>> Bill Baka
>
> Maybe not /totally/ new.
> Ever heard of formula one bicycle racing? It was asphalt-track racing on
> multispeed 20" wheel teardrop-tube funny-bikes, that a lot of former BMX
> riders competed in. Sanctioned races only ran 1988-1990. I remember
> seeing a bike in the LBS at the time, I think Haro and GT made bikes for
> it.
>
> I searched online for any images of F-1 bikes for a long time and got
> absolutely nothing--most people have never even heard of it, or aren't
> old enough to remember it.
>
> The ONLY mention of this racing I have ever been able to find online is
> in the Wikipedia entry for Tinker Juarez:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinker_Juarez#Miscellaneous
>
> I emailed Tinker at his website and he said he'd send me some bike pics
> but never got around to it apparently.
> ~
I remember Tinker but not F-1, maybe because Tinker was mentioned so
much in cycling magazines. Doesn't asphalt-track racing imply a road
course with multiple turns and laps, or is/was it different for
bicycles? Were the bikes made for serious cornering or what?
Now YOU have ME curious.
Bill Baka
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Date: 31 Jan 2007 12:23:41
From: OldRoads
Subject: Re: Drag racing on bicycles.
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Some of the 'Musclebikes' (Sting-Rays, etc) of the 1960s and 1970s
actually had a "Drag Brake".
It was a lever on the top tube which held the rear caliper brake on.
There are pictures in our on-line
Picture Database. There were also bicycle drag parachutes, like
today's dragsters use.
Vin - Menotomy Vintage Bicycles
http://OldRoads.com
On Jan 30, 12:13 pm, "SlowRider" <jrogers80...@hotmail.com > wrote:
> Ah, you bring back memories. When I was a kid, my buddy and I used to
> drag-race our bikes across parking lots from a standing start. I had
> a Sturmey Archer 3-speed (internal gears) and he had a flashy 5-speed
> with a derailleur. I always won.
>
> In all the times we raced he never figured out that for drag racing
> it's best to start in a low gear. He was so enamored with his 5
> speeds that he always started in top gear. I usually left him at the
> starting line. I thought he'd figure it out after the first couple of
> races, but he never did. Maybe it's because he couldn't see what gear
> I was in.
>
> -JR
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Date: 01 Feb 2007 00:43:00
From: Bill Baka
Subject: Re: Drag racing on bicycles.
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OldRoads wrote:
> Some of the 'Musclebikes' (Sting-Rays, etc) of the 1960s and 1970s
> actually had a "Drag Brake".
> It was a lever on the top tube which held the rear caliper brake on.
> There are pictures in our on-line
> Picture Database. There were also bicycle drag parachutes, like
> today's dragsters use.
>
> Vin - Menotomy Vintage Bicycles
> http://OldRoads.com
>
>
>
>
> On Jan 30, 12:13 pm, "SlowRider" <jrogers80...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> Ah, you bring back memories. When I was a kid, my buddy and I used to
>> drag-race our bikes across parking lots from a standing start. I had
>> a Sturmey Archer 3-speed (internal gears) and he had a flashy 5-speed
>> with a derailleur. I always won.
>>
>> In all the times we raced he never figured out that for drag racing
>> it's best to start in a low gear. He was so enamored with his 5
>> speeds that he always started in top gear. I usually left him at the
>> starting line. I thought he'd figure it out after the first couple of
>> races, but he never did. Maybe it's because he couldn't see what gear
>> I was in.
>>
>> -JR
>
>
I found the site but there is a lot there so it gets a book k. I am
going back to look for parachutes, since that sounds like a bit of
overkill or just 'bling' for a bicycle.
Bill Baka
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Date: 30 Jan 2007 21:10:59
From: Tom Keats
Subject: Re: Drag racing on bicycles.
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In article <rcousine-F0FAFE.21573529012007@news.telus.net >,
Ryan Cousineau <rcousine@sfu.ca > writes:
> Match sprints are heads-up standing-start races, but the first three
> laps (of four) are usually purely tactical, as riders compete for track
> position at speeds as slow as a walking pace.
Fencing with bike riding instead of swords.
Le Danse Macabre.
cheers :-),
Tom
--
Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca
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Date: 30 Jan 2007 09:13:51
From: SlowRider
Subject: Re: Drag racing on bicycles.
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Ah, you bring back memories. When I was a kid, my buddy and I used to
drag-race our bikes across parking lots from a standing start. I had
a Sturmey Archer 3-speed (internal gears) and he had a flashy 5-speed
with a derailleur. I always won.
In all the times we raced he never figured out that for drag racing
it's best to start in a low gear. He was so enamored with his 5
speeds that he always started in top gear. I usually left him at the
starting line. I thought he'd figure it out after the first couple of
races, but he never did. Maybe it's because he couldn't see what gear
I was in.
-JR
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Date: 30 Jan 2007 20:00:42
From: Bill Baka
Subject: Re: Drag racing on bicycles.
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SlowRider wrote:
> Ah, you bring back memories. When I was a kid, my buddy and I used to
> drag-race our bikes across parking lots from a standing start. I had
> a Sturmey Archer 3-speed (internal gears) and he had a flashy 5-speed
> with a derailleur. I always won.
That is what I did as a kid too, but three speeds were the staple of the
day in Illinois back in the 50's and 60's.
>
> In all the times we raced he never figured out that for drag racing
> it's best to start in a low gear. He was so enamored with his 5
> speeds that he always started in top gear. I usually left him at the
> starting line. I thought he'd figure it out after the first couple of
> races, but he never did. Maybe it's because he couldn't see what gear
> I was in.
It sounds like a case of slow learner there.
>
>
> -JR
>
Still, I think a quarter mile would be a good event for all ages, both
young and old.
Bill Baka
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Date: 30 Jan 2007 05:57:34
From: Ryan Cousineau
Subject: Re: Drag racing on bicycles.
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In article <Tmzvh.39780$Gr2.35457@newssvr21.news.prodigy.net >,
Bill Baka <bbaka@comcast.net > wrote:
> This one is my pet. Since all the car freaks like to do drag races, both
> at stop lights and at a track, why not have the same event for bicycle
> riders. A quarter mile is a good distance for a healthy rider to cover
> at 110% effort and the finishing speed should be about 40 MPH for a
> really fit rider. Given an average of 30 MPH that would give 30 seconds
> of pure leg busting effort and a near heart attack at the end.
> I know that a rider set a record by riding at 35 MPH for one full hour
> in a velodrome so it can be done, although that record may have been on
> a 'bent.
>
> New sport anyone?
>
> Bill Baka
Several track events (match sprints, chariot races, pursuit, kilo) are
essentially drag races of one form or another.
kilos are 1000m standing-start time trials. It's probably the closest to
a standing-start low-et race, though it is not normally done heads-up.
Match sprints are heads-up standing-start races, but the first three
laps (of four) are usually purely tactical, as riders compete for track
position at speeds as slow as a walking pace.
A chariot race is a 3-up match sprint, and the dynamic of the extra
rider means that such races are, while still tactical, usually
faster-moving from the start.
If you've never seen a match sprint before, it is the definitive track
event, and as exciting as a drag race. Less noisy, though.
--
Ryan Cousineau rcousine@sfu.ca http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos
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Date: 30 Jan 2007 20:02:48
From: Bill Baka
Subject: Re: Drag racing on bicycles.
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Ryan Cousineau wrote:
> In article <Tmzvh.39780$Gr2.35457@newssvr21.news.prodigy.net>,
> Bill Baka <bbaka@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>> This one is my pet. Since all the car freaks like to do drag races, both
>> at stop lights and at a track, why not have the same event for bicycle
>> riders. A quarter mile is a good distance for a healthy rider to cover
>> at 110% effort and the finishing speed should be about 40 MPH for a
>> really fit rider. Given an average of 30 MPH that would give 30 seconds
>> of pure leg busting effort and a near heart attack at the end.
>> I know that a rider set a record by riding at 35 MPH for one full hour
>> in a velodrome so it can be done, although that record may have been on
>> a 'bent.
>>
>> New sport anyone?
>>
>> Bill Baka
>
> Several track events (match sprints, chariot races, pursuit, kilo) are
> essentially drag races of one form or another.
>
> kilos are 1000m standing-start time trials. It's probably the closest to
> a standing-start low-et race, though it is not normally done heads-up.
>
> Match sprints are heads-up standing-start races, but the first three
> laps (of four) are usually purely tactical, as riders compete for track
> position at speeds as slow as a walking pace.
>
> A chariot race is a 3-up match sprint, and the dynamic of the extra
> rider means that such races are, while still tactical, usually
> faster-moving from the start.
>
> If you've never seen a match sprint before, it is the definitive track
> event, and as exciting as a drag race. Less noisy, though.
>
Total agreement with you.
The quarter mile thing I have in mind is just so that everyone can
participate, and not just the elite.
Of course, if it became a popular event, I have a feeling that it would
splinter into elites and average casual riders.
Bill Baka
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Date: 30 Jan 2007 08:45:07
From: Curtis L. Russell
Subject: Re: Drag racing on bicycles.
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On Tue, 30 Jan 2007 05:57:34 GMT, Ryan Cousineau <rcousine@sfu.ca >
wrote:
>
>Several track events (match sprints, chariot races, pursuit, kilo) are
>essentially drag races of one form or another.
Uh huh, but a short steep hill climb is IMO even closer. Brits seem to
like to do them with both their bikes and their cars. Of course, a
bicyclist in good shape has more chance of getting to the top of a
steep hill than the average vintage British sports car.
Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...
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Date: 29 Jan 2007 23:09:51
From: oldhickory
Subject: Re: Drag racing on bicycles.
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street sprints?
--
ie
ride fast, take chances.
"Bill Baka" <bbaka@comcast.net > wrote in message
news:Tmzvh.39780$Gr2.35457@newssvr21.news.prodigy.net...
> This one is my pet. Since all the car freaks like to do drag races, both
> at stop lights and at a track, why not have the same event for bicycle
> riders. A quarter mile is a good distance for a healthy rider to cover at
> 110% effort and the finishing speed should be about 40 MPH for a really
> fit rider. Given an average of 30 MPH that would give 30 seconds of pure
> leg busting effort and a near heart attack at the end.
> I know that a rider set a record by riding at 35 MPH for one full hour in
> a velodrome so it can be done, although that record may have been on a
> 'bent.
>
> New sport anyone?
>
> Bill Baka
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Date: 30 Jan 2007 19:54:55
From: Bill Baka
Subject: Re: Drag racing on bicycles.
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oldhickory wrote:
> street sprints?
>
Yeah.
Why not?
Two riders face off and get a time and speed clocking at the end just
like the car people do.
It could be a way to end "I'm faster than you" debates very quickly.
I was thinking of it as a possibly sanctioned event that anybody could
participate in. Not everybody is up to a Century or has time, but
everybody should be able to cover a whole quarter mile under a minute,
even the 80 year old riders I have seen.
It's just something different to do on a bike.
Bill Baka
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Date: 31 Jan 2007 09:19:25
From: Curtis L. Russell
Subject: Re: Drag racing on bicycles.
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On Tue, 30 Jan 2007 19:54:55 GMT, Bill Baka <bbaka@comcast.net > wrote:
>It's just something different to do on a bike.
Actually, it is rather common to do for the younger set between
regular races. One of the funniest things to officiate are kids on
trikes 'at speed'. Half hit the curb and the other half draw a bead on
the officials in the middle of the road. But the ones just below
racing ages often do partial lap 'races'. And they'll be wobbling at
the end from the exertion. Fortunately, there are usually only about
three or four competitors, so there is lots of wobble room. That's how
you tell them from the Cat Vs...
Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...
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Date: 31 Jan 2007 19:23:57
From: Bill Baka
Subject: Re: Drag racing on bicycles.
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Curtis L. Russell wrote:
> On Tue, 30 Jan 2007 19:54:55 GMT, Bill Baka <bbaka@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>> It's just something different to do on a bike.
>
> Actually, it is rather common to do for the younger set between
> regular races. One of the funniest things to officiate are kids on
> trikes 'at speed'. Half hit the curb and the other half draw a bead on
> the officials in the middle of the road. But the ones just below
> racing ages often do partial lap 'races'. And they'll be wobbling at
> the end from the exertion. Fortunately, there are usually only about
> three or four competitors, so there is lots of wobble room. That's how
> you tell them from the Cat Vs...
>
> Curtis L. Russell
> Odenton, MD (USA)
> Just someone on two wheels...
Wobbly at the end is about right. I've tried sprinting up to maximum
speed on various bikes and by the time I figure I can't go any faster I
am barely able to hold a straight line. Same thing with my runs, go
until ready to pass out or fall. Sprint ability is good for me on a bike
to catch up with a semi or school bus and get a good draft.
I don't know if 2 rider races would ever become popular due to the
possibility of pulled muscles or not but it might bring a little more
attention to cycling in general.
Bill Baka
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