What I'd love to see in Motor Assisted Bicycle competitions

H

happyvalley

New Member
Fuel efficiency based competition, mileage counts! Add that component to a race and or rally the picture changes, it's no longer the free for all of who can strap the biggest engine into a bicycle frame but more a real test of man and machine. That's why we got pedals.
 
Re: What I'd love to see in MAB competitions

happyvalley said:
Fuel efficiency based competition, mileage counts! Add that component to a race and or rally the picture changes, it's no longer the free for all of who can strap the biggest engine into a bicycle frame but more a real test of man and machine. That's why we got pedals.
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The pedals are for starting the motor and assisting take off from red lights 7.74 mp. pint in the foot hills WOT ok 7/8 Txct2drn2.shft.
 
Re: What I'd love to see in MAB competitions

ducedave said:
The pedals are for starting the motor and assisting take off from red lights 7.74 mp. pint in the foot hills WOT ok 7/8 T
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What you describe is a textbook definition of a moped, which are fine, but I also believe true motor assisted bicycles are in a different class and have a completely different set of attributes and possibilities.
 
Re: What I'd love to see in MAB competitions

happyvalley said:
What you describe is a textbook definition of a moped, which are fine, but I also believe true motor assisted bicycles are in a different class and have a completely different set of attributes and possibilities.
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O do tell - it was a bicycle when I bought and I rode it around for a year that way so it's a MB but I would like to have a 250cc. step through
brnot.shft..wee..duh.
 
Re: What I'd love to see in MAB competitions

It's a bit off the intended thread topic but so there's no confusion, I commented not referring to your bicycle when you bought it or how you rode it around for a year, rather the limited utility of pedals proscribed:

ducedave said:
The pedals are for starting the motor and assisting take off from red lights
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That is what I referred to as a "textbook definition of a moped"

ducedave said:
O do tell - it was a bicycle when I bought and I rode it around for a year that way so it's a MB but I would like to have a 250cc. step through
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To each their own but it sounds less like a moped and more like a scooter or small motorcycle
 
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Re: What I'd love to see in MAB competitions

As a rough idea, something like motorcycle fairing maker Craig Vetter who sponsors fuel efficiency challenge events. Fuel tanks are topped off at the beginning and at the end replacement fuel is measured to determine usage. Rules below:

Vetter Challenge rules
 
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Re: What I'd love to see in MAB competitions

Just after seeing my first car endurance race at the 12 Hrs. of Sebring in Florida a couple of years back a light bulb went off in my head. A 8 hr. race with 2-smoke china girls, 4 riders per team all on the same bike with equal size fuel tanks as other competitors. Pit crews and refuelling would come into play along with the dependability and speed issues.
Rules including engine changes for major breakdowns, pedaling or pushing your bike back to the pits for fuel or repair would be the responsibility of the rider only. Think of the implications of trying to go all out on a HT for 8 Hrs, numerous thing could happen.
Scoring could be simplified by everyone starting at Zero on there official odometer and when the gun sounds after the 8 hr. time period your mileage is checked at the finish line. This would be a true test of rider, bicycle performance and reliability, mechanical ability, fuel use and strategy. You could even do it in the dark to add bicycle lighting to the equation if you could find a place that would put up with the noise.
Change a motor out with a flashlight! sounds like fun to me!
 
Re: What I'd love to see in MAB competitions

A few more thoughts on scoring with odometers, it might take a day to calibrate everyones odo to be the same in a measured distance. A two day event could be in order using the first day as practice and calibration day. Measure off a 1/10 of a mile and everyone has to land on it by setting tire size to qualify. Black flags for spinning wheels in pits and going backwards around track. If you die on track, you pedal or walk it back all the way around. Odometer malfunctions would be dealt with officials case by case. Honor system would also have to be implemented for odometer tampering. NO CH
EATERS! This would add even more fire to the already huge fun cluster %@*&.
 
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Re: What I'd love to see in MAB competitions

Good idea happy!
I'd at least like to learn what exactly my mab gets for mileage...
probly not great because of the mech probs with the top end, but I could like to check it when I rebuild.
...I'll read what the vetter site says...
rc
 
Re: What I'd love to see in MAB competitions

Thanks for the link Happy, It was freaking me out watching cars doing over 200 on the straits of Sebring on E85! I had to put that stuff in my 2005 truck on a fishing trip out west and i thought it was going to puke. After thinking about it, it makes me fell sorry for the forum member who caught so much guff about trying to run ethanol in his china girl. Engineering is engineering no matter if it's under a shade tree in Nebraska or a laboratory in Germany.
 
Re: What I'd love to see in MAB competitions

happyvalley said:
Sebring and Le Mans are definitely inspirations. Worth noting is the resurgence of interest and what Audi and Peugeot have done with diesels. Check out this article.

Could Fuel Efficiency Save Racing? | The Truth About Cars
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Have you noted the price of diesel lately......what's the point?

I rarely pedal assist my motorised bikes........blew out my left ACL racing scooters, that's why I put engines on them now. My bikes definitely get better gas milage than any 4,6 or 8 cylinder car.....I'm good with that.

The price of diesel is well over $4.00 a gallon here in San Diego.......man I'm glad I don't own a diesel anything!

dnut
 
Re: What I'd love to see in MAB competitions

scotto- said:
Have you noted the price of diesel lately......what's the point?

I rarely pedal assist my motorised bikes........blew out my left ACL racing scooters, that's why I put engines on them now. My bikes definitely get better gas milage than any 4,6 or 8 cylinder car.....I'm good with that.
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Well, I think you're asking two things. The point of adding fuel efficacy scoring to a rally or race for MABs is the fact that do have pedals. Seems a natural. It adds a component that tests man and machine. That it would not be for everyone is a given. If someone has an injury or other reasons they don't want to compete, well to each their own. But it could be another class of event that is an alternative to the free-for-all of who wants to throw the most money and hang the biggest engine off a bicycle. It puts emphasis back into the mix on the well tuned bicycle, lightweight and rewards fitness.

In another venue, long rider Wiley Davis has proposed a challenge and is currently building a bike for it. This is his outline.

An off-road, self-supported Baja challenge.
* Tecate to La Paz (along a pre-defined mostly off-road route).
* 5 gallons of fuel, no refills.
* Raced for time.
* Open challenge meaning you could attempt the route whenever you want, but you'd be tracked via something like a Spot GPS tracker.
To my mind, MAB distance racing should be all about a restricted fuel amount. That will encourage the beneficial use of motor-assisted pedaling.
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Definitely one for the hale and hardy. The link upthread to the Craig Vetter site offers outlines for some easier fuel efficiency motorcycle events that could be easily adapted to MABs. I think it would be fun and an ancillary benefit might be to highlight to the public what MABs are really good at.

As to the diesels, I don't know if you read the short article at the link, but the author's point was that they are leading a resurgence in interest in FIA events. At Le Mans and Sebring endurance races, the front runners are using them and winning because of increased fuel efficiency. The tech guys at Peugeot, Audi and Toyota et al are combining performance, reliability and efficiency to squeeze more miles out of them and having to refuel less often.
 
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Re: What I'd love to see in MAB competitions

I was only bashing diesel after noticing the price of it yesterday. It's not for me cuz it's messy, stinky and noisy when used in diesel engines.

Four-stroke gasoline internal combustion engines for me...... and I pedal when I run outta gas :D

dnut
 
Re: What I'd love to see in MAB competitions

Figure eight races would be interesting :)

Tom
 
Re: What I'd love to see in MAB competitions

Ok Im new to this but why not really open the can an throw away the lid ,we got motors why not race a class of mountain bikes like their dirt bike brothers ? or do they do that already? I could see a class of 50cc's , 60cc's an so on , could have restrictions like allowable engine mods or you must run a stock head an jug (this could apply to both styles of racing) but other internal an external mods allowed how about aerodynamic mods. there is a road track nearby me an they also have the dirt bike tracks as well , well they race just about anything with tires . I could contact them an see what shakes loose?
Gary
 
Re: What I'd love to see in MAB competitions

2door said:
Figure eight races would be interesting :)

Tom
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Figure eight chain racing a motor for the front rider and brakes for the rear O and ya diesel


All kidding aside I think you should put an event on and see what comes of it who knows happyvalley might be onto something neat for people to do with their bikes that's fun and brings new teck to the MB riders that are not into zipping around that's grate have fun and share it with us hear on the forum I wish you the best of luck -now go have fun with it
P.S. 4 stoke propane ?
 
Re: What I'd love to see in MAB competitions

lol
figure 8 racing on mabs...
I remember watching them race at Ascot way back when. :-)
rc
 
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