Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Has Science Gone Too Far?

   There is no shortage of people willing to do weird things with bikes, especially if they have a use in mind. The guys over at Rungu bikes have been solving problems with stability and traction in a pretty interesting way: The trike:


Kilimamjaro

   The Rungu Kilimanjaro is the kind of bike that, when you first look at it, makes your brain go:


   Trike bicycles have been around forever, the most common with two wheels in the back. They are simple and effecient, if a little unsteady.

Standard trike

   With both wheels in the front, you get a little better handling, at the cost of increased complexity in the front end. The steering is handled with two headsets, and a piece of linkage than connects independent parts of handlebars:

Rungu steering

   The design reminds me of the CanAm Spyder. The front wheels steer together, so it's a pretty stable set up. In fact, the biggest advantage of this set up is stability at low speeds.

Can Am
 
   Like all good bike designs, this one also comes in a fat tire version, The Juggernaut:

Triple fat tire trike

   The stable platform makes it perfect for cruising around in the sand, in this case towing a surf board. Since balance isn't a big deal, you can just truck through the soft stuff.


   At 50+ pounds, it's certainly not light, but the claim is that is can not be stopped. At around $2,600, it's more reasonably priced than I expected. There is a good write up on the capabilities on GearJunkie if you're looking for more info on this monstrosity. In the mean time, look at this pic of a double Lefty that was on a Rungu forum:

This guy...

   had me scratching my head for a long time. Turns out it's a joke and he just has a wheel and Lefty leaned up against his bike to make people like me furious. 

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