Some of you may know I'm the advisor for Hope College's Formula SAE Team. I usually employ one or two team members at Eclectic Motorworks as well. Due to COVID, their semester ended early and the next one starts late, so some of the more local team members started a side project to hone their fabrication skills over their extended break.
In reply to Carl Heideman :
Fuji?
Thought I was looking at some Steel Bridge competition stuff till I looked closer
Those Dutchmen are riding one big bike.
Ok, that's awesome!
Certainly interested in more. Drivetrain layout is going to be something.
I think you'll want more bottom brackets to transfer the power rather than one chain, don't you?
AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to Carl Heideman :
Fuji?
I don't know the brand. I'm actually in Traverse City for a long weekend. The cat is away, so the mice are playing in the shop this weekend. They texted that photo last night, so that's all I know so far.
chandler said:I think you'll want more bottom brackets to transfer the power rather than one chain, don't you?
I suspect this thing is going to end up with a motor. I asked them about the bottom brackets and they said something about footpegs instead of pedals. And my emergency backup son, Chris, is on the team. He and I built the Trust Bike a few years ago--a motorized tandem where the rear rider controls the clutch and throttle while the front rider steers.
That looks like a fun project. But the turning radius makes me hope it only gets tested in giant parking lots.
vsquaredbyrho said:That looks like a fun project. But the turning radius makes me hope it only gets tested in giant parking lots.
I suspect this bike will be like the Spruce Goose: One or two demonstration trials and then onto a life of display.
In reply to Carl Heideman :
Interestingly the school has a Dutch background, along with most of the city and Holland was once heavy with wooden ship builders so this may end up being a "spruce goose". (My kid went here)
They tested it, and got up to four riders (no seats in the middle yet, so the two middle guys just sat on the frame) when they found out the aluminum rear wheel couldn't handle the side load in a turn. They're FSAE students--they'll do some FEA and figure it out.
Datsun310Guy said:In reply to Carl Heideman :
Interestingly the school has a Dutch background, along with most of the city and Holland was once heavy with wooden ship builders so this may end up being a "spruce goose". (My kid went here)
Chris Craft used to have a huge factory in Holland. Grand Craft makes Chris Craft replicas and used to build them right next door to Eclectic. Grand Craft built boats for Robert Redford and Tim Allen, and they'd stop in to check progress as they were being built.
When was your kid at Hope?
In reply to Carl Heideman :
Sooooo, carbon fiber spokes?
Wheel would've been fine if the spokes weren't so darn stretchy.
Fuji always has had nice looking frames. Solid riding bikes as well.
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