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news
Beastie 1.pngVideo: Graeme Obree's record-attempt recumbent rolls out
As we've previously reported, former Hour Record holder and national treasure Graeme Obree is preparing for an attempt on the human-powered land speed record. True to form, Obree has been designing and building his own bike for the attempt, and he's just released a video of its maiden flight.
It's an intriguing machine. Previous speed record human-powered vehicles have been standard recumbents, as far as there is such a thing. Current record holder Sam Whittington used a supine position, leaning back but facing forward, and turned conventional cranks and pedals when he powered his Varna Tempest to 83mph in 2009.
Obree, as you might expect, has thrown out the rule book. For a start, he'll be riding 'Beastie' in a head-down, prone position. The idea is clearly to get into a lower and therefore more aerodynamic position, but it doesn't exactly look comfortable. In the video, though, Obree says it “feels great!”
A set of cranks needs quite a lot of vertical space, increasing the frontal area of the bike, so Obree has thrown them out too. Instead the bike has a treadle drive, with levers turning a chainring and chain drive.
It's a wobbly-looking beast, but that's not unusual – low-profile recumbents often need helpers to get them started. When you're that close to the ground, you don't have much time to correct a wobble before you fall.
Obree has previously said he'll have a carbon fibre and Kevlar skin to streamline the bike. He'll need it if he's to beat Whittington's record, let alone the 100mph mark he's set for himself. We can't wait to see Beastie in action with a full shell!
Meanwhile, here's the video:
John has been writing about bikes and cycling for over 30 years since discovering that people were mug enough to pay him for it rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work.
He was heavily involved in the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s as a racer, team manager and race promoter, and that led to writing for Mountain Biking UK magazine shortly after its inception. He got the gig by phoning up the editor and telling him the magazine was rubbish and he could do better. Rather than telling him to get lost, MBUK editor Tym Manley called John’s bluff and the rest is history.
Since then he has worked on MTB Pro magazine and was editor of Maximum Mountain Bike and Australian Mountain Bike magazines, before switching to the web in 2000 to work for CyclingNews.com. Along with road.cc founder Tony Farrelly, John was on the launch team for BikeRadar.com and subsequently became editor in chief of Future Publishing’s group of cycling magazines and websites, including Cycling Plus, MBUK, What Mountain Bike and Procycling.
John has also written for Cyclist magazine, edited the BikeMagic website and was founding editor of TotalWomensCycling.com before handing over to someone far more representative of the site's main audience.
He joined road.cc in 2013. He lives in Cambridge where the lack of hills is more than made up for by the headwinds.
Latest Comments
- dubwise 9 sec ago
Um, did the European Championships actually happen? Can't see any report on road.cc
- Hirsute 13 min 33 sec ago
Far too many in that article unable to reverse onto the driveway. Does no one know the highway code ?
- Car Delenda Est 1 hour 4 min ago
A more appropriate punishment:...
- Rendel Harris 1 hour 8 min ago
By no means claiming that Armstrong was the only doper in that period but your claim makes no sense: the average speed is taken on the time of the...
- Russell Gray 1 hour 26 min ago
Close passing and rank bad driving have almost become the norm, to the point where I expect it and it doesn't shock me. What does shock me are the...
- kingleo 1 hour 32 min ago
So why did they not make the bridge wider, one side for cyclists and the other for pedestrians with a partition in between?
- wtjs 1 hour 37 min ago
I suffered a close pass by a BMW driver 2 or 3 years ago. 10 yards later he was stopped by temporary lights. It's all on video: there's no swearing...
- ManicDrummer 2 hours 27 min ago
Electromagnetic pedals you say? Call the witch finder general!
- slc 2 hours 44 min ago
I lived in Swansea before and after the new tracks were installed, and cycled along the Mayals Rd a couple of times each week. I'm sorry to say...
- OldRidgeback 2 hours 44 min ago
Ok, so now the trial has proven successful and useful it should be introduced on a compulsory basis for all driving instructors surely?
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24 comments
If anyone can do it, he's the man, and *if* he doesn't succeed it wont be for lack of courage ability or vision.
The man is an inspiration and deserving of more recognition than he has had.
MBE campaign anyone?!?
Keep her lit Graeme and in the words of an old homeguard chappie I hope yer Not (Doomed)! in your quest. All the Best of British mate!
Sorry
That was in response to lewskisdub ... I hit reply rather than quote ..
Can anybody tell me the where and the when of his record attempt because if possible I would like to be there.
Obree is an inspiration!!
What ever happens (and i hope he succeeds) he should be applauded for trying, thinking out of the box, and not caring if people might ridicule him.
As someone already pointed out...
Legend!!!
Go Graeme!!!
An extreme design which appears to need significant development to achieve high straight line speeds. In fact, it looks as though achieving a straight line at any speed will be a challenge. Good luck to the fella though.
Why doesn't he go even further and move the wheels apart so that he can lie between them, reducing frontal area? He would obviously need to turn the chainwheels flat to get the most benefit, but I'm sure there's something in his washing machine that will let him do that...
No cars involved - it's the IHPVA world speed record he is going for:
http://www.recumbents.com/wisil/whpsc2012/speedchallenge.htm
I had a wee shot of a procumbent with a similar riding position that Venom built in the mid 90s, and I seem to remember the steering was quite twitchy.
The treadle drive is an interesting idea. For similar reasons, the Dutch team from Delft university are using an elliptical drive this year, which has allowed them to make their fairing more aerodynamic:
http://www.hptdelft.nl/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3...
I think the 100mph target is just good publicity. The additional power required to get beyond the current record of 82mph makes 100mph pretty unlikely, but good luck to Obree with his attempt on the record. He is a great athlete and an inspirational character. He is going to have to get his skates on to build and test a fairing before September, though!
This is such a great story, it doesn't really matter if people laugh, and he doesn't ultimately get anywhere near the record, he's nothing to prove and he's following a dream.
I suspect he will go faster than people think though.
Got to love Graeme! Really wish him well.
In these days of Sky and other mega teams this type of venture is really refreshing.
As he'll be travelling behind a car I would've sacrificed a little aerodynamic drag for a standard pedalling action. Turning equal circles has be more stable than kicking back and forwards? It seems a bit like thinking the 100 metres sprint might be more efficient if you run it straight legged.
I believe he can break the record in that position - but not with that method of motivation.
Back to the old drawing board.
I just love the guy's drive, never count him out.
Hope his beastie has better luck than Rabbie Burns'
Wee, sleekit, cowrin, tim'rous beastie,
O, what a panic's in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty
Wi bickering brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee,
Wi' murdering pattle.
I can't imagine he can deliver the same power with that pedal construction as when pedaling normal cranks. But it's Obree, so i won't be surprised if he succeeds with this strange contraption
Totally mental idea, but who am I knock him! I'm guessing there may be umpteen failed efforts before he gets this record, but you cannot write him off. I'm not sure a teadle drive can deliver the same power as a pedle stroke, that'd be my worry, but hey what do I know!
Good Luck Greame!
but...will he be able to use his body to it's full aerobic capability with his weight at least partially supported by his chest, as it appears to be?
I'm guessing he's already thought of that, but just saying...
He's having a kevlar shell though isn't he?
Probably not much dog crap where he's doing the attempt anyway.
legend
This guy reminds me of someone who is slowly losing the plot. Possibly turning into a hermit and coming out with these crazy ideas. This may be a prototype but could you imaging doing 100mph on that?!
Well, thats your opinion and you're more than welcome to it..... but if mankind had always been so CONSERVATIVE (scared) in his thinking, we'd still be living in caves ..
Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.
STEVE JOBS
I don't know whether Graeme will achieve his goal, but I certainly applaud him for giving it a bash, life is full of people who CAN'T, WON'T, SHAN'T, Etc ..... How about a little CAN, WILL SHALL eh ..
Good Luck Graeme!!
[[[ LEWSKIS--no, I can't. He can barely steer The Blob at 13mph, let alone 100. This will only end in tears.
P.R.
he wants some mudguards on that. Wouldn't want to hit a dog pile with my face that close to the tyre,
Utterly bonkers and fantastic at the same time - let's hear it for eccentric British genius. I really hope he can crack the record.