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Welwyn Velodrome

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LeeW View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote LeeW Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 July 2010 at 10:47pm
To start off with, you maybe better to have a hand launch/catch. Once you have mastered that then try self launch. Darly moor was my first ever race fully faired on two wheels and I fell over on the start line because I left it in a high gear after doing some practice laps. Always make sure you are in bottom gear before starting!
I'm not sure how well the davis copes with flopping over, the correx fujin seemed to cope very well actually with falling over although I had to replace some panels after I stacked it at 34mph at tilburg.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GeoffBird Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 July 2010 at 11:28pm
Just go for it Alan! Starting and stopping shouldn't be too hard with the Davies fairing (although it's surprisingly easy to forget to retract the bomb doors!). The hard bit is cornering in crosswinds at 30mph - your motorsickle experience will help alot here - I find a bloody-minded attitude helps - you need to wrestle that wind - which is why tiller steering is a bad idea on a sreamliner IMO...

It gets MUCH easier with practice though, so get out there!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote martinbguk Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 July 2010 at 7:12am
Originally posted by LeeW LeeW wrote:

because I left it in a high gear after doing some practice laps. Always make sure you are in bottom gear before starting!

It's not just me that does that then! Embarrassed

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Yanto63 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 July 2010 at 7:38am
Originally posted by GeoffBird GeoffBird wrote:

you need to wrestle that wind - which is why tiller steering is a bad idea on a sreamliner IMO...


Geoff can you explain why a tiller precludes any wrestling in yer fairing?
Ian
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Adrian Setter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 July 2010 at 9:46am
Some of us have enough problems with tillers without having to deal with the effects of a cross-wind on a full fairing.
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote JDub Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 July 2010 at 10:12am
Originally posted by AlanGoodman AlanGoodman wrote:

Been to the velodrome this afternoon - had the whole place to myself... wasn't able to get any riding done as I was having chain problems but the track looks fine to me...

We have raced there several times. I think that old pic of gNick on my Velocino was taken there. The railway side collapsed and has been remade better but the rest is very bumpy, especially in a streamliner. I think Tim Costen won last time we were there. There was no demand to go back.
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 August 2010 at 11:33pm
Originally posted by Yanto63 Yanto63 wrote:

Originally posted by GeoffBird GeoffBird wrote:

you need to wrestle that wind - which is why tiller steering is a bad idea on a sreamliner IMO...


Geoff can you explain why a tiller precludes any wrestling in yer fairing?
 
I missed the original quote, but if you are having to wrestle, something is wrong. A faired bike is quite a lot different from an unfaired. I had some experiences with early versions of Oscar. It was quite a difficult bike because it had about 60% weight on the front wheel.  50% or less is better. When I had a normal amount of rake/trail, the wind blew it all over the track. When I reduced the trail,  the problem was cured. The wind should push you a little, then the bike settles in to an equilbrium. If there is a lot of trail and a lot of side area at the front, the bike will tend to castor off the wind. I don't have any experience of it, but a bike with the centre of pressure too far back will try and turn into the wind.  I'd have to think about how to fix that.
You should not have to fight the bike. If you do, you will loose adhesion in a corner and ruin your bike. Might even injure youself. You should be able to let the bike sail and make small changes under low stress. Streamliners should be able to push the rubber to it's limit. If you are wrestling they can't.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GeoffBird Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 August 2010 at 12:01am
The problem is mainly turning into a corner against a strong crosswind, which can require you to be quite forceful with the steering. From what I've seen, people generally acclimatise quicker to a streamliner with steering with little offset than to one with tiller steering.

My streamliner originally had tiller steering, which I found required Zen-like calmness to steer accurately and it's hard to be Zen-like when being buffeted by a 20mph wind in a 30mph corner (It's not just me - alot of people have trouble with tiller steering even on an unfaired bike). As soon as I switched to Kingcycle-style bars things were massively improved.

Which is not to say you can't build an easy-to-ride streamliner with tiller steering, it's just less likely IMHO


Edited by GeoffBird - 02 August 2010 at 12:07am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote gNick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 August 2010 at 10:39pm
I only once had a problem with the wind on the Fish which is tillered, but it was VERY strong at Zandvoort and my bars had managed to come a bit loose as well. I ran off onto what I though was grass at the edge of the track and turned out to be sand - stops you quick does that sand! I ended up leaning on the Armco and unable to open the bomb doors because the bike had sunk in the sand.
I found that the best thing is to leave yourself with plenty of room to move and let the bike run, I certainly never had to be forceful on the steering though that might be due to the steep head angle and zero fork offset minimising wind induced steer. It might be that I have no problem at all with tiller steering though! Wink

Thinking about it I do remember a very windy Castle Combe where I was worried about the wind blowing the wheels out from under me if I leant too far over when coming past the tyre wall on Quarry...

gNick



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 August 2010 at 11:21pm
Originally posted by GeoffBird GeoffBird wrote:

The problem is mainly turning into a corner against a strong crosswind, which can require you to be quite forceful with the steering.
Never tried Geoffs bike and I don't get on with tillers, but I have never had to steer forcefully in a streamliner once it is set up right. I did one race at Hernia Hill with too much trail. Gusts were pushing me all over the track. Worth experimenting a bit to get good handling. A pair of long horizontal dropouts on the forks are ideal, but I have used bolted on plates in the past. I don't think the Davis has tiller steering.  
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