Comments on: SplitStream bars and more

By: jimmythefly

jimmythefly — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 03:02:00 +0000

Hey, DaveB I was one of the guys who was extremely skeptical over on Core77 (haven’t been back since, maybe you’ve posted there, too?). So, I hearby eat my words, because having aprototype changes everything. Anyhows, kudos on the design and especially on the working prototype, what a great example of the media missing important bits of the story!

By: Fritz

Fritz — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 22:36:00 +0000

I was very skeptical of CLIX at first but then I played around with one a little and I'm now sold on the concept. Way better and faster than the standard "lawyer lips" IMO. When I last talked with them they had no plans for aftermarket distribution -- can you ask if they've thought about that some?

As always, thanks for the link.

By: Art

Art — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:46:00 +0000

I can’t think of any reason why those bars wouldn’t be feasible with the right locking mechanism. There should be enough aero advantage to override any weight penalty.

By: bikesgonewild

bikesgonewild — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 23:03:00 +0000

...i'm impressed...daveb's concept is great & it's the thinking behind it all that's impressive...quite simply, to me, it's a "why not ???" kind of idea...

...keep conceptualizing, refining & prototyping, daveb...despite the number of articulating pivots involved, if you can make it foolproof & yet light enough, it seems like an idea that will eventually "spread it's wings"...props...

By: James

James — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:16:00 +0000

Thanks for the comments everyone; great discussion

Dave, thanks for leaving a comment. It is great to see the additional renderings, drawings, and (most importantly) the prototype on your blog. I’ll update the post with your link for those who don’t read the comments sections.

By: C

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:37:00 +0000

"You don't see variable geometry wings in new aircraft design because the weight and maintenance penalty for those aircraft outweighed the benefits of the design. All but the Tornado have been retired and the B-1 is on its way out as well."

That was kind of the point in my last sentence.

Also the B-1 is hardly on its way out. A B-1 just saved the lives of a bunch of buys in Afghanistan this weekend. It's a primary on-call platform for Afghanistan. It's also being upgraded this summer with the addition of the Sniper pod. Hardly on its way out.

By: DaveB

DaveB — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:49:00 +0000

Hey James,
Thanks for the feedback. Love your blog btw. I was surprised to see the handlebars on it. I just got the IDSA magazine today. Unfortunately, they didn’t choose the best images to describe the project. Check out my web site http://www.davebags.com/splitstream to see some more details. A video there shows a quick clip of a functional prototype. It took a while to get the whole concept working on a real bike…lots of iterations and failed prototypes. No trips to the ER yet. I started out just getting the mechanism to work with some 2-d prototypes (rough wood and then lasercam’d acrylic) and then worked my way up to a few sets made out of ABS plastic (CNC mill and FDM machine using CAD/CAM)

The bars in the video are sturdy enough to ride around campus and helped me get a feel for the mechanism in action. The concept is a little crazy and the execution still needs several more iterations but they’re pretty fun to ride. I thought they would be super squirrelly especially while in transition but the motion is surprisingly stable. When you engage the aero position it’s a bit of a rush.

Not sure if they’ll ever make it to market or satisfy the requirements of the pros but that wasn’t my goal. School is a great time to try out ridiculous ideas. The project was a lot of fun and a great learning experience. The award was a nice unexpected bonus.
-Dave

By: Will

Will — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:33:00 +0000

You don't see variable geometry wings in new aircraft design because the weight and maintenance penalty for those aircraft outweighed the benefits of the design. All but the Tornado have been retired and the B-1 is on its way out as well.

As for quick-release...it's time for something better on the front. I've been very happy with the new thru-axle front forks on the mountain bike side (and Leftys too) and would like to see something like that on the road. Why have a huge 1.5" head tube if you are still constrained by such a small clamping interface at the hub?

Bottom Line...I wish the UCI would change its rulebook to allow for more innovation.

By: C

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:22:00 +0000

You can have the bars pivot and still be strong enough. Anyone who doubts this needs to look no further than the aviation field. There have been several high performance aircraft which featured swinging wings including the F-14 Tomcat, the Tornado, and the FB-111. If a plane can have swinging wings and still pull 7g with a few thousand pounds of ordnance hanging off them it’s a safe bet they can make a pivoting handlebar. Of course the weight would be a whole different issue.

By: Robb Sutton (198)

Robb Sutton (198) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:47:00 +0000

Come down and ride Blankets when I get mine in…you can help me with the testing.