Comments on: Globike, a roundtail, and other links

By: Jay

Jay — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:03:59 +0000

I can’t believe how many people criticise and denigrate this design without RIDING THE BIKE! If you read(and watch,on Youtube) comments by people who have ridden the bike they LOVE IT! I can’t wait to ride one.I think bikes need new ideas and this looks like a good one to me.

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 23:24:28 +0000

Not sure why you believed this guy when he said he was a pro: http://roundtail.ca/gallery/img_0040.jpg

Seriously though, going forward you need Steve and not Lou doing PR. This post smells like vapor. And I’m sorry, but this design is ridiculous. Whoever settled on this rear cable routing path should not be allowed near a 5mm hex wrench, much less a CAD workstation. Bare cable rubbing against the inside of the tube is bad no matter what the tube is made of, though I also find it especially egregious that you spend so much time touting the merits of the design on your web site without clearly stating what material the bike is actually made of. Good luck gentlemen, you’re going to need it.

By: Lou Tortola

Lou Tortola — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 19:59:39 +0000

You know, if I look at the bike from the angle of the thumbnail on this post I can see why some of you may think it is not attractive. That fact is… the bike in real life looks much better than this thumbnail. It looks more like what you see on the website: http://www.roundtail.us but even better in reality. And it rides like a dream.

It was exhibited in a room of 400 cyclists at an event recently, and the consensus was that the bike is super cool and a work of art. OK, as the designer I admit that I’m biased… But I am telling all of you that most people who see it in real life love it. I am very proud of the ROUNDTAIL. We did do F.E.A. analysis of the 1880 Swanbike, (we had to for our Patent application) and it does not compare in achieving the same results. Do come to Interbike and see it. I promise you, it will make a different impression on you in real life.

Check out other images at: http://roundtail.ca/index.php/main/gallery

The people in San Diego who saw the bike and photographed it over and over were impressed. I take their reaction as a confirmation we “have a winner here” (and those are not my words, but words I heard a number of times…)

Sincerely,
Lou Tortola
inventor of the ROUNDTAIL

PS: Here is what happened last Thursday: I was on a 50k ride on my own, with the very bike you see on the site. I could see at some distance ahead, a rider was in front of me. I chased him down and finally caught up, it was a professional road racer also out for a ride. When he saw my bike beside him, he yelled out: “What kind or pedals do you have on that?” To which I replied “Speedplay of course!”. He immediately stopped and got off his carbon fiber. bike and said “lets switch, I want to ride that bike”. Of course I complied, and as soon as the racer got on the ROUNDTAIL he sprinted away so fast that in an instant he was gone. I caught up to him at the next stop sign 1k or so away. He was waiting for me. “So what do you think?” he replied “wow! it rides great, fast response, good acceleration, great handling. I love it!”.

It is really easy to comment on things you see from a distance, good or bad. I can tell you from experience it takes a lot of hard work to think about something and create a reality of your vision and bring something new into this world to celebrate life and a sport you are passionate about.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 18:55:07 +0000

I appreciate the scientific approach, but I wonder if a more effective way to get 0.026″ (0.7 mm) of vertical compliance would be to go from 23C to 25C tires and let the pneumatic suspension take over.

By: Steve Boehmke

Steve Boehmke — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 18:41:46 +0000

Hi Guys, Steve here from RoundTail… interesting comments, and thanks for your feedback… the truth is, rings are scientifically proven to be way more vertically resilient than a triangle of the same material. Go to our website and check out the Finite Element Analysis – http://roundtail.ca/index.php/main/benefits – our frame soaks up a bunch of the edge off bumps and road vibration. Just wait ’till we make a 29′er mountain bike! That’s going to be a great application for the design. See you on the roads and trails…

By: Jack

Jack — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 08:13:04 +0000

The roundtail looks horrible, don’t think that’s a functional bike. The big frame looks just on the picture heavy like steel.
But i like the Globike.. simple and nice

By: Paul Wujek

Paul Wujek — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:47:03 +0000

Off hand, aside from agreeing with others on the inherent ugliness of the design, if the frame is compliant and not adjustable, then it must be tuned to the weight of the individual as built, otherwise it will be unridable for the majority of riders.

So all-in-all not a very good design.

By: Zaaf’s Concept Bike As Fragile As the Granny That Would Ride it | john_kaufman

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 18:51:07 +0000

[...] Globike [Zaaf via Bicycle Design] [...]

By: Impossibly Stupid

Impossibly Stupid — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 14:57:49 +0000

Uh, that’s exactly what I acknowledge when I point out that these designs aren’t specifically engineered for comfort. They are mere visual tweaks, and while the riding characteristics might change a little bit if you replace the lower triangle with a hoop, you might be able to get the same result by adding a much more simple suspension to the seat post.

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 14:10:35 +0000

Stipulated, but let’s stay on topic here. Most of us are pretty happy with the position and range of adjustment of the contact points on a standard diamond frame, and those who aren’t are riding recumbents.