Friday Fun!

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fender-blender-pro

Now here’s a great way to serve up Piña Coladas at your next pool party and get in a workout.

Perfect Father’s Day gift for the cycling dad who has everything!

Found at RockTheBike.

8 replies
  2. andrewp
    andrewp says:

    I like it!!!

    Mighk (and other bike historians): I notice the bike gears are “backwards” on this blenderbike. Is there any reason (on a regular passenger bike) why the gearing couldn’t be switched such that you have a “front-wheel-drive” bicycle?

  4. ChipSeal
    ChipSeal says:

    AndrewP, yes. The reason is you will crash.

    The front wheel on all our bicycles is placed slightly forward of the turning radius of your headset. (This is called “rake”) The interplay of the forces between the gyroscopic effect of the turning wheel, the change from the “top” of the tire to more of the side combined with the fork rake keep bicycles upright.

    http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/gyro.html

    I have heard that attempts have been made to make a rear steering bicycle, but all have ended in failure. No one has been able to ride at speed on one, I am told.

    Here is a patent of one:
    http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6588786.html

    Circus acrobats can be seen riding special bikes backward, but never at speed, and they have zero fork rake.

    And now, having consulted Professor Google and his assistant Mr. Wikipedia, we have found this article which confirms some of the above:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_and_motorcycle_dynamics

    And now all of us can know more than we ever wanted to about rear-wheel steering of bicycles and what makes them turn!

  5. fred_dot_u
    fred_dot_u says:

    From what I understand in my “travels” online, and somewhat in real life too, recumbent exercycles are more popular than the upright version.

    I like this picture much better than the V-8 powered “blender” on Top Gear television from the BBC.

  6. JohnB
    JohnB says:

    I usually see these implemented with just a regular bike made stationary with the rear wheel off the ground, so it’s a “rear-wheel drive” blender. It looks like this company is taking it commercial and decided this look would be cooler and set them apart from all those boring amateur adaptations! 😉

  7. Mighk
    Mighk says:

    There are some rideable front-wheel drive recumbents. I recall seeing one in a web magazine that had a reversed head tube angle and cranks up above the wheel. They said you could ride and steer it no-hands; virtually unheard of in the recumbent world.

  8. LisaB
    LisaB says:

    Laura says:
    “I want one!!! It’d go great with my tiki bar.”

    Now that’s what I’m talking about. Leave it to the guys to work out the gear issues. We’ll take care of the rum 🙂

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