More Subframe Lamination...

Tonight Mick & I bonded in the front subframe as well as finishing off the rear with a few more layers of Kevlar tape (which will save us in the event of sniper fire!). Last week we 'glassed in the rear mounts, both on the base & on the sides, with 2 layers of kevlar braided tape. This is amazing stuff. Nominally 50mm wide, you can stretch it down to 25mm, or gather it out to 80mm. No frayed edges. Fab stuff.

We also made sure the alignment was spot on, both side to side & longitudially.

We made sure we can fit a 100 tooth chain ring (so we can run up to 100kmh at 120 RPM at the pedals).

You'll notice the very back is open, but we'll be sealing that now the position of the rear wheel is finalised.

Rear subframe part 2 & Front Subframe.

So, tonight we bonded in the top supports of the rear subframe, meaning the rear wheel is essentially now in it's final resting place. We ran a string line to make sure it's all nice & straight. And then we wait until it all cures, and then we'll glass in all the supports. We've left the back end open and will bond that back together with a few shaped spacers which will ensure the wheel runs without touching anything. No burst tyres for this dynamic duo!

I've also been doing a little work on the front subframe, results of which you can see here... I've bolted on a 77t chainring, which I made for a different PCD crankset. This is temporary, but gives us an idea how the chainline will run. I think we'll need to shorten the chain somewhat to ensure the derailleur is clear of the floor. I will also make a larger idler, to increase the radius of turn, which reduces friction I'm told. We're using an ergostem, which gives us the ability to move handlebars up, down, forward & backward, as required by each different sized rider. Setup should be less than 2 minutes, once the rider is in the cockpit.

Rear Subframe mounting Step 1
Tonight we bonded the rear subframe into the tub. On the first attempt we tried to attach the main pivot point of the rear triangle, plus the two top supports in the one batch of resin. Big mistake ! Because of the tight fit of the rear subframe the top supports prevented us from 'bedding' the main pivot point to the floor of the tub. We were convinced that we would run out of time aligning the rear wheel when the resin began going off well before we were straight. Take two, and we bonded the main pivot point, and have left the two top supports for another night. We are convinced that the rear subframe is aligned correctly, and this will mean some slight adjustments to the clearance of the top supports, at the time of bonding. Next session should see the rear subframe fully attached, and beginning of the front subframe mounting.

Fronk Fork Completed

Pete Heal, the CroMo Magician of Canberra, has been working hard on the fork for Whoops. This has now been finished. It looks odd from the front, but is perfect for the bike: tyre on the centre line of the fairing, minimal fork where the knees will be travelling up & down, hanger for a derailleur. Magnificent. Nice one Pete!

Sub Frame Photos

Great news from Canberra... Pete Heal has finished the front sub-frame & fork. These photos make the frame look a bit rough, but with a little time & an angle grinder & some spray paint, it'll look superb.
The Cranks & bottom bracket will be placed in the hole towards the front of the frame. These are ready to go, but we do need a biggish (80T) cog which will be one of the next jobs!

Training Progress

Both Mick & I have been training regularly, sometimes at Casey, but mostly at home on windtrainers. We are working on 2 areas: Maintaining a constant speed at as close to maximum sustainable HR as possible for an hour, and working on strength, with the aim of increasing overall max speed.
Last night we did a session at Blackburn Velodrome together: 2 x 10Min steady, and 3 x max speed reps. kind of a mixed session really. But, really useful, as it showed the windtraining sessions are at too LOW a resistance and at a cadence probably 5 RPM less than ideal, which is easy to fix. It also re-inforced the need for closer gear spacing at the preferred speed/cadence. So, a custom 9 speed cassette will be required. 4 beginner cogs & 5 with just 1 tooth between then for fine tuning.

Tubbing complete !

The last sections of the tubbing have now been laid and this entry is being written with the background din of the vacuum pump from the garage. A photo of the initial layer of CF and foam is below. The carbon is covered by a layer of peel ply, followed by a layer of breather blanket which allows air to flow, and absorbs excess resin. A mylar bag covers everything, and the yellow tacky tape forms the air tight seal. The hose at the top of the frame leads to a vacuum pump, which happily ticks away until the resin goes off.

New members, new builder, news...

Firstly, congratulations to Peter Heal, the current OzHPV treasurer who successfully crossed the continent from Perth to Sydney, without any outside assistance, in a remarkable 11 days & 20 or so hours. A truly amazing performance. He rode a Velokraft VK2. More on his ride soon.

Pete has also made quite a few recumbent bikes, under the Lizard name, over the years. So, he has agreed to help the team by make the from sub frame. We'll supply him with drawings & materials, and he'll TIG weld it all up for us. If you've ever seen a Lizard bike, you'll know why I'm rapt he's going to do some work for us.
And once Whoops is all running, we may just have another rider who's interested in having a crack at the 24hr record. SO, stay tuned for NAMES...

Whoops adds a TICK...

As of Aug 2009, Whoops has gained a full time team member & added his initials to the team. So, welcome Mick Donovan, to the Whoops team. Where did the TICK come from, I hear you ask wordlessly through the ether... TIm & miCK.
Mick & I are going to build one bike between the 2 of us, which halves each of our costs, and ensures we are both work in the same direction. Our goals are:
90kmh for the flying 200m (Mick is much faster than me, so it is HIS goal)
65km in an hour (that's my goal)
There will be 2 events during 2010 for which we will have the bike prepared. I'll advise dates once the venue & dates are confirmed.
We have commenced work on a tub bike, but vac bagging in some 4mm foam & carbon fibre to Micks existing lower shell, so make it rigid enough to negate the need for a full length frame. Pics next week.

What a Weekend

Easter 2009 may go down as the beginning of Australia's speed bike era. 1 world & 2 Australian records were broken.
I completely failed to break any records, but my time in Whoops was valuable & I established that the records are well within reach, if I can get my bike to hold together!
More soon....

Easter 2009

This Easter, 2009 (April 10-13) will see a Varnyle of speedbikes assemble at Lang lang for a crack at the 2 long standing Australian speed records.
Trisled are working on a new head in version of their Black Betty bike. I have a new chassis under way with a new fairing to come soon. Pete Heal from Canberra will be coming down to try & break the unfaired 1hr record. Mick Donovan is working on a Kyle clone with me. Tim Corbett will be bringing his trike along for a crack at the 1 & 6 hour distance records.
Stay Tuned...