An Article About Carbon Bikes

[Froze]

Originally Posted by Volnix


Hmmm, they got different model names over there, the websites don't match...

Anyway, they don't cost 75.000 USD. Unless you are after a very expensive model, which maybe is a bad idea with Caterham, since they are just a shed at the docks.

Which reminds me that I just tried to make a warranty claim for a pair of cleats, Shimano ofcourse, which got shredded after 3 rides and of course the new bike shop with their new shinny bikes inside refused the claim. Didn't even bother calling the vendor.

I ran into a similar shoe problem at an LBS with Mavic. What I'm beginning to learn, I'm a slow learner, is that cleats and clipless pedals don't last anywhere remotely as long as clip and strap pedals and the cleat shoes they used, I still have my clip pedal cleated shoes I bought in 1981 and they never broke...neither did the pedals after over 160,000 miles and even more on the shoes!

By the way, the models of Caterham you showed are not legal to be sold in America due to all of our silly government requirements which drive up the cost of our cars...after all our government thinks that all Americans are rich so they can afford a $42,000 average car! And make payments that are about equal to a lot of peoples mortgage payments!

 

[swampy1970]

Actually Lotus cars are NOT engineered by the England Lotus company since they sold out in 1986 to GM due to bankruptcy and then again in 1993 to Bugatti and again in 1996 to Proton, and are currently engineered by Proton of Malaysia and are handbuilt in the UK.

Actually they are engineered in England and Lotus Engineering has its main offices in Hethel, England. If they design them in England, build them in England and have the main engineering and design dept in England I guess then they're designed and built in Poot'yang Langdang, Malaysia. Sounds about right for the logic.

 

[swampy1970]

Originally Posted by Volnix


They are quite cheap as far as I know... They should be even cheaper over there. Last time I checked a C200 Mercedes was 20000 euro over there. It's more then 35000 euro here and they are German too!

Lot's of speed for the money too. But it's a novelty car more or less. If you do the assembly your self it's a bit cheaper too. But you need an engine hook etc...

http://www.locostusa.com/

Flyin Miata used to distribute the Locost kit built to take Miata/MX-5 parts - so you got the independent rear suspension, but they've gone even lighter and stiffer with this:

http://www.flyinmiata.com/exocet/roller.php

http://www.flyinmiata.com/exocet/

The also sell the Westfield Lotus 7 kit.

http://www.flyinmiata.com/westfield/

Of course, with it being Miata based, there's a million and one upgrades that'll take the engine and suspension from mild to wild.

And you also have Brunton Auto that makes the Stalker - a cheaper Lotus 7 that harks back to the stone age but gets the job done nicely.

Big wings - big engine. Bye bye Radical!

 

[swampy1970]

Originally Posted by Volnix
Convertible cars weigh more then their fixed roof equivalents. They also handle worst. It's a fact.

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130530135124AAiSG1Y

"The reason it's slower is because the convertible weighs more than the coupe, usually about 200-300 pounds more. You see the roof on a unibody car is part of it's structure, when it's removed the chassis tends flex alot, this isn't desirable. So the engineers will add bracing to the chassis to stiffen it up some in an effort to offset the flex comes the top being removed from the car. This adds weight. And weight makes the car slower. "

Have you ever driven a Lotus Elise and thought "wow, that handles like ****." Nope, neither have I. The first one I drove was a UK spec 1.8 liter car - a base model - that weighed ~ 1,600lbs. It felt like it was stiffer than granite. Awesome stuff.

If you're into racing then you may have a point - but then again you might not. Years ago I had a very long chat with the guy that built and raced this Miata.



He was a multi national champion in his class and the little Miata was a 1900lb rocket. Then again, at that weight and with 9" wide wheels with R compound tires and springs/dampers that cost more than the original car did, you'd somewhat expect it. One of the reasons the car was ~450lbs lighter than the stock Miata was the lack of bracing. Vibration/NVH be damned. The unreinforced chassis was, in his words, "stiff enough" and adding extra bracing, even the lightweight billet aluminum or carbon stuff didn't help.

answers.yahoo.com or people that actually race at national level and have accurate telemetry to record results - who do I believe? Hmmm.



But that in itself brings up another point. You can take something like a 94 Miata (MX-5), put some fairly cheap KYB shocks and upgrade the springs to 450lb front/325 rear and stuff some slightly wider wheels and tires on - something fun like the Yokohama Advan A048 and Mr Porsche Boxter will be disappearing in the mirror on his stock tires and suspension when it comes to the narrower country lanes.

Yokohama A048. Street Legal - just don't expect more than 10,000 miles out of them.



I ran some Yoko A032R's on my Miata when not racing it. Ironically, I ran in a street tire class so I needed a tire with a treadwear rating over 180 - so shaved to 5/32" Kumho Ecsta XS was the goto tire on SSR 15x7.5" wheels. The class I raced in had a max of 7.5" rims. Even with the street tires, you could make anyone go really small in the rearview mirror when the roads got twisty. With the A032s... the Miata was just stupidly good.

 

[leroy1010]

Is this cool ?

 

[jpr95]

Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
Quote by jpr95:
"I count four."

My bad! I failed math so I became an engineer!

I failed everything else, which meant I couldn't become an engineer.

 

[jhuskey]

Originally Posted by jpr95

I failed everything else, which meant I couldn't become an engineer.

There are 3 kinds of people in his world, people that now numbers and people that don't.

 

[jpr95]

Originally Posted by jhuskey

There are 3 kinds of people in his world, people that now numbers and people that don't.

Or, there are 10 kinds of people in this world: those who understand binary, and those who don't.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Oh...what the hell. I'll just pre-emptively post Volnix's reply to "shaved Kumho's"...

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x10450i_safety-dance-literal-video-of-an-80s-band-on-lsd_fun

 

[Froze]

While a convertible may weigh a bit more than the equivalent hardtop version of the same car, the convertible feels faster due to all the air rushing around you, and it's much more fun and thus relaxing to drive...at least for me. Plus as a side benefit convertibles hold their value longer.

 

[Volnix]

Originally Posted by Froze

By the way, the models of Caterham you showed are not legal to be sold in America due to all of our silly government requirements

and these are?

What's wrong with the Super-7?

Not dangerous enough?

 

[Volnix]

Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
Oh...what the hell. I'll just pre-emptively post Volnix's reply to "shaved Kumho's"...

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x10450i_safety-dance-literal-video-of-an-80s-band-on-lsd_fun

That was a good video clip...

"Charley says... Never get in a MX-5 with a wannabe racer"

 

[Froze]

Originally Posted by Volnix


and these are?

What's wrong with the Super-7?

Not dangerous enough?

I hear you man and I agree with you, but those cars you show isn't about the danger it's about the fact they have safety bumpers, airbags, crumple zones, and government Nazi added smog equipment. I think a lot of this is just big bad America dictating to us and the world what cars they will and won't accept for us to buy here. There are cars all over Europe that get over 50 mpg and are cheaper to buy but they're not allowed to come here. Some cars are the same that are in Europe as they are here but they have to be detuned to get worse gas mileage. VW has a small hybrid that gets 160mpg AVERAGE that won't be allowed here in America, along with the Renault 4 door that gets 85 mpg on the hwy but isn't allowed here, nor is the Toyota Urban Cruiser SUV that gets 48 mpg, and the list goes on and on.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

I took the bike and went to a car show up in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park yesterday: http://todaros.com/?p=633

The featured cars were Italian. Not Jap scrap ****. Ferraris. Lambos. Alfas. Also McLarens, etc. Lots of finely detailed Campagnolo road wheels to inspect...no craptastic shitmaNO junk. No gay Miatas/Miyatas. Awesome Eyetalyun stallions on the golf course owned by the usual swinging dicks, but at least they were swinging dicks with money and fine automobiles.

After checking out the show I rode up the Valley and got to see, hear and photograph a NickelPlate RR 2-8-4 Berkshire class steam locomotive the was built at the Lima Locomotive work right here in Ohio in 1944 as it pulled the CVSR RR passenger train up and down the Valley. Lots of touristas. lots of folks out riding bikes and lots of photagraphers getting stills and videos of the train. The sound of the steam whistle echoing in the Valley was just fantastic and the smoke column from the locomotive was shooting about 100' into the air.

http://www.cvsr.com/steam-in-the-valley

Video from 3 years ago when 765 was also in the Valley:

History of Locomotive Number 765: http://fortwaynerailroad.org/nickel-plate-road-no-765/

Edit: The tourist train is equipped with special Bicycle Cars to haul around tourists and their bikes: http://www.cvsr.com/bike-aboard


Sorry. No CARBON in the pic:


The bike path runs beside the tracks and along our famous Burning River...the Cuyahoga River...queue Randy Newman!


A local gang, waiting to take a ride on the Devil's invention!




Another steam engine drags a train past the famous Goodyear Blimp Hanger/Airship dock in Akron, Ohio...just South of the Cuyahoga Valley:


Later, in the evening, I brush hogged 8 acres of pasture down with the diesel engine roaring in my ears.

A spectacular day! We are manly men, doing manly things with dangerous devices!

 

[Volnix]

Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
The featured cars were Italian. Not Jap scrap ****. Ferraris. Lambos. Alfas.

How many Alfas had to be towed away from the show?

 

[jhuskey]

How many Alfas had to be towed away from the show? :big-smile:

Yep all Sunday cars. Drive them on the weekend and put em back in the shop on Monday.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Quote by JH:
"Drive trailer them to the event on the weekend and put em back in the shop the climate-controlled toy box on Monday."

FTFY

 

[jhuskey]

Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
Quote by JH:
"Drive trailer them to the event on the weekend and put em back in the shop the climate-controlled toy box on Monday."

FTFY

That sounds reasonable I actually keep my basement garage at 50% humidity. It helps out on many levels since my trainer is located there also.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Most of these guys have a guy named Giuseppe or Mario or Gian Carlo on retainer just to change the oil and massage extra virgin olive oil into the leather seats. Trailer loading/unloading is handled by the staff of the outfit that is paid to transport the 'automobile' to events.

The owners fly in and rent...a Ford Fusion.

I spent my time with a motorcyclist who rode in on a 1983 Duc 750 GP bike (Red, white and green paint, of course) and a couple of the MGB guys that had a pair of GT's on display.

 

[Volnix]

Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
Quote by JH:
"Drive trailer them to the event on the weekend and put em back in the shop the climate-controlled toy box on Monday."

FTFY

Finally found the CCTV footage of your "incident".