Anyone heard of the plans to build a never ending downhill ride?

I've heard some person has plans to build a MASSIVE, and I mean MASSIVE disk that is TILTED at
an angle on a huge hill, and motorise this disk so that it rotates, and get people to pay to
ride "down" the upward moving side of the disk so that they have a never ending downhill ride.
And if they do ride faster than the disk then they get carried back to the top on the other side
of the disk.

This idea intriques me, as in theory the bike isn't actually moving, so do the technicalities change
re. balance, etc. And what happens when you go over the jumps etc, the bump is actually passing up
under you, you aren't actually moving and have a speed of 0, so do you get much air, etc. etc.

Also how does moving from the inner circle to the outer circle affect the ride, because the outside
of a disk moves faster than the inside of the disk, so the speed the ground is moving underneath you
would change, so your speed would need to change, and the only way to do that might actually be to
PEDAL down the hill.

In the winter he intends to make it a never ending downhill ski slope as well. But I suspect the
cost to build this thing would make it VERY VERY expensive to ride on, and I know one won't be built
near me, as we have irregular winters, and WAY WAY WAY TOO SMALL a population of bikers who'd ever
consider paying for riding.

But the whole idea seems intriquing.

 

On Fri, 7 Mar 2003 20:34:13 +1100, "Trentus" <[email protected]> scribbled:

[sniperoo]

Is this the one?

http://www.theboarder.co.uk/snowuki/snow/

-Slash
--
"Ebert Victorious"

- The Onion

 

Trentus wrote:
> I've heard some person has plans to build a MASSIVE, and I mean MASSIVE disk that is TILTED at
> an angle on a huge hill, and motorise this disk so that it rotates, and get people to pay to
> ride "down" the upward moving side of the disk so that they have a never ending downhill ride.
> And if they do ride faster than the disk then they get carried back to the top on the other side
> of the disk.

Well, I heard that M. C. Escher is chief architect...

--
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b.bmx FAQ: http://www.t-online.de/~jharris/bmx_faq.htm

 

On Fri, 7 Mar 2003 20:34:13 +1100, "Trentus" <[email protected]> blathered:

>I've heard some person has plans to build a MASSIVE, and I mean MASSIVE disk that is TILTED at
>an angle on a huge hill, and motorise this disk so that it rotates, and get people to pay to
>ride "down" the upward moving side of the disk so that they have a never ending downhill ride.
>And if they do ride faster than the disk then they get carried back to the top on the other side
>of the disk.

If they rotate it REALLY fast, Einsteinian physics would suggest that not only could you ride a
never ending downhill, but you'd finish before you started too. Cool.

Pete
----
http://www.btinternet.com/~peteajones/

 

On Fri, 07 Mar 2003 11:03:52 +0000, Pete Jones did issue forth:

> If they rotate it REALLY fast, Einsteinian physics would suggest that not only could you ride a
> never ending downhill, but you'd finish before you started too. Cool.

So you could have a lie in, go for a ride and still not be late for work!

Wonderful what they can do with technology these days, innit?

--
Huw Pritchard Replace bounce with huw to reply by mail

 

The U.S. Kayak and Canoe Team uses a training machine that gives you a never-ending rope climb. It's
looped around a big overhead drum on a spindle, with rolling resistance, so you keep climbing and
maintaining a position several feet up, while pulling about 80% of your bodyweight. Some people can
do this for several minutes. There are also pullup and dip bars in some gyms that have a
variable-resistance feature like this, so those who can't lift their own full weight, can get
started and work up.

This "endless hill" sounds like a place where someone could crash and burn, bigtime. The
intervals when you have to strain and grind to climb back up the hill, are where you regain
your equilibrium, so you can go on another crazed dive, down through the woods. And where are
you going to get that gut-busting conditioning you need, on an endless descent?

Steve McDonald

 

Trentus wrote:
> I've heard some person has plans to build a MASSIVE, and I mean MASSIVE disk that is TILTED at
> an angle on a huge hill, and motorise this disk so that it rotates, and get people to pay to
> ride "down" the upward moving side of the disk so that they have a never ending downhill ride.
> And if they do ride faster than the disk then they get carried back to the top on the other side
> of the disk.
>
> This idea intriques me, as in theory the bike isn't actually moving, so do the technicalities
> change re. balance, etc. And what happens when you go over the jumps etc, the bump is actually
> passing up under you, you aren't actually moving and have a speed of 0, so do you get much air,
> etc. etc.
>
> Also how does moving from the inner circle to the outer circle affect the ride, because the
> outside of a disk moves faster than the inside of the disk, so the speed the ground is moving
> underneath you would change, so your speed would need to change, and the only way to do that might
> actually be to PEDAL down the hill.
>
> In the winter he intends to make it a never ending downhill ski slope as well. But I suspect the
> cost to build this thing would make it VERY VERY expensive to ride on, and I know one won't be
> built near me, as we have irregular winters, and WAY WAY WAY TOO SMALL a population of bikers
> who'd ever consider paying for riding.
>
> But the whole idea seems intriquing.
>
>
>

I'd like to see someone go down and get slingshotted off the back. You get what you pay for.

John Spann

 

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected]
(Steve McDonald) wrote:

> The U.S. Kayak and Canoe Team uses a training machine that gives you a never-ending rope
> climb. It's looped around a big overhead drum on a spindle, with rolling resistance, so you
> keep climbing and maintaining a position several feet up, while pulling about 80% of your
> bodyweight. Some people can do this for several minutes. There are also pullup and dip bars
> in some gyms that have a variable-resistance feature like this, so those who can't lift their
> own full weight, can get started and work up.
>
> This "endless hill" sounds like a place where someone could crash and burn, bigtime. The
> intervals when you have to strain and grind to climb back up the hill, are where you regain
> your equilibrium, so you can go on another crazed dive, down through the woods. And where are
> you going to get that gut-busting conditioning you need, on an endless descent?
>
> Steve McDonald

I might agree with you about gut-busting conditioning, given the shape of a lot of DHers, but this
"revolving disk" idea (which sounds so ridiculous I'm not going to comment until I hear something
more concrete) is clearly meant to operate for the enjoyment of shuttling DHers.

Now, consider one other thing...a system whereby you create a downward slope that requires no energy
to climb to the top...what sport besides DH riding has this issue? What is the history of that
sport? Skiing, did you say? Chairlifts, you say?

Indeed, I believe several ski resorts (Whistler-Blackcomb for sure) have already set up bike
shuttles and trails on their slopes for the snowless part of the year.

http://www.whistler-blackcomb.com/mountain/bike/index.asp

--
Ryan Cousineau, [email protected] http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

 

> I might agree with you about gut-busting conditioning, given the shape of a lot of DHers, but this
> "revolving disk" idea (which sounds so ridiculous I'm not going to comment until I hear something
> more concrete) is clearly meant to operate for the enjoyment of shuttling DHers.

Not so much for shuttling them, as to create an *endless* ride.

> Now, consider one other thing...a system whereby you create a downward slope that requires no
> energy to climb to the top...what sport besides DH riding has this issue? What is the history of
> that sport? Skiing, did you say? Chairlifts, you say?
>
> Indeed, I believe several ski resorts (Whistler-Blackcomb for sure) have already set up bike
> shuttles and trails on their slopes for the snowless part of the year.

The problem with chairlift systems is you still have to stop your downhill ride to get on one and
return to the top. It isn't an endless downhill, and depending on the height of the hill may be a
very short ride. The loop whether it be a rotating disk, or a conveyor belt system, provides a
downhill ride that only stops when you decide you've had enough and want to get off, or you ride too
fast for the speed of the system and manage to reach the bottom.

Trentus