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Post by mihk on Jan 16, 2005 0:09:22 GMT
I'm no good at all the technical stuff and in the streetluge world I'd class myself as the crash test dummy for all the experience I've got. I fell off a nice hill in Israel over xmas and newyear and managed 90kph, the 2nd and 3rd run also got me 90 and the 4th 100 after I played around with my body position. I was convinced it was all about my bearings after I stripped down the trucks and found I'd the killed the abec 3's in the z-rollers and spat out most if not all of the shit in the abec 5's Len put in the wheels. I replaced the 3's with the 5's after I repacked them and put new 5's in the wheels. They ran smoother than a babies arse but I gave up after 2 more runs because I actualy slowed down to 85. Now I'm thinking maybe its about weight, the luge is only 9kg and fully kitted up I struggle to make 70kg. It cant be the hill because I get up to speed before it drops away even steeper and its not distance because theres just over 1 1/2 km of down. What else is there ? Stu
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Post by Joel on Jan 16, 2005 9:53:03 GMT
Hia Stu Personally I'm a a bit of a loss. Obviously body position is a very important aspect when trying to get high speeds, rockets arn't shaped like bricks for a reason. With the bearings, as Tom and several others keep saying) the Abec rating dosn't necessarily indicate how fast they go. You probably slowed down because they had more grease in them, that makes them run smoother, but also stops them running so fast. Weight is also an issue, and Lens luges are very light. But again that wont necessaraly keep you from going fast. Darren Lott wins races on a wooden luge that probably weighs even less that yours. And Len has the same luge as you and gets very fast. Think your best bet is to do as you plan and come along to Gurston. We'll all be happy to take a butchers and see where a few improvements can be made. If we can't spot any we can always get some more "balast" on you at the pub after Do remember though, 90kph (56mph) is not bad, a road has to be pretty steep and smooth to get better. Joel
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Post by mihk on Jan 16, 2005 13:24:43 GMT
hey Joel thanks for the offer of balast, does that mean the first round is on you ? Because Len uses tube for his frames I was thinking about loading it up with sand for an extra bit of weight. A mate sugested I try industrial bearings, something about needle rollers ?? The road was nice and smooth (if you avoided the herd of goats, donkey and 2 very LARGE dogs) and steep. groups.msn.com/UKGravityPhotoArchive/playtimeinisrael.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=805Look 2cm from my right shoulder the thin white line is almost the bottom of the hill. Stu
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Post by Joel on Jan 16, 2005 14:28:54 GMT
Hia Stu 1st round? me? ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D Sand is a good idea. My luge has 2 holes at the back that could have been welded over, but were left open and plugged with plastic bungs. this was done so that if extra weight was needed you could fill it with sand or lead balls. I have never needed the extra weight ;D, but it's usefull to have. Dunno if you could find needle bearings that are the right width to fit in skate wheels, and as i said, i doubt it would make much difference. Joel P.S. Nice lookin hill
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Post by BOS on Jan 16, 2005 14:37:03 GMT
I noticed you were running Labeaders. And very very very new ones at that! some speed and acceleration comes from wheel size. So maybe by altering wheels sizes you can get quicker. Bigger wheels = higher top speed Small wheels = faster acceleration
90kph is impressive. Take care on them open roads. From what ive seen of you you like to push it and to the point of eating the grass. Its tarmac, rocks and cars on the open road and they tend to hurt much more. Take it easy hope to see you at Gurston and Dalby!
BOS
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Post by mihk on Jan 16, 2005 14:50:57 GMT
I saw more goats than cars on the road but just to be on the safe side I had a car follow me down with the hazard flashing. I've never pushed it I may have misjudged the size of the road, my speed and stopping power every now and again ;D but I was only trying to catch up to everybody elses times.
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Post by Joel on Jan 16, 2005 14:54:39 GMT
yah, and i have some great photos of your elbow to prove it i seem to have lost ur e-mail stu, could u drop me a mail, i'll send the pics of ur injury
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Post by kkd on Jan 20, 2005 1:14:30 GMT
maybe its not your top speed where your losing it? breaking makes a hell of a difference to your overall time.
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Post by mihk on Jan 21, 2005 17:08:35 GMT
there was never any need to break it was just a slow right hand bend then a strait drop. Talking about breaks whats best to stick on the bottom of your boots ? I carved up a tyre and had a shoe shop stick it on for me, it works well enough but I'm not really that impressed. Oh and did I get a shock when I put my feet down on gravel for the first time I think I used english, hebrew, arabic and french to express my feelings about the subject. hey Joel, a mate of mine is going to pick up a couple of 1kg soft diving weights full of lead shot for me so I wont hold you to that drink unless your really twisting my arm.
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Post by Joel on Jan 21, 2005 18:29:29 GMT
This is why it's always good to ride with someone else. If they are going obviously faster then there is something you may be able to do to improve. If thay are going about the same speed you have probably reached the limit for the hill.
In this case it sounds to me more like the latter. 56mph is not slow, it takes a steep smooth hill to go significantly faster. Dalby is a 60mph hill and it is 1 mile long, pretty darn steep and doesn't have any corners as such to slow you down.
Joel
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Post by mihk on Jan 21, 2005 18:34:39 GMT
All things being kool I should be at Dalby this year. Was there anything new on that speed gun you and BOS were looking to buy ?
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Post by Joel on Jan 21, 2005 18:37:44 GMT
unfortunatly not, next to impossible to get in this country, may even be illegal for a decent 1.
However, Wills dad works for the department of transport or whatever and we're gonna see if we can borrow one for Dalby.
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Post by mihk on Jan 21, 2005 18:44:28 GMT
How much were you going to spend ? I've got a few friends in strange places that might be able to dig up one and I dont mind chipping in a few quid if everyone gets to use it.
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Post by BOS on Jan 22, 2005 12:56:52 GMT
Sounds good! Did your tyre you carved up have metal mesh in it? Cos i cant find any tyres without mesh in. And i really need some rubber cos my German 'import' stuff is as good as gone! You can just use contact adesive or i used specially made glue which i got kindly given to me, that was really good! I like to use screws as well just to make sure and they add a bit of sparking too. Just make sure the screws aint too long else youll leave a nice red trail behind you.
BOS
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Post by mihk on Jan 22, 2005 15:16:11 GMT
Hey BOS just for you I'll bring 2 spare pieces I cut out and wont be using on the 13th, just remind me a couple of days before hand. They need shapeing but there yours and theres no metal in them either. I did a bit of sniffing around and found this cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=73916&item=7129508125&rd=1with postage to uk I cant see it being much more than £50 so I asked a friend to look into it for me. Still no reply and even if he did get it for me it would be another month before I see it. Maybe you have better contacts in the states and can chase it down ?
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Post by Joel on Jan 22, 2005 19:00:00 GMT
Contact Adheasive will not work. What you need is Unibond Impact Adheasive and a shed load of clamps/weights.
What you really need is tyre re-mould, you might be able to blag a bit from a Bus/Truck Depot.
Joel
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Post by mihk on Jan 22, 2005 19:51:40 GMT
Take a walk into kwik fit and ask them what they do with the old tyres , they took me to stack out the back and told me to help myself ;D The contact adhesive went badly wrong for me so I went to the shoe shop. A couple of hours later and £7 lighter my boots were ready. What about slick racing tyres ? there no good after a couple of race's for cars.
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Post by BOS on Jan 23, 2005 11:23:10 GMT
Contact Adesive worked just fine for me. Its all about how you hold your tongue lads! Yeah lots of cramps and lots of screws. Cheers for the rubber stu, your a fine man! Dont bother cutting into a shape i can do that. I shall return the favour fear not.
BOS
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Post by casper luke on Jan 24, 2005 6:59:00 GMT
For shoe rubber thats not too much of a pain, try ride on lawnmower or tractor tyres, they have a fabric belt rather than a metal one, you can cut out a sole in about 15 mins with a stanley knife. I agree with Joel that impact seems to be the one that lasts, use plenty of clamps to ensure a good all over bond.
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Post by MarkSimpson on Jan 24, 2005 11:12:22 GMT
How do you guys rate "Shoe Goo"?
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