and who won the race? ...just for curiosity ;-) >>> Jürgen Mages 17-08-10 10:32 >>> I agree - the PSI on pythons, airbikes and flevos is not really an issue. In the contrary: I once had a little race with a ZOX20 rider (about 40 km/h) and a friend riding behind us told me later that my ride was much more straight than my competitor's. So much for that. Cheers, Jürgen. On 16.08.2010 12:19, Dirk Bonné wrote: > Hello Howard, > > Somehow the pivot angle is missing totally from your picture of PSI. > > But first: it is a little strange to read all this stuff about PSI. The > people I know who ride pythons have no PSI to talk about. Of course the > BB is movable, so you will end up with some movements - but no large > pedalling induced movements. On my bike, I can hardly see PSI, I am sure > there is some occilation but it is probably a few mm's (diffcult to put > a number), in turning degrees it must really be dwindling minimal. PSI > on a handlebar recumbent on the other hand is large. Ride together with > some of the mainstream handlebar steered recumbents, and then you'll see > the wheel wiggling left right all the time. I am sure they have much > more PSI than I have on my python. (I'll see if I can make a video of my > BB/wheel movements while riding). > > That said, I must add that the python is more lively than the flevo. I > do remember that in the beginning of riding the python I did have > considerable PSI, which went away after getting used to bike.The > *tendency* for PSI on the python is greater than on a flevo. With the > consequence that it takes longer to learn to compensate (an unconscience > part of riding, I couldn't tell you about how it is done). > > I know for sure, that the tendency for PSI is in direct relation with > the pivot angle (and not much with trail). I have now ridden: > * 45degrees pos trail (flevo race, 20" wheels) > * 60degrees neg trail (baby python/ last version of the pythoon/and > tried a 26" python) > * 70degrees neg trail (first version of the pythoon) > * 80degrees neg trail (second version of the pythoon) > > About wheel size: my experience is with small wheel sized centered > steered bike, which automatically means that the trail is rather small. > Though I do not think that PSI and trail are related, I do think that a > 20" python will beat a 26" in agility (just like a 16" python beats a > 20" python). About experience: Flevo and python I have much experience. > The 70/80degrees version less so, but still, I rode each of them for > minimum 200kms, so I have had some time to get used to these angles) > > The tendency for PSI rises with pivot angle. Already at 70degrees I > found it annoying, and it was a challenge to completely compensate it > away. At 80degrees it could even worse. On the other hand, at 45degrees > the flevo rode like a train. The 45degrees pivot is PSI-wise really > better. One could ask why not a python with 45degrees? Well I think > you'll pay with less agility and more difficult handling at slow speeds. > With the flevo, it regulary happened that I fumbled when starting at an > intersection in a stress situation. This is something that is really a > thing of the past since I began riding the python, and it is the main > reason why I like the python so much. > > note1: interesting/strangely enough even thoug the PSI is larger on > 70/80degrees, the agility of them were bad. At 80degrees I felt it was > simply the ergonomics of turning that was getting difficult (difficult > to fold at the hips sideways to turn). At 70degrees the bike didn't want > to turn - there was so much self centering, that I had to some hefty > weight lifting to turn, I could even feel my seat rising! (I am not > saying that all 70degree pythons are bad turners, I do not know that, > and it could have been a combination of the long wheel base, the larger > trail that did it in the case of the 70degree pythoon). > > note2: I also tried a friends 60degree flevo and felt it rode very well > - I would describe the experience like: "a python". So I have the > feeling that pso/neg trail has little to say about PSI. > > About dampers. On the flevo there is a rubber damper. I have ridden the > flevo with and without (because it tended to rip over after a year). I > didn't notice any adverse effect on PSI by the damper. IMO, the damper > is not there for riding, the damper is there for parking the bike. > Without the damper the flevo folds and falls over when not carefully > placed (more so than the python). The damper did have effect on handling > (i.e. turning ability) of the flevo - it worsened. > > So I am not a believer in mechanical solutions (i.e. dampers) for PSI. > Except for the handlebar which actually adds to the human input into the > bike, instead of lessening it. > > Moving the pivot to the back of the seat might or might not help - this > could be tried. But you have to think about the ergonomics of turning > too. It might well get physically difficult to do some sharp cornering > with the bike! > > May be pivots with angles smaller than 60 but still larger than > 45degrees might be a real improvement. Might be that for example a > 55degrees pivot might keep the easy slow speed handling of the python > but make the tendency for PSI less. > > groeten, > Dirk > > On 14.08.2010 17:05, Howard Stevens wrote: >> *More thoughts on PSI( at least this is what I think is the situation)* >> >> PSI happens when there is a pivot in front of the line of the hip >> joint. At the line of the hip joint there could still be some PSI if >> the force on the pedals is not applied close to the centreline of the >> cycle and the pivot-pedal angle is significant. Therefore the bottom >> bracket should be as short as possible to reduce this lateral distance >> (known as the Q factor). If the pivot is behind the hip joint the >> pivot-pedal angle reduces further and so the PSI becomes >> insignificant. If this is so for Pythons it is curious that Juergen >> found more PSI with his PX5 python, with the pivot behind the hip >> line. If the pivot is taken further back, the whole mechanical >> situation changes. As it approaches the rear wheel, the pivoting >> movements are more and more of the rear section rather than the front, >> like in the RWS trike Trixstar. The pivot is actually having a castor >> effect on the rear wheel and so we get rear wheel steering with >> positive trail on the rear wheel. This is generally considered to be >> more unstable at speed and counter intuitive. >> >> What is the best counter measure if you end up with PSI, despite >> minimising the Q factor and putting the pivot as close as possible to >> the hip joint? >> >> * Modify pedaling style with even cadence, reduce pedal force by >> use of gears, and lateral pedaling Charlie Chaplin style. >> * Handlebars as stabilizers while being held, however it is really >> necessary to permanently counteract any instability. >> * Motorcycle dampers may be the best solution as the dampening >> effect increases as the oscillation increases in range. >> * Rubber cylindrical dampers are used by some Python builders, >> however these would seem to limit the range of rotation? ============================================================ This is the Python Mailinglist //www.freelists.org/list/python Listmaster: Jürgen Mages jmages@xxxxxx To unsubscribe send an empty mail to python-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the subject field. ============================================================