Nubike

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
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roberts8
Posts: 547
Joined: 20 May 2011, 9:14pm
Location: Surrey

Nubike

Post by roberts8 »

Maybe I missed a write up but I have just seen a video of a NUBIKE using vertical pedalling. I wonder if those with greater knowledge on this forum think there is any mileage in this bike?
Sorry for the bad joke but it would be great to hear from someone who has ridden one.
philvantwo
Posts: 1730
Joined: 8 Dec 2012, 6:08pm

Re: Nubike

Post by philvantwo »

Are they in production yet?
Jdsk
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Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Nubike

Post by Jdsk »

ClappedOut
Posts: 585
Joined: 30 May 2020, 12:43am

Re: Nubike

Post by ClappedOut »

I'm not convinced
freeflow
Posts: 1634
Joined: 29 Aug 2011, 1:54pm

Re: Nubike

Post by freeflow »

You can start with the fact that it is recognised that elliptigo bikes burn 33% more calories than a road bike at the same speed.
iandusud
Posts: 1577
Joined: 26 Mar 2018, 1:35pm

Re: Nubike

Post by iandusud »

In the video one of the claims made with reference to the length of the levers used is: "With more leverage you go further with less effort". I'm not sure what they are really trying to say here but you could make similar claims about crank length on a conventional bike or even gearing. If you use lower gears you use less effort but you don't go any further, or at least the bike doesn't cover a greater distance, in fact the opposite is the case, but your legs go further! I'm always interested in engineering solutions but as soon as I hear statements like the above (as well some other rather dubious claims made in the video) I smell a rat.
Nessie23
Posts: 91
Joined: 13 Sep 2020, 1:19pm
Location: Warwickshire

Re: Nubike

Post by Nessie23 »

Not convinced. The vertical ‘stepping’ motion looks awkward and does not provide any momentum that is inherent in circular action. Interesting that no footage exists of the nubike going uphill. I believe that ‘treadle’ action bikes have been explored before but never caught on.
Nessie23
Posts: 91
Joined: 13 Sep 2020, 1:19pm
Location: Warwickshire

Re: Nubike

Post by Nessie23 »

Thinking about this a bit more, it just seems a mad idea. Each pedal stroke starts at zero velocity at top of stroke then accelerates-decelerates-then zero velocity at bottom of stroke. This stop-start motion must be difficult to maintain over long rides and presumably worse on joint wear than the traditional circular motion. Also as you pick up road speed each initial downstroke must travel further until you catch up and apply load which must lead to huge inefficiency. Also as you push down on one lever the opposite lever is being forced up and acting against the weight in your leg therefore you need to expand wasted energy to lift your leg on the upstroke.
If I want circular motion in rear wheel much easier to apply a circular motion input as opposed to reciprocating motion.
roberts8
Posts: 547
Joined: 20 May 2011, 9:14pm
Location: Surrey

Re: Nubike

Post by roberts8 »

Good points but I will not be getting one any time soon, would rather consider an ebike.
scottg
Posts: 1217
Joined: 10 Jan 2008, 8:44pm
Location: Highland Heights Kentucky,, USA

Re: Nubike

Post by scottg »

Lever action has been done before.
Alexnax, I did ride one, a fun curiosity, but tiring.

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/alenax.html
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-AG
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
a.twiddler
Posts: 343
Joined: 4 Jun 2009, 12:17am

Re: Nubike

Post by a.twiddler »

Another variant on the perpetual motion theme? I wonder how it compares with the efficiency of chain drive? You don't get something for nothing, and despite the shortcomings of chain drive, it hasn't been superseded for mass produced bikes. It's relatively cheap, efficient, light and simple, and it works.While gear systems depend on derailing a chain from cog to cog, any new transmission system will need to solve the problem of giving an equally wide range of gears too. The Nubike video shows some exaggerated drawbacks of chain drive. Is the average chain drive bike rear wheel so difficult to remove? Derailleur bike wheels are usually easier to remove than hub gear wheels -how would the proposed Nubike system compare?

Looking at the length of the crank levers compared with the levers at the rear wheel there must be a high load on that bearing where they are connected. How durable will they be? Any new system meets resistance before being accepted and it may be that if this idea gets into production it may be accepted and improved. It will need to win competitions to convince sceptics and that is of course if it gets as far as being approved by the various cycling bodies who are notoriously conservative.

Belt drive was the coming thing at one time and it has its applications but has issues of its own. It hasn't caught on widely. Shaft drive gives a clean enclosed drive system but needs a good hub gear to work with it, and it's relatively heavy.

On balance, who can say how this will develop? Personally, I wait to be convinced.
Mike Sales
Posts: 7860
Joined: 7 Mar 2009, 3:31pm

Re: Nubike

Post by Mike Sales »

Singer lever driven.jpg
It's been tried before, as most cycle ideas have.
Did not catch on.
It's the same the whole world over
It's the poor what gets the blame
It's the rich what gets the pleasure
Isn't it a blooming shame?
Grandad
Posts: 1448
Joined: 22 Nov 2007, 12:22am
Location: Kent

Re: Nubike

Post by Grandad »

This stop-start motion must be difficult to maintain over long rides
The writer of this account
http://idaimakaya.com/articles/elliptig ... ymru-2014/
has done some long rides, eg London-Edinburgh-London on an elliptigo.
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Mick F
Spambuster
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Location: Tamar Valley, Cornwall

Re: Nubike

Post by Mick F »

My cousin's husband had an Eliptigo.
Not spoken to them for a few years, but he thought they were good.
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=57856

As for the OP and the Nubike, I'm not convinced ............... like I'm not convinced about the Eliptigo either.
Mick F. Cornwall
Nessie23
Posts: 91
Joined: 13 Sep 2020, 1:19pm
Location: Warwickshire

Re: Nubike

Post by Nessie23 »

Grandad wrote: 19 Apr 2021, 3:20pm
The writer of this account
http://idaimakaya.com/articles/elliptig ... ymru-2014/
has done some long rides, eg London-Edinburgh-London on an elliptigo.
The writer above (Idai Makaya) also did LEJOGLE in 11 days on the Eliptigo, riding 150 miles a day which is some achievement. The same person also contributed to the thread posted by MickF and explains that the Eliptico was developed for marathon runners to train with low impact and not as a new bike concept.
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