Terry Gerweck visits the dark side

Photos by Terry Gerweck


THIS BEAUTIFUL wood stretch cruiser uses a hood ornament from a 1950s Chevrolet BelAire as the centerpiece on the handlebars.

Terry Gerweck's interest, or renewed interest, in freak bikes started with Dave Moeller, builder of the Dragonwood and other interesting cycles, inviting Jim "Chainsaw" Johnson of Holly, president of the Great Lakes chapter of the FreakBike Militia, to this year's Michigan HPV Rally.
Jim came Saturday, had such a good time that he returned on Sunday with his wife, Dora "Giggles," and his latest creation, which Paul Pancella rode as the pace bike for one of the Sunday morning road races.
That got the wheels in Terry's head turning -- what he could do with some of the junk bikes in his garage -- so he visited two freak bike gatherings.
Here's Terry's reports:
Made a road trip June 26 to Ionia for the FreakBike Palooza. I've messed with choppers before, so it wasn't any stretch to be interested.
For one reason or another I never seem to get involved with people with "normal" interests. Wonder why that is?



It was hotter than hell and mostly folks just sat around and discussed the finer points of building choppers and other weird and different kinds of bicycles. Other than the typical configuration (if there is a typical configuration), these bikes aren't that far removed from what we run at Waterford. The "freak bikes" may attract a few more younger participants.
These folks are just as serious about their bikes as the HPVers, but the focus is fun, not speed. Pedaling efficiency and aerodynamics don't even register on their priority lists and here there was nothing wrong with a 75-pound bicycle!
All that said, my new 'bent would not have been out of place here. I rode the motorcycle today and didn't want to haul the trailer 300 miles or I would have brought the 'bent along.
And yeah, if he doesn't reclaim it, the Huffy a guy from work gave me is destined to be "converted" into "all it can be."



Mary (Terry's wife) and I celebrated Independence Day on Saturday, July 3, by attending the Fourth of July Freak Out in Fowlerville. Yeah, I know that's two freak bike events in two weeks. Just think of it as research.
In reality, this isn't my first venture into the realm of custom bikes, but it may well be my deepest trip yet. It seems I now have dual citizenship, MHPVA and the "Freak Bike Nation."


DOING THE FREAKBIKE LIMBO at the Fowlerville event. A rider on a low racer from HPV circles could win this event easily, but maybe that would be considered cheating.

The "Freak Out" was a bit more involved than the event in Ionia. Activities included a bike show with more than 45 bikes shown, including my new 'bent and my old chopper that I dug out of the back of the garage and cleaned off two years of accumulated dirt and crud. There was a potluck barbecue, a freak bike ride in the Fowlerville Fourth of July parade and fireworks at dusk.


Dora "Giggles" Johnson built this bike, including the welding. The side away from the camera is painted red, hence the name of her bike, "Split Personality."


Mike Eliasohn looking foolish sits on Jim "Chainsaw" Johnson's freakbike at the Michigan HPV Rally on June 13. Johnson, at right, cut up several bicycle frames, plus other stuff to build his creation . Paul Pancella, who took the photo, used this bike to pace one of the Sunday morning road races.

The bike show, while foreign to me, was run just like the local car shows I've seen. Bikes were displayed and judged, with the owners sitting around BS'ing with each other and spectators. I have little understanding of the judging or the different classes.
I found it interesting that my 'bent got little attention, but the chopper was deemed pretty cool. In a past post, we (Terry and Mike Eliasohn) talked about the use of gears and making these bike easier/more efficient to pedal. That does happen with some of the bikes. Derailleurs and internal-geared hubs are used by some, but aesthetics, simple clean chainlines, and artistic ideas and interpretation are more important on their bikes, which will seldom see everyday use (like the chopper I dug
out of the garage).
Along those lines, my next build/HPV will be more freak bike than efficient recumbent.
Oh yeah, my chopper won a best-in-class award. (No, I don't know what class and I'm not sure what they saw in it!!!)

The website for the FreakBike Militia - Great Lakes is www.fbmgreatlakes.com.


TERRY'S award winning chopper


OUCH! This bike was built for a bicycle build-off competition. The seatpost was made from an ax, a pitchfork became the seat, hedgeclippers became the handlebars and other "sharp pointy things" also were used in its construction.

M. Jensen Didulo's tilting tricycle

M. JENSEN DIDULO on his tiling trike, Magic V2.0, during the Michigan HPV Rally.

M. Jensen Didulo of London, Ontario, had his not-quite-finished tilting tricycle, the Magic V2.0, at the Michigan Human Powered Speed Challenge in July 2009, then had it at the Michigan HPV Rally June 12-13, 2010, in finished form. At home, he uses it as his around-town commuter.



Here's what Jensen wrote following the rally in an online discussion about tilting tricycles in the "homebuilders" section on the
bentrideroneline.com site. (Some editing was done by the blog editor.)
In it's current form, the Magic V2.0 has one advantage vs. a bicycle -- its cornering capability. For practical reasons, rather than theoretical), two rear wheels have a little better grip than one and that little extra is enough for the trike to out-corner everything except other tilting trikes.
That said, many tilting trike designers add some kind of zero-speed stability, either with some kind of self-righting mechanism or a tilt lock. I plan to do this also, but have been working on a much lighter mechanism than the typical disk-brake types, or one that engages in more positions than the locking pin type. (Editor: That is, the rider has to
balance as if he was riding a two-wheeler; there's no mechanism to keep it erect when moving, or when stopped. Jensen informed me later that rather than add such a mechanism to his existing trike, he may build a new trike.)
With a tilt lock, a tilting trike has all the static advantages of other three-wheelers, while keeping their cornering advantage over two-wheelers.
The main reason for the development of many more delta tilters (two wheels in the rear) vs. tadpole types (two wheels in the front) has to do with aerodynamics. No matter how sophisticated the design, a tadpole tilter will still have a larger frontal area, whereas a delta tilter can be designed to hide the rear wheels within the wind shadow of the rider.
The reason for all the parallelogram tilters is that they can be any rear track width. No matter the lean angle, the center of mass remains within the footprint area of the three tires and no rollover condition exists. In the case of a simple tilter like the Magic, the pivot height cannot exceed half the rear track width or you can have a rollover condition with high lateral G force. The only reason my tilter has such a narrow track is that the pivot is about 5 inches from the ground. Most single-pivot designs have the pivot at axle height, forcing a track width at least 20 inches.


THE LOW PIVOT POINT, only about 5 inches from the ground, enables the wheels to be only about 14 inches apart. The result, as Jensen demonstrates, is that he can lean to an extreme degree when cornering.


Some specifications:
Main frame: 1 ix 2 in. mild steel
Wheelbase: Approx 42 in.
Gear ratios: 60/52/42 x 7-speed 28-14.
Tilt mechanism: Modified horizontal single pivot based on Magic-type originally designed by Paul Smith. Pivot approximately 5 inches from ground.
Rear track: Approx 14 inches wide, fully adjustable
Rear toe: Parallel fully adjustable
Other: Self-equalizing rear brakes (no brake steer)

Jensen can be contacted at purplepeopledesign@gmail.com.

For a view of two other tilting trikes, scroll down to "Bryant Tucker 100 - June 13, 2009."

26th annual Michigan HPV Rally - June 12-13, 2010

In the Saturday morning one-hour time trial at the Michigan HPV Rally are, from left, Jeff Hunn on his titanium TiCuda, Bruce Gordon on his front-wheel-drive Zox and Mike Mowett on his Challenge Baron. (Dan Lonowski photo. All other photos by Mike Eliasohn.)


TODD REICHERT powered the University of Toronto's streamliner to the fastest speed ever in the 200-foot flying start sprints, 47.02 mph. A graduate engineering student, he was one of six members of the university's HPV team to make top-speed runs in the streamliner.


To see the charts showing complete results, go to www.recumbents.com/wisil/racing2010/waterford2010_results.htm

By MIKE ELIASOHN, MHPVA vice president

The 26th annual Michigan Human Powered Vehicle Rally, June 12-13 at the Waterford Hills sports car racing track drew at least 40 competitors and several records were set.
Two university teams – a first for the rally – had several riders riding their vehicles over the two days and some riders who long since graduated from high school or college rode more than one vehicle over the two days.
The Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology HPV team came from Terre Haute, Ind., with three vehicles and seven people (three undergraduates, two graduate students, one alumni and one professor). One vehicle wasn't raced due to mechanical problems.
This was the fifth year Rose-Hulman has competed in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers HPV competition.
In contrast, this was the first year for the University of Toronto's team, which came to Waterford Hills with nine graduate and undergratuate students and two vehicles. Garrie Hill loaned the team a tricycle so more students would have the opportunity to race.
Dennis Grelk of Donnellson, Iowa, may have set a record by competing in/on four vehicles -- in one event, the hill climb/coast down. MHPVA President Mike Mowett of St. Clair Shores completed in/on three vehicles, including for the first time, the Norus streamliner that he bought three years ago.
A total of $200 in prize money was distributed to the top finishers in each class. First and second in each class were:
Streamliners (14 entries on Saturday, 12 on Sunday) - 1) John Simon, Moby streamliner, Portland, 120; 2) Dennis Grelk, Barracuda streamliner, 110.
Superstreet (five on Saturday, two on Sunday) - 1) Bill Hannon, Springfield, Ohio, Lightning F40, 120; 2) Tedd Wheeler, Reed City, Alleweder velomobile, 100.
Superstock (one both days) - 1) Bruce Gordon, Zox FWD low racer, Centralia, Ill.
Stock (16 entries on Saturday, 13 on Sunday) - 1) Sean Costin, NoCom low racer, Arlington Heights, Ill., 120; 2) Dennis Grelk, homebuilt lowracer, 110.
Junior (one entry both days) - 1) Jonathan Costin (son of Sean), upright bike, 120.
Women (three entries both days) - 1) Dora Cortez, Chicago, Chicago, Ill., low racer built by Rick Gritters, 120; 2) Ariel Young, Rose-Hulman team member, Dennis Grelk-built low racer, 110.
Tricycles (seven entries both days) - 1) Dennis Grelk, homebuilt low racer, 120; 2) Jeff Hunn, North Manchester, Ind., Catrike Expedition, 110. Dennis races the same homebuilt front-wheel-drive low racer in the stock and tricycle classes, swapping the single rear wheel for the tilting two-wheel setup he built for trike races.


MHPVA PRESIDENT Mike Mowett bought the used Norus streamliner in April 2007, then endured three years of ribbing from fellow HPVers for owning it, but not riding it. Finally, at this year's rally, he rode some practice laps on Saturday evening and then on Sunday morning, shown here, pedaled it to 41.45 mph in the 200-foot sprints. (Mike Eliasohn photo)


IN ADDITION to his Baron low racer and Norus streamliner, "Upright Mike" Mowett raced his carbon fiber Cervelo. He bought the frame off Craigslist for $700 from a fellow in New Orleans, mounted all the components the same week as the Michigan rally, then on the Tuesday before the rally raced it in a time trial at Waterford Hills. He's shown here during the one-hour time trial. In the hill climb, Mike finished first in the superstreet class and second overall with a time of 21.37 seconds.

Here's the top two in each event:
SATURDAY
One-hour time trials: Streamliner - 1) Dennis Grelk, 31.7 miles (first place overall; 2) John Simon, 29.0 miles. Superstreet - 1) Bill Hannon, 26.3 miles; 2) Jim Iwaskow, Richmond Hill, Ontario, WAW velomobile, 20.7 miles. Superstock - 1) Bruce Gordon, 19.9 miles. Stock - 1) Dennis Grelk, 26.7 miles; 2) Sean Costin, 25.8 miles. Junior - 1) Jonathan Costin, 11.5 miles. Women - 1) Ariel Young, 18.2 miles (class record); 2) Dora Cortez, 17.9 miles. Tricycles - 1) Amanda Chu, Univ. of Toronto, Catrike, 14.6 miles; 2) Marj Branch, Xenia, Ohio, Catrike, 10.3 miles.
Hill climb: Streamliner - 1) Todd Reichert, Univ. of Toronto, 22.7 sec., 2) Danny Sing, Univ. of Toronto, 24.1. Superstreet - 1) Mike Mowett, St. Clair Shores, Cervelo upright with body sock fairing, 21.4; 2) Bill Hannon, 25.6. Superstock - 1) Bruce Gordon, 26.7. Stock - 1) Sean Costin, 20 sec. (first place overall); 2) Robert Palmer, Walled Lake, Volae high racer, 23.2. Junior - 1) Jonathan Costin, 44.3. Women - 1) Dora Cortez, 33.4; 2) Jane Hunn, North Manchester, Ind., Specialized Sequoia upright bike, 33.8. Tricycles - 1) Dennis Grelk, 24.6. 2) Jeff Hunn, 26.3. Dennis Grelk also had to make a run up the hill on his Surly Big Dummy cargo bike for the urban transportation contest, 27.1 sec.
Coast-down: Streamliners - 1) John Simon (first place overall); 2) Dennis Grelk. Superstreet - 1) Bill Hannon, 2) Jim Iwaskow. Superstock - 1) Bruce Gordon. Stock - 1) Sean Costin, 2) Dennis Grelk. Junior - 1) Jonathan Costin. Women - 1) Dora Cortez, 2) Ariel Young. Tricycles - 1) Dennis Grelk, 2) M. Jensen Didulo, London, Ont., homebuilt tilting trike.
Standing start kilometer: Streamliners - 1) Todd Reichert, 1:11.7 (first place overall), 2) Dennis Grelk, 1:14.9. Superstreet - 1) Bill Hannon, 1:24.8, 2) Mike Mowett, 1:32.1. Superstock - 1) Bruce Gordon, 1:44.7. Stock - 1) Sean Costin, 1:13 (class record), 2) Dennis Grelk, 1:19.9. Junior - 1) Jonathan Costin, 2:58.9. Women - 1) Dora Cortez, 1:45.03 (class record), 2) Ariel Young, 1:54.5. Tricycles - 1) Dennis Grelk, 1:24.97 (class record), 2) Jeff Hunn, 1:42.3.


SEAN COSTIN on his NoCom low racer won the stock class, which had the most entries (16). He also set the fastest time ever for the stock class (no streamlining added except for wheel covers) in the 200-foot sprints, 42.75 mph. Notice the lonnnnnnng chain.

SUNDAY
Flying start 200-foot sprints: Streamliners - 1) Todd Reichert, 47.02 mph (class record; previous record held by Rick Gritters, 45.9 mph ); 2) Alex Rankin, Univ. of Toronto, 43.6 mph. Amanda Chu of the Univ. of Toronto rode its streamliner 41.57 mph to become the fastest-ever female rider at Waterford. Superstreet - 1) Bill Hanon, 37.1 mph, 2) Tedd Wheeler, Reed City, Alleweder velomobile, 34.9 mph. Superstock - 1) Bruce Gordon, 32.4. Stock - 1) Sean Costin, 42.75 mph (class record), 2) Thom Ollinger, West Milton, Ohio, homebuilt low racer, 40.6 mph. Junior - 1) Jonathan Costin, 17.8 mph. Women - Dora Cortez, 40.95 mph (class record), 2) Ariel Young, 26 mph. Tricycles - 1) Dennis Grelk, 36.76 mph (class record), 2) Jeff Hunn, 30.8 mph.
Road race (twenty 1 km laps): 1) Streamliner - 1) Dennis Grelk, 27.8 mph average, 2) John Simon, 27.5 mph. Superstreet - 1) Bill Hannon, 24.8 mph (18 laps completed). Superstock - 1) Bruce Gordon, 20.6 mph (13 laps completed).
Road race (fifteen 1 km laps): Stock - 1) Sean Costin, 25.7 mph, 2) Dennis Grelk, 24.9 mph. Women - 1) Dora Cortez, 20.2 mph (12 laps completed), 2) Ariel Young, 17.8 mph (11 laps completed).
Tricycle road race (ten 1/3rd mile laps): 1) Dennis Grelk, 27.6 mph, 2) Jeff Hunn, 26.4 mph.
Thanks to Luke Gilbert, Bill Frey and Garrie Hill for doing timing; Terry Gerweck and Ann Roeske for score keeping; Terry for doing vehicle inspections; Mike Mowett for compiling the results; Paul Pancella for running the urban transportation contest; and John Simon, Chris and Dora Cortez, Jeff and Jane Hunn, Tedd Wheeler, Brian Stevens, Dennis Grelk, Bruce Gordon, Jim Iwaskow, Wally Kiehler and many others for assisting in running the events.


ON SUNDAY MORNING, before the racing started, members of the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and University of Toronto human powered vehicle teams were talking HPV technology, of course. This is the Rose-Hulman streamliner that's being dissected.


HERE'S THE Rose-Hulman streamliner. I (Mike E.) think the photo was taken during the one-hour time trial, which would mean the rider is Daniel Sing. He was one of four team members to race the streamliner during various events.


VICTOR RAGUSILA, University of Toronto HPV team leader, on the team's front-wheel-drive low racer.

Terry Gerweck's new recumbent

TERRY GERWECK intended his new recumbent as an around-town errand runner. He's shown here at the Michigan HPV Rally. He is a co-founder of the MHPVA.

Terry Gerweck of Monroe built his first recumbent about 30 years ago and several since then, but hadn't built anything in recent years, but has now made up for the deficit. He had his latest recumbent in unfinished form at the MHPVA winter meeting in February. Except for a few refinements, it's now done. He had it at the Michigan HPV Rally June 12-13, where these photos were taken.
Here's Terry's description:
The bike was designed (I dislike that term) as a 'round town errand runner with a reasonably upright seating position and as short a wheelbase as possible on a long wheelbase recumbent with a 20-inch front and 26-inch rear wheel.



I wanted to get away from tiller steering to simplify mounting of a small fairing eventually. Besides, I like the way remote steering feels.
The bike should accommodate inseams from 28 to 32 inches. Seat height is 23 inches and wheelbase is 64 inches.
It is truly a recycled bike, with frame parts from five or six bikes, home furniture, and commercial store fixtures. Seat parts include used seat parts and assorted wheelchair parts. (Editor: The seat bottom is from a used Sun EZ-1 recumbent. Terry made the seat back.) Drive and other components are from the assorted collection of accumulated parts in my garage.
The crankset, a Campagnolo Record triple, is worth more than the rest of bike. Pedals also are Campagnolo.
Paintings was done using rattle/spray cans. The color scheme just happened. The stem I used was already green, so I picked out a can of matching gloss engine enamel from AutoZone for the accents. The rest of the frame was covered with satin black Rustoleum. Satin covers a whole host of "less than perfect" preparations and still has a serviceable finish that a flat paint lacks.


TERRY PREFERS this remote steering, using universal joints, over a conventional handlebars/stem arrangement, which can result in a "tiller" effect.

Dan Lonowski's Quadster HPV

DAN AND BRENDA LONOWSKI on their Quadster top the hill during the hill climb-coast down portion of the Urban Transportation Contest on June 12. (Mike Eliasohn photos)

Dan and Brenda Lonowski of Novi participated in the Urban Transportation Contest on their Quadster HPV, which Dan designed and built. Construction started in July 2009 and he finished in December. "I've had the idea for probably 10 years," he said.
There are two separate 21-speed (3x7) drivetrains, one for each rider. The rider on the left does the steering and braking. Both pedal independently at their own cadence.




Dan welded the frame from 1- by 1-1/2 inch 16 gauge mild steel tubing. With its long wheelbase, the frame flexes slightly to provide passive suspension. Front wheels are 20x1-3/4; rears are 700c. There's an Avid disk brake for each rear wheel.
Dan also made the rear wheel hubs. Each short rear axle is supported by two pillow bearings.
He plans to replace the seats shown with mesh seats. Position of each seat is adjustable to accomodate various sized riders.
Some dimensions: Weight, 73 lbs. (33.2kg) ; wheelbase, 68 in. (1725mm); width, 47.2 in. (1200mm); length, 92 in. (2330mm).
Dan and Brenda have undertaken 10- to 20-mile rides on the Quadster, including some on unpaved trails.
Dan says the Quadster is another aspect of human-powered vehicles -- for utility and recreation, rather than speed. He said some day there might be a market for such vehicles, starting with bicycle rentals in tourism areas and pedestrian communities.

Urban transportation contest - June 12, 2010

Former MHPVA President WALLY KIEHLER, shown here during one of the Sunday morning road races, won the urban transportation contest Saturday on his carbon fiber Lightning R-84. (Mike Eliasohn photo)

By Paul Pancella, UTC organizer

This year, six vehicles were entered in the urban transportation contest at the Michigan Human Powered Vehicle Rally. Despite this small sample, there was great variety among the vehicles and competitors, including veterans and first-time participants. All seemed to have fun with the event, taking on the various tasks with the proper attitude.
Contestants, vehicle numbers, their vehicles, and their final scores were:

1) Wally Kiehler (345), Grosse Pointe Woods, Lightning R-84 carbon fiber short wheelbase recumbent, 69.4 points.
2) Dennis Grelk (820), Donnellson, Iowa, Surly Big Dummy upright cargo bike, 68.9.
3) Daniel Sing (12), Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Ind., partially faired leaning recumbent trike, 51.4.
4) Dan and Brenda Lonowski (816), Novi, homebuilt Quadster HPV side-by-side quadricycle, 49.2.
5) Jim Iwaskow (110), Richmond Hill, Ontario, WAW velomobile, 47.6.
6) Miguel Jensen Didulo (967), London, Ontario, homebuilt recumbent leaning trike, 40.7.

It was a close finish between Dennis and Wally, both veterans of past UTC events. Wally won with a score close to what he earned in previous years riding a different Lightning bike, while the powerful Grelk improved considerably over his score in 2008, using a similar upright bike.
Wally's carbon fiber R-84 scored much better on weight (27 lbs vs. the Surly's 57) and aerodynamics, of course, while vision, visibility, and a small passenger bonus allowed the cargo bike to make up most of the difference. These two competitors also had the best times in the simulated grocery run, which helped separate them from the rest of the field. The top two finishers each received a modest cash prize.
Grocery abuse was unfortunately widespread this year, which caused three of the four other competitors to fall off the lead. Multiple items were actually ejected from one vehicle during its exit from the slalom part of the course.
It was very unusual to have two leaning tricycles in the contest. These vehicles demonstrated the two shortest braking distances, but in each case their relatively low rider position decreased their scores. A high ratio of vehicle to operator weight and rather large turn radius hurt the Rose-Hulman entry, while Jensen's trike was not well adapted for carrying groceries. The long time required to repack the grocery items (only a single bag’s worth) caused his entry to post the lowest score in the grocery run.
The Lonowski side-by-side quadricycle was competitive, despite its large size and weight. It performed very poorly on the coast down test, which might have been due to a correctible mechanical problem. Its braking was excellent, stopping only a foot and a half farther than the best vehicle this year, at the end of a pretty fast grocery run.
The velomobile entered by Jim Iwaskow could have ranked higher if it had lights, but its turning radius was huge. While it may be a nice feature, I do not award points specifically for the fact that a cigarette stays lit within the WAW fairing while underway, and the small bonus for carrying a pencil was not enough to overtake fourth place.
I want to thank all of the contestants for their enthusiastic participation, the MHPVA for its support, and especially Rick Wianecki for helping to run the grocery errand part of the event. Even with a late start we were able to run all six contestants and finish before the start of the kilometer runs.


DANIEL SING rode the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology entry to third place. The rear axle assembly, which enables the machine to lean when cornering, can easily be replaced with a single rear wheel. Cargo capability was built in behind the seat. (Paul Pancella photo)

26th Michigan HPV Rally - June 12-13, 2010

2008 rally photo by Jeff Hunn

The 26th annual Michigan Human Powered Vehicle Rally will be June 12-13, 2010, at the Waterford Hills sports car racing track on the Oakland County Sportsmen's Club grounds in Clarkston, near Pontiac.
The oldest such event in North America is open to riders of all human powered vehicles -- recumbents, regular bicycles and tandems. There are classes for streamlined, unstreamlined cycles, tandems, women, youth and tricycles. The rally is conducted using Human Powered Race - America rules (www.recumbents.com/hpra/rulesand.htm). Note: HPRA rules require all vehicles to have mirror/mirrors enabling rear vision to both sides.
The track is 1.4 miles around, with nine turns and one hill.


ENTRY FEES: One day only, $30; both days, $40 (includes MHPVA membership). Test ride pass, $5. Spectators free. (Even if you have no interest in racing, come and see some unusual and some very fast bicycles and tricycles.)

SATURDAY, June 12, 2010

9 a.m. - One hour time trials.
Lunch break. (Bring your own food or eat at a nearby restaurant.)
After lunch - Hill climb/coast down, 1-kilometer standing start sprint, urban transportation contest (see article below).
6 p.m. - Steak and pasta dinner/barbeque at Oakland County Sportsmen's Club lodge, $12.

SUNDAY

9 a.m. - Top speed runs, then short track road races (no hill).
Awards ceremony tentatively by 1 p.m.

The event address is 4770 Waterford Road, Clarkston, MI 48346. For a track map visit http://www.waterfordhills.com/info/facilitymap07.pdf

Overnight camping at the track is allowed (no charge) with shower facilities available.

For additional information, contact: Mike Mowett, 586-863-3902 or mowett@aol.com, or Mike Eliasohn, 269-982-4058 or mikethebike@acd.net.

TO GET TO THE RALLY
From I-75, get off at exit 91. Take M-15 south to Dixie Hwy. (US-24). Turn left, continuing south about 1 mile and turn
left onto Waterford Road, then proceed to track.
If coming from the west, take U.S. 23 north (or south) to M-59 (Highland Road). Go east on M-59 to Airport Road, then left
(north) to US-24. Turn left, then immediately right onto Waterford Road. Go about a half-mile to track.

PLACES TO STAY ON YOUR WAY TO MICHIGAN HPV RALLY. Calling in advance to make a reservation is suggested.

MOTELS (with approximate distances/direction from Waterford Hills track)

Clarkston -- Clarkston Motor Inn, 6853 Dixie Hwy. (US-10), 248-625-1522, 12 rooms, 2 miles northeast.

Hartland -- Best Western of Hartland, 10087 M-59 at US-23, 810-632-7177, 61 rooms. About 18 miles west.

Waterford -- Comfort Inn of Waterford, 7076 Highland Road (M-59), 248-666-8555, 111 rooms. About 3 miles southwest.

Waterford -- Waterford Motel, 2201 Dixie Hwy. at Telegraph Road, 248-338-4061, 50 rooms. About 6 miles southeast.

Waterford – Holiday Inn Express, 4350 Pontiac Lake Road, 248-674-3434, 83 rooms. About 7 miles southwest..

Whitmore Lake -- Best Western of Whitmore Lake, 9897 Main St. (off US-23, exit 53), 734-449-2058, 61 rooms. About 33 miles southwest.

CAMPING

Free camping available overnight Friday and Saturday at the Waterford Hills track, starting at 6 p.m. Friday. Restrooms, showers available and possibly electrical hookups.

STATE CAMPGROUNDS (www.michigan.gov/dnre, then click on "outdoor recreation," then on "state parks and camping."

Highland Recreation Area, 5200 E. Highland Road (M-59), White Lake, 248-889-3750. Two miles east of Highland,

Holly Recreation Area, 8100 Grange Hall Road, Holly, 248-634-8811. Five miles east of Holly.

Ortonville Recreation Area, 5779 Hadley Road, Ortonville, 810-797-4439. Four miles northeast of Ortonville.

Pontiac Lake Recreation Area, 7800 Gale Road, 248-666-1020. Closest to Waterford Hills track, about 4 miles west.

PRIVATE CAMPGROUNDS

Flint/Holly KOA, 7072 E. Grange Hall Road, 248-634-0803, www.koa.com. About 12 miles northwest of Waterford (I-75, exit 101). RV and tent camping, cabins.

URBAN TRANSPORTATION CONTEST

By Paul Pancella, coordinator

Starting in 2001, the Michigan HPV Rally has included the Urban Transportation Contest (UTC), which again this year will be conducted on Saturday afternoon.
The UTC is designed to test vehicles, de-emphasizing rider skills and athleticism. The intent is to judge the best human-powered vehicles for moving people around town on their errands and commutes, on paved roads, in all weather conditions, mixing it up with other kinds of traffic, and carrying light cargo.
This contest is open to all competitors entered at the rally, at no extra charge. The results will not be included in the HPRA points series, but there will be prizes for the top finishers. Vehicles will have to pass the same technical requirements as for the rest of the rally, with the exception that rearview mirrors will earn points, but are not a requirement for UTC participation. UTC vehicles must have more than one wheel. (Editor: A requirement after a rider finished second in 2006 on a unicycle.)
The UTC will run at the same time as the hill climb/coast down event. Since only a few vehicles can be judged at a time, you may do the hill before or after your turn in the UTC. The score from the coast-down will be part of the UTC scoring, as a way to judge aerodynamics. You can use the same vehicle that you race during the rest of the rally or you can enter a different vehicle, since scoring will be independent of the rest of the rally. Some vehicles that people race are appropriate for street riding, others are not.
     To compete in the UTC, register on Saturday morning like everyone else. There will be additional paperwork to fill out for the UTC. If you enter a separate vehicle in the UTC, get a vehicle number from me, then be sure to run it in the hill climb/coast down, in addition to your racing vehicle. I need to have your UTC forms by about 11 a.m. The contest will start when I get back from lunch.
Points will be awarded more or less equally in three areas:
Utility -- The basic ability to do the job, and do it efficiently.
Safety -- Mostly of the operator, but including security against theft.
Convenience -- The ideal urban vehicle is fun and easy to use. Here I will include items that affect operator comfort, as well as vehicle storage capacity.
On the UTC form, you must record your largest and smallest useable gear ratios, preferably in gear-inches. If you don’t know these, you will have to count sprocket teeth. If you have a standard derailleur system, I need the number of teeth on the largest and smallest chainrings on the front and sprockets on the back, along with your drive wheel diameter, and any step-ups or step-downs in gearing in between.
The rest of the judging occurs at three stations, which can be done in any order. Contestants should keep their own scoring sheets with them until all tasks are completed, then turn them in to me.
  One station, as mentioned, is the hill-climb/coast-down. If using the same vehicle for the UTC as for the rest of the events, you only need to run this once. You can then make changes to your vehicle if necessary for the UTC. I will only use the coast-down distance for the UTC score, not the hill climb time.
     The second station will be static testing. The vehicle and operator will be weighed and measured. We will evaluate daytime visibility and lighting system. Reflectors and bright colors are good and bright lights will earn points. Weather protection and rider comfort will be evaluated. We will check for tools, spares and anti-theft devices.
     The third station will consist of some dynamic tests. The turning radius --the smaller the better -- will be measured by operator demonstration. Each contestant will be allowed up to three attempts to make the tightest possible turn without a foot touching down, at any speed, but in a reasonable overall time.
     This will be followed by a short, timed slalom course in the parking lot, where the timing starts with the operator at some distance from the vehicle, choosing zero, one, or two bags of dummy groceries. The groceries are loaded, the driver mounts, and starts the course. Groceries can't be hung from handlebars; they must be secured to the vehicle or rider.
     The clock stops at the finish line, but the rider must then apply the brakes, attempting to stop as quickly as possible while maintaining control. Points are awarded for faster times completing the course and for shorter braking distances. Fifteen seconds of time is subtracted for each bag carried. Penalties will be assessed for dropping or abusing groceries, hitting cones, falling off the bike, etc.
Here is a more specific account of how points are awarded:
     1) Coast-down -- Ten points to the vehicle which coasts the farthest, fewer points for the rest.
     2) Weight -- vehicle weight divided by rider weight. 10% or less gets 10 points, one fewer point for every 4% greater than 10%.
     3) Rider vision -- one point awarded for every 6 inches of eyeball height starting with zero at 24 inches off the ground. Subtract one or two points for minor or major obstructions/restrictions to forward vision. Add a point for a functional rear-view mirror, another if there is more than one.
     4) Daytime visibility-- measure highest point on vehicle/rider (may include helmet or flag). Award a point for every 8 inches above 30 inches. Bonus point for substantial area of bright color (vehicle, not clothing), another for kinetic device such as flag or spinner in clear view.
     5) Nighttime visibility -- one point for any headlight, two if it is brighter than my flashlight. One additional point for basic taillight, another if it is large and/or bright. One point for rear-facing reflector(s) of sufficient size, another for good reflectors facing all sides.
     6) Size -- smaller is better. Multiply overall length by width at widest point (may be the operator) in inches. Six points for 1,000 or less, subtract a point for every 500 square inches larger than 1,000.
     7) Weather protection -- if rider is protected from wheel splash, one point for front, another for the rear. Another one, two or three points for fairings; partial front, full top with head out, fully enclosed respectively.
     8) Other comfort factors -- start with three points. Deduct one if seat lacks a back rest or two points if the seat is small and hard. Subtract another point if weight is borne by hands/arms, or if seat is extremely laid back with no head rest. Add a point for single wheel suspension or two for full suspension. (Front and rear Pantour suspension hubs earn only one point combined.)
     9) Gear ratio for hauling and hills -- determine lowest useable gear ratio in gear-inches. Five points if less than or equal to 10 gear-inches. One fewer point for every 5 gear-inches greater.
     10) Tools/spares/lock -- one point for spare inner tubes (all required sizes) if accompanied by a means to inflate. Another point for a patch kit. One point if carrying a few tools, another for complete kit. One point for some kind of lock, another for excellent lock or clever anti-theft device.
     11) Turning radius -- one point for every 30 inches less than 350-inch diameter turning circle
     12) Grocery slalom run. Total elapsed time from accepting groceries some distance from parked bike to crossing finish line (thus including packing and securing cargo, mounting vehicle and starting). Subtract 15 seconds for each bag carried. Add 10 seconds for each course violation or abuse of groceries. A point is earned for every 5 seconds that the adjusted time is below 110 seconds.
     13) Braking distance -- measure from finish line to farthest point on vehicle when stopped. Award one point for every 3 feet less than 32 feet. Penalties for lack of control may be assessed.
Passenger Bonus: 5 extra points for each adult after one, 3 for each child which can be carried safely.
Judges reserve the right to make adjustments as deemed necessary due to unforeseen circumstances, but we will try to keep the contest fair and fun. This has worked pretty well in the past, so I hope you will give it a try.
     

Dave Moller's latest wood wonder

DAVE MOELLER stands with his latest creation, Dragonwood, at the Michigan FreakBike Militia exhibit at the Ann Arbor Bicycle Show April 25, 2010. (Mike Eliasohn photo)


David Moeller and his creations have been shown in this blog previously. Here's his latest and his description:

I call it Dragonwood and it's made of laminated ash and walnut, including the seat, handlebars and grips. It's 8-1/2 feet long. A four-speed hub "transmission" is under the seat. There's dual disk brakes in the rear; no front brake. The front wheel is 20-inch. The rear wheels use handmade rear hub, with the axle running in four pillow block bearings.
I will mount an electric hub motor on the front. There is room behind the seat for batteries. From start to finish, building Dragonwood took about 6 months.
(Editor's note: Dave wrote an article about the construction of Dragonwood for the Atomic Zombie June newsletter. There's also several construction photos. Go to www.atomiczombie.com, click on "news and blog," then under "Atomic Zombie news" click on "June 2010.")


The other articles by/about Dave on this blog are dated March 5, 2008; Dec. 14, 2008; and March 30, 2009.
Dave, who lives in Linden, near Flint, was the "Meet an AZ Krew member" featured in the April issue of the Atomic Zombie online newsletter (www.atomiczombie.com).
He's hoping to bring Dragonwood to the Michigan Human Powered Vehicle Rally June 12-13, to show, not to race. The other Dragonwood photos were taken by Dave.

Ann Arbor Bicycle Show

LOOKING FOR A BIKE? Except for recumbents, there's lots to choose from at the Ann Arbor Bicycle Show. Some vendors, especially those with lots of bikes to sell, set up outdoors. Others rent an inside space.

Article and photos by Mike Eliasohn

If the only kind of bicycles you're interested in are recumbents, then the Ann Arbor Bicycle Show and Swap Meet, held on the final Sunday each April on the Washtenaw County fairgrounds between Ann Arbor and Saline, probably isn't for you.
But if you like bicycles in general, then the show is a fun time. You can spend hours looking at the thousands of bikes. I did at the April 25 show.
There is a judging for bikes, held in one building, but most of the event consists of vendors selling used bikes and parts and collectors looking for that "certain something" to add to their collection or parts so they can finish their latest project. Most of the bikes being sold are in need of restoration, but some are in rideable condition and some have been restored.
Most of the bikes for sale are old balloon tire bombers from the 1930s-60s, because those are most collectible, but there's also Schwinn Stingrays (also very collectible) and similar bikes, plus some nice 10-speeds, older mountain bike, and a few 3-speeds. (For some reason, it doesn't seem like many people collect 3-speeds, mostly British.)
There are bargains to be had. A collector I know bought a 1939 Dayton balloon tire bomber for $300. He had seen another such Dayton on eBay for $900. And I crossed paths with a fellow carrying a made-in-Britain Bob Jackson frame and fork, made of Reynolds 531 tubing, for $50. There were some slight dents in the top tube, but the frame was still useable as-is. He was planning to build it into a commuter bike.


THIS 1937 ELGIN originally sold for $36.95. At the Ann Arbor Bicycle Show, the price was $2,500, which is in line with current price guides.

If a recumbent builder is looking for diamond frames to cut up to use in building a recumbent, there's lot of raw material available. Not all the bikes for sale are too valuable to cut up to make into something else. (But please don't cut up a Bob Jackson frame.)
I did see 2-1/2 recumbents at this year's show, a short wheelbase ATP Vision with under-the-seat steering, for sale for $450; a long wheelbase Rans Stratus, waiting to be sold at the noon auction; and a tandem, I think made in Europe, with the front rider in a recumbent position and the rear rider upright.
The Ann Arbor show is one of the largest, and maybe the largest, such event in the country. In addition to being a show and sale, of course, it's also a gathering for people interested in old bikes. (Birds of a feather flock together.)
The 2011 show, the 31st annual, will be on April 24. Hours, unless they change, are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Web site is ww.ann-arbor-bicycleshow.com


THIS CICLI AQUILA was made in Italy about 1969, according to the owner. It has a deraileur and a four-sprocket freewheel. If it was for sale, I forgot to write that down and the price. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I thought it was gorgeous bike.

MHPVA annual meeting - Feb. 27, 2010

ALAMGIR CHOUDHURY, Western Michigan University Dept. of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering associate professor and Chainless Challenge team faculty adviser, made a presentation at the MHPVA meeting on the team's efforts. The Chainless Challenge is sponsored by Parker Hannifin, a maker of motion and control systems. WMU has entered the competition for college engineering students four times. The WMU team won first overall and reliability in 2007 and first in reliability and second overall in 2008. Dr. Choudhury stands with the team's two entries - a modified Catrike and a Surly - built for the 2009 competition, which was canceled. The Chainless Challenge is/was limited to hydraulic drive systems, which are not as efficient as conventional chain drive, Choudhury said, but they can store energy to use as needed. He said for maximum efficiency, it will be necessary to use hydraulic components made specifically for bicycle drive systems, rather than the industrial components used so far. (For more information, do an Internet search of "Western Michigan University Chainless Challenge."


By MIKE MOWETT, MHPVA president
Photos and editing by Mike Eliasohn

Approximately 25 people attended the MHPVA annual meeting Feb. 27, 2010, in the engineering building on the Western Michigan University Parkview Campus in Kalamazoo. This was the first time since the first annual meeting in 1984 that the meeting has been held farther west than Jackson and East Lansing.
Board members elected were: President, Mike Mike Mowett, St. Clair Shores; vice president, Mike Eliasohn, St. Joseph; secretary, Paul Pancella, Kalamazoo; treasurer, Bill Frey, Grosse Pointe Farms; and at-large, Don Smith, Chesterfield, and Terry Gerweck, Monroe. Terry was the only person newly elected, replacing Paul Bruneau of Portage. Not that Terry is really new; he and Mike Eliasohn organized the first two Midwest HPV Rallies in 1983 and 1984 in Monroe that led to creation of the MHPVA.
The 26th annual Michigan HPV Rally will be Saturday and Sunday, June 12-13, at the Waterford Hills sports car racing track in in Clarkston, the site since 1986.
Mike Mowett described potential events, but there wasn't time to vote on which ones will take place. So probably we will run the same events as in the past:
Saturday – One-hour time trials, hill climb/coast-down, standing start kilometer runs.
Sunday: 200-foot sprints (top speed runs), 20-lap road races (about 12.5 miles) on a course that bypasses the hill, tricycle race.
Presumably Paul Pancella will again run the urban transportation contest on Saturday.


RICK WIANECKI (left) of Okemos showed his homebuilt hybrid electric-pedal tricycle, which combines a Rohloff 14-speed hub and electric drive. There's suspension on all three wheels and a fairing is under construction. At right is Mike Mowett. For more, especially on the fairing construction, go to www.recumbents.com, then click on "forums," then "velomobile 6."

Other events considered included a race with a LeMans start (riders run to their vehicles), a slow race and last man out race
"We also thought of an idea where the first five laps of the one-hour TT could be looked at as sort of a mini-time trial,"Mike wrote. "The AMB computer with the transponders can give you lap-by-lap times making it easy to get this info out. I iscussed this with Bill (Frey) on the ride over. The local upright (bicycle racing) guys who train twice a week at Waterford do a five-lap time trial every three weeks to gauge their fitness. Last year, they had more than 60 riders do this, and all together there's been something like 250 riders do this in the past eight years.
"I've compared this data to the fastest times guys like (HPV racer) Dennis Grelk (from Iowa) have done on their first five laps of their one hour. Dennis would be third overall compared to all these (upright) riders. And remember, that was only the first five laps of his longer one-hour.
" I hope to get some of these fast upright riders out (to the HPV Rally). One of them is a state Masters champion, who's been to nationals several times. I competed in their time trials twice last year. They also let me ride my recumbent around with them on another occasion."


TEDD WHEELER of Reed City showed his Rick Gritters-built No. 11. (For details, see article below.) Tedd was on his way home to Reed City, north of Grand Rapids, from Florida, and had started that morning in Kentucky. He rode his new bike about 300 miles in Florida, including participating in the HPV races Feb. 20-21 in Canyon City. "Every time I get on it, I like it more," he said. Despite the crank being at the end of long boom, "I can detect no flex."

The only questions asked about the racing were:
1) Explanation of any changes in Human Powered Race - America rules for this year. Rick Wianecki and Mike M. attended the HPRA meeting and Rick explained, "There will be no class jumping allowed this year. Whatever vehicle you have can only race for HPRA points in the class that it is in. Also, if there are two separate races for say streamliner and superstreet in race No. 1 and all others in race No. 2, then a stock class bike cannot race in the streamliner/superstreet race."
There was some concern about fast stock class guys upgrading to get streamliner points and/or being a hazard to the streamliners on the course. The streamliner guys somethings can't see a lowracer on the course.
2) There will continue to be trike-only races. This is a growing field. We'll have to go over the details of the trike course at Waterford again. On the Sunday we had the race in 2008, some cars were parked in the infield too close to the course, so we changed the course at the last minute. Maybe this year, we'll have to rope parts of it off beforehand.
We will have to follow up on plans for a barbeque dinner Saturday night at the Waterford Hills lodge, which we did at the 2008 rally.
Three HPVers attended the meeting from the Chicago area, Chris Cortez, Ed Gin and Gary Toy.


JOHN FOLTZ of Haslett showed his M5 Carbon High Racer (made in the Netherlands), which he purchased last year. Both wheels are 700c and it weighs 23-24 pounds. He went from triple chainrings to double and installed a TerraCycle tilt stem, which added a half-pound. He said it's the best handling recumbent he owns.


TERRY GERWECK of Monroe showed his project-in-progress. (This is a photo taken by Terry prior to the meeting, by which time he had fitted a temporary seat.) The frame includes pieces from four bicycles, a day bed and a store rack.