I just watched your video of Sam Whittingham’s 82.3 mph record. I was wondering if you knew whether Sam’s bike (the Varna Tempest I believe) was a monocoque or if it used a steel space frame?
Many Thanks
Katie
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Hi Katie:
Here’s a great link with a bunch of pictures of the inside of Sam’s Bike (below). It was the Diablo in my video clip rather than the Tempest, but basically just a newer iteration of the design. IIRC the bottom half of the shell is bolted onto the central spine where the front wheel and drivetrain are located. The seat is attached to the lower half of the shell, and as you can see, the rear wheel is also attached to the bottom half of the shell. The top half is put in place just before they take off, and the seam is taped with hockey tape or similar to hold it in place. You might enjoy this piece of trivia. Georgi (Varna designer) didn’t use wind tunnels or anything to define the bike’s shape. Rather he took inspiration from the dolphins and orcas that are regular visitors to the waters by his house in BC’s Gulf Islands. I’m sure you’ll see a resemblance, esp. with the black and white bike.
Hi Chris,
I just watched your video of Sam Whittingham’s 82.3 mph record. I was wondering if you knew whether Sam’s bike (the Varna Tempest I believe) was a monocoque or if it used a steel space frame?
Many Thanks
Katie
Hi Katie:
Here’s a great link with a bunch of pictures of the inside of Sam’s Bike (below). It was the Diablo in my video clip rather than the Tempest, but basically just a newer iteration of the design. IIRC the bottom half of the shell is bolted onto the central spine where the front wheel and drivetrain are located. The seat is attached to the lower half of the shell, and as you can see, the rear wheel is also attached to the bottom half of the shell. The top half is put in place just before they take off, and the seam is taped with hockey tape or similar to hold it in place. You might enjoy this piece of trivia. Georgi (Varna designer) didn’t use wind tunnels or anything to define the bike’s shape. Rather he took inspiration from the dolphins and orcas that are regular visitors to the waters by his house in BC’s Gulf Islands. I’m sure you’ll see a resemblance, esp. with the black and white bike.
http://www.recumbents.com/wisil/whpsc2001/varna_detail.htm
Hope that helps, thanks for checking out my Youtube channel.