Attaching a sail on a bike? (THINK TANK)

[phusion x]

Ive been thinking, what if you removed the cranks and chain then used a saul to propel the bike down the road. Could it be done. How could it be made? Bicycle rolling resistance and sail size? ....feel free to chime in on this disscussion.

 

[outskirtscustoms]

With a bike it might be hard to keep yourself upright and keep the sail force from throwing you sideways, I'd try it with a trike though. They actually have land sailers that are 3 wheel just like you describe that hit up to 60 MPH!

 

[Wildcat]

They have had a 3 wheeled sail vehicle for going up and down the beach for years. Out in the desert also. The wind is usually perpendicular to the beach, so direction is not a problem. In the desert you can go for miles in one direction. However, on the road, you need more leverage than balancing on 2 wheels could provide and just a slight increase in wind speed would throw you off the road or into traffic. The sail would also restrict visibility, but at least you wouldn't see what you were about to hit.

 

[Sphinx]

Make sure your Health Insurance and Legal Will are up to date. Sailboats tip over in the water, are you sure you want to risk that sitting up on a bike on dry land? Just sayin'.

 

[rickpaulos]

Pterosail, a 3 wheel version seen on Ragbrai in 2006. Uber slow. Like 2 to 3 mph.
http://www.pterosail.com/
2 on board car batteries, a car alternator, motor, etc all add a bit of weight to counter the wind so you don't flip over.
With big wind, you engage the alternator that charges the batteries.
On hills, you turn on the assist motor.

And I saw a guy with a sail on the back of his road bike. We turned a corner about the same time and he nearly went in the ditch as he didn't tack quick enough. Even with the sail, he was pretty slow.

Even a small area like my disc wheels can really catch a lot of wind and take you were you aren't steering.

R

 

[Bill in Houston]

OTOH, if you have a deserted airfield to mess around at, put on a helmet and pads and see what happens... I think it would require enough constant steering correction to quickly be absolutely no fun. But, different people define fun in different ways, right?

 

[jerrykr]

learn to windsurf on water first.... you'll probably change your mind.

 

[Hammond Eggz]

learn to windsurf on water first.... you'll probably change your mind.

^ What he said! :lol:

 

[Gizmo]

Like most anything else in this life, it's been done before. On three wheels it's a piece of cake (on three blades on ice it's truely a rush) but I have never tried it on a bicycle though this guy did
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J36Sr9lXS_w
I used to have a link to bicycle sails but can't find it Google "Manta land sailers" "blokart" for ideas. As others have suggested, learning some basic sailing skills and get some gear before showing us all how to do it on two!
Good luck
Gizmo

 

[scrumblero]

roller blades and a traction kite? :lol:

 

[charliechaindrive]

I've done something similar. On my grandpa's old three wheeler, we had attached a home made mast, with a full size bedsheet square rigged on it. It wasn't a neat job or anything serious, but it worked. I sat in the big basket over the rear wheels, controlling the sail and grandpa steered. We got going at a pretty good clip, but grandma didn't exactly approve of it so we had to take it apart.

Ccd

 

[mikeeebikey]

Just to get my place in line for a Darwin award; you could try an old parichute, keep a knife handy in case speed or lift exceed safe underwear limits.....

 

[phusion x]

Haha, darwin award, awesome. I would think the sail should be proportionate to the speed, but then the wind speed should be noted. The trike idea is cool

 

[Voyager Al]

I added a sail to my sit-on-top kayak. Neat idea, but as my luck goes, it never had a breeze when I was on the water.(for 3 years)
This year, I took the sail off, went fishing, and the wind blew all day long. Id get a bike-bug motor for a thrill.....

 

[StephenH]

The Rans company builds airplanes and recumbent bicycles.
Per the website, http://rans.com/about-us.html , they were "Established in 1973 on the plains of western Kansas to build Sailtrikes"- which were tricycle sailbikes. There's a picture of one on that link.

 

[honestherman]

I would think that instead of putting a sail on the bike, you could put a sail on yourself. Like a jump suit or jacket with a belt around the waist and raise your arms have material from beltline to your wrist. Like wings. Think about it. Push your back