Flags and visibility

[Quint]

Summers day on a country road going out towards Charlbury, nice twisty road, loud engine noise coming toward us, MGB sideways on, part on verge rounds corner and luckily stays (just) on its side of the road. Doesn't stop, fortunately 

      Flags when it comes down to it are what you prefer, maybe they tell the unconvinced that you are trying to be seen, doubtless (like helmets) some people might give an instance of where it saved their life but in the end there is nothing that stops a complete idiot from parking on top of you when that is what fate decrees, I will do what I can to convince fate to smile benevolently on me but 

[Graeme]

I wasn't sure where to post this... I felt "Interesting or unusual...", but this thread is clearly the best one because of the conversation I had with owner Peter.

Me: "So, I guess this answers the question of are you visible on a trike then?"
Peter: "You'd think so, but I recently had a car pull out in front of me from a side turning and the driver said, "Sorry I just didn't see you!"

!?!



We then had a lovely chat about what it was like to ride. Fantastic looking machine.

[Tigerrr]

Not sure I would fancy tacking up a busy road though. He is going to get a lot of flak from drivers for doing that I would think.

[Graeme]

He said he doesn't tack, he pedals... I'm totally unclear how - but it isn't powered by only the wind. If the wind is facing him then he has to minimise his profile and pedal harder!

[Kim]

It's a standard delta recumbent trike with a sail on top.  The clever bit is the automagic cleat that lets go of the sheet when you apply the brakes.

http://whike.com/en/

[Tigerrr]

I se - if you look carefully there are pedals.  But I do think it is a sail, not a sheet Kim.

[Mr Larrington]

Sailing technical jargon makes computer techspeak look like Janet & John.  I went sailing once with my friend Ariane, whose constant instructions to manipulate $OBJECT confused me no end until I twigged that $OBJECT is an encrypted word for "rope".

And then we were captured by Somali pirates and held hostage for three years.

[sojournermike]

It's a standard delta recumbent trike with a sail on top.  The clever bit is the automagic cleat that lets go of the sheet when you apply the brakes.

http://whike.com/en/

Yes please. I think one of the rigs from Solway Dory could equally well be fitted.to a.trike as.a.canoe...

[Graeme]

I don't think the sail drops, I think he just has to pedal harder into the wind. I suppose the boating equivalent would be mounting a rigid sail to a small motor boat. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't. But he doesn't have to tack along the street.

[Kim]

IIRC the sail can be slid off the mast relatively easily (there's a smaller sail that can be fitted for strong winds), but normally you'd just pedal into the wind and hope it turns round.  Much like normal cycling, really.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Both brake sets have a ‘park’ functon which allows them to be locked to prevent the Whike sailing when left without a rider.

So no 'We didn't mean to go to sea' incidents!

[Kim]

Both brake sets have a ‘park’ functon which allows them to be locked to prevent the Whike sailing when left without a rider.

So no 'We didn't mean to go to sea' incidents!

Most trikes have some sort of parking brake arrangement, because gravity tends to make them wander off even without sailing capability.

[Cudzoziemiec]

And when that happens, they can fall into the wrong hands and be held to ransome.



It's the oilskin sou'wester with the lump of pemmican in the pocket.

[Quint]

ICE used to have a brilliant little pull out bit on a brake lever as a parking brake, I detest the disc drag/parking brake (thinks must try to remember to Google trike parking brakes) and the rim parking brake just marks the rim

[Tigerrr]

He should cycle wearing pirate gear though. At least he ought to have a pirate flag! That is the least he could do.  Gong down the high street on a broad reach, with the bike on two wheels and the 'sheet' (or Kim-rope) in his teeth, he needs a tricorn, tatty coat and breeks. And an eyepatch. It is the only way to go if he is serious about this.

[Tim Hall]

My only experience of mixing sailing with cycling was having to shout "ready about" when cornering on a tandem trike. 

[Kim]

This thread needs more rower40, really.

[Feanor]

I had a 'Gybe-Oh' moment when I was younger.

Car towing a sailboat, with the mast laid out flat and protruding many metres behind the trailer.
Overtakes me on approach to tight RH bend.
Car and trailer have just passed me as he goes hard to starboard, but the trailing mast is still alongside me.
It sweeps to the left, in an uncontrolled gybe inches above my head.

[Regulator]

I wasn't sure where to post this... I felt "Interesting or unusual...", but this thread is clearly the best one because of the conversation I had with owner Peter.

Me: "So, I guess this answers the question of are you visible on a trike then?"
Peter: "You'd think so, but I recently had a car pull out in front of me from a side turning and the driver said, "Sorry I just didn't see you!"

!?!



We then had a lovely chat about what it was like to ride. Fantastic looking machine.

A certain gentleman from Little Thetford had one of those at Mildenhall a couple of years ago.  I nearly departed the rally a few grand lighter....