[Closed] Obree - total genius

It looks scary to ride that's for sure. I'm a little cynical about how he will get the record on those wheels but the guy is a genius and knows what he's doing so fingers crossed.

<awaits video of face & tarmac interfacing>
... Scary looking, and what size wheels are they?
Shirely they'll be open revolt about this on here due to that..
(I have no idea what the background is to this)

He intends to get up to 100mph on it once a fairing has been made. The videos of him making the bike in his kitchen have been very entertaining.

As much as I really want this to work, I've got a horrible feeling he's just lost the plot. I'm hoping to be proven wrong.

MMMmm'ok 😯

i'd of thought resting on your chest in very condusive to good breathing.

but good luck to him, legend.

100mph lying on your chest with your face a few inches from the tarmac.

Sounds like fun.

Only about 95mph to go then... seems a long way off

Hey, he bought those tyres from me! 🙂

It's an interesting design - prone recumbents have been about for a while but have never had that much success, it'll be interesting to see if this is any different, and the linear drive is neat too.

(as an aside, it always puzzles me when people want to know how recumbents and folders can be fast with small wheels - my reply is that if wheel size mattered then tractors would be faster than F1 cars)

Hey, he bought those tyres from me!

Were they rated for doing 100mph? 😉

Correction: never seen 'em before in my life 🙂

I don't think I'd attempt to do 100mph on a pushbike along Saltcoats promenade thats for sure

is he pedaling a type of treadle system? the guy is a hero of mine,if anyone can break the record he can 😀 good luck mr obree 😀

I like the guy , id even say he is a hero of mine but on this one im on the doubting side of the fence .

But he is insane thats why i like him and for that id love to see him triumph.

Yes, in reality he's not got much chance of breaking the record, but brilliant to see him give it a go.

That is cool... bunnet off to the man.

Looks like a Prone from the 1990's with narrower bars and bigger gears. I once lay on the original at the Bike Show in Earls Court. Wasn't allowed to test it though. But Chapeau.

Good luck to him and I'd love it to work but........

.....the power requirement from prone + inevitable problems with stability and breathing make me less than optimistic. When I think what it's like to be tucked behind a fairing on a relatively stable motorbike at that speed without trying to pedal it too, I would have to say the odds of success are not good.

Whether he breaks the record isn't really the point of what he's doing.
It's about questioning existing thinking and having a go.

People laughed at his original pursuit bike when he rode against Chris Boardman - he beat Boardman and became world champion breaking the world record twice. Indeed he changed cycling to the point where the governing body banned his design.

He may well be bonkers but many people who have changed history have had the same thing said about them.

I think he's brilliant - he thinks/obesses about what he does, makes his own equipment, uses his imagination and does it on his own on a very small budget.

@DaveRambo
Totally agree. Doesn´t matter if he gets records or not, he´s a genius.

I´d be much happier listening to what he´d have to say during the tdf commentary rather than Boardman.

I like the guy , id even say he is a hero of mine but on this one im on the doubting side of the fence .

But he is insane thats why i like him and for that id love to see him triumph.

My thoughts exactly 🙂

rather than Boardman

Is it just me or does boardman have nothing to say? The guy admitted that when he wore yellow he didn't really appreciate what it meant. So why are ITV4 using him as a pundit?

Sory thread hijack.

I think he's brilliant ....... makes his own equipment, uses his imagination and does it on his own on a very small budget.

I respect the guy too, its amazing what he has achived and what he has had to contend with.

Quick question, why did he mount the brackets to pedal with, so high up on the bike?

I would have thought it would have been easier to pedal, with a foot position lower to the ground?

Not that I have the first clue about bike science 😥

Aerodynamics innit .

I'm not sure what the fairing is like, but usually you try to have a relatively high tail to reduce ground-effect drag.

It is commonly agreed by the chattering classes that we need to fund the arts from state coffers "for the good of the community". I'd offer Mr Obree as another superb recipient of national funding just to keep us all amused/amazed/proud to be part of an eccentric nation!

When the nation's leaders get too stressed out with out economic and political worries they could toddle off to Graham's kitchen and reset their does-it-all-really-matter settings.

I've just seen a video of the Dutch teams effort!
Aerodynamic carbon fibre unit powered by an ex world class speedskater and accomplished cyclist Jan Bos (brother of Rabobank pro Theo)

Against a crazy Scotsman on a bike made of old pans 😯

They havent got a chance! 😀

Is it just me or does boardman have nothing to say? The guy admitted that when he wore yellow he didn't really appreciate what it meant. So why are ITV4 using him as a pundit?

Who else would you have?

He's been a professional cyclist, rode a few tours, wore the yellow jersey, works in pro cycling, understands what it's all about, is very media savy.

That's rather a lot of boxes ticked.

I don't really mind him - Your comments reminded me of Otis Dely who they got to present some of the athletics.

Against a crazy Scotsman on a bike made of old pans

They havent got a chance!

Telewest lost a reported half a million quid a few years back trying to beat a bunch of guys from Canada who turned up on a pickup truck. They made the common mistake of thinking that F1 engineers are the right people to design bikes.

They got beaten by a 14-year-old girl.

That's rather a lot of boxes ticked.

and he always says hello when he passes me out on the bike !

More niche than 650B!

Fingers a bit close to the spokes. To get that thing to 100mph is going to take balls of steel All I can see when I look at the bike is the 100s of ways it could all go very horribly wrong.

In a world blinded by science, where you can do very little without it being approved by a machine first, it would be an understatement to say it's refreshing to see a guy weld bits of old bikes together by hand in his garage, with the intention of breaking records.

You have to take your hat off to him.

Anyway, I like the look of that house for sale at the end, anyone know where it is?

re. breathing issues mentioned already, he seems to be huffing and puffing a fair bit already in the video at about 10mph, not 100mph!

Good luck to him all the same.

Watch worlds fastest indian movie

Thats the technology we are talking about here 🙂

When the nation's leaders get too stressed out with out economic and political worries they could toddle off to Graham's kitchen and reset their does-it-all-really-matter settings.

He should set up a donations page so people can support him.

I would sponsor him.

Forget the bike, it looks grim round there, is that up north somewhere?

is that up north somewhere?

Saltburn

Having just watched the video of the Dutch team, I know who I'll be putting my money on!

To be honest, I don't think Obree is a genius at all. Fair enough, he got lucky with his "old Faithful" riding position, but this smacks of desperation. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at him using chopped up kitchen wear in an attempt to recreate the media obsession with bearings borrowed from a washing machine.

I have to agree Shibboleth