- - - - The BIG AIR Self-Jumping Bicycles - - - -
New-Design (no, really!) Bikes Produce Killer Riding Experiences!
AIR TIME, the patent bike.
AIR TIME fully arched.
HUGE AIR, a better, simpler design.
HUGE AIR fully arched.
ULTIMATE AIR, the best design.
ULTIMATE AIR fully arched.
Lift-assist (and cloud-soft-ride) spring.
One type of stirrup.
FAQs:
Q: What's new and different about these bikes?
A: You can jump from any level road, at any time, without a ramp.
Q: What makes the bikes jump?
A: Squeezing the lift lever engages the lift mechanism.
Q: Can you ride it like a regular bike?
A: All day long. Just don't squeeze the lift lever.
Q: Can anybody jump using these bikes?
A: Practice is needed to do good, clean, high jumps.
Q: What if the rider isn't going fast enough to jump off of the ground.
A: Then it feels like you rode up and over a 10" high speed bump.
Q: What are the other "killer riding experiences"?
A: Normally the ride is like you're on a cloud, with ten inches of float.
Or you can latch to ride high all the time.
Or latch to ride low all the time.
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AIR TIME is the bike in our patent, US 6,209,899. But all the bikes change
kinetic energy (energy of mass and speed) into potential energy (energy of
mass and height). Like when a pole vaulter changes his running speed into
height and clears the bar. Or when you run and grab a rope attached to a
high tree branch. How high you can go depends on how fast you were running.
AIR TIME uses the front wheel to lift the front end on long fork stanchions,
while also pulling the rear wheel down by means of a cable. This produces a
unique flat jump. Unlike rotating up onto a ramp front-wheel-high and then
landing rear-wheel-first, like a normal jump.
But this configuration puts far too much stress on the front fork and head
tube. All other versions use the rear wheel to power the jump.
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OPERATION OF THE JUMP BIKES:
These all jack-knife the bike frame to thrust the bike frame and rider up
from the road to power the jump. Like when a rider does a "bunny hop" on a
BMX bike. They first throw their body up and then pull the bike up with them.
As the rider is being lifted using these jump bikes, the increased force
down on the road increases traction, which is just what is needed! The rider
can also pedal during the lifting action to add height to the jump. The lift
spring is essential to produce a jump. And it must be matched to the rider's
weight.
To initiate a jump with AIR TIME, the lift sprocket, which always turns with
the front wheel, is pushed over to a dog clutch and engages it. Next, the
lift shaft turns the lift crank. Then the frame is pushed up by the pushrod.
This thrusts the rider up and produces the jump. A 10" lift of the bottom
bracket occurs in about 50" of forward motion. This geometry produces good
jump action while maintaining good road traction, but without creating undue
braking reaction.
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The procedure for any jump is to get up to speed, shift weight in line
with the lift axis, draw the feet into the stirrups, squeeze the lift lever
and then let the bike launch the bike and the rider up. Keep holding the
lift lever. Land and let the lift mechanism push the bike forward as it
drops to the low position. This is like dropping onto the back slope of a
10" high, 50" wide speed bump. Release the lift lever when the bike is fully
down.
To see the patent, please go to: WWW.USPTO.GOV, then click on:
Patents, Patent Search, Patent Search By Number, 6209899.
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HUGE AIR has a longer wheelbase, longer rear frame and a semi-enclosed
lift sprocket. The front fork is a 26" suspension fork. There is no front
lift action. Squeezing the lift lever moves the lift sprocket to the left to
engage the lift arm on the lift shaft. Then the lift shaft turns the lift
crank on the left side, which pushes on the seat post by means of the pushrod.
The rear derailleur allows various pedalling ratios to be selected as
usual, plus tensions the drive chain as the rear lift frame swings down
during a jump. A guide keeps the chain from jumping off the chainring. The
left pedal was extended slightly to avoid interference with the pushrod.
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ULTIMATE AIR has a lifting front fork, like the patent bike. A cable from
the rear pivot frame creates the front lifting action. The front lifting
force is concentrated on the strong head tube. The only brake is on the rear
wheel. There is only one speed and the chain needs no tensioner. This bike
stays relatively parallel to the ground during a jump.
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All of these bikes use conventional bike and riding-mower parts. Only
bicycle-manufacturing technology is used. Eleven completely different versions
were built and tested, all made with home machine shop equipment. The last two
are the most practical. These are prototypes only. Commercial versions would
need to be more easily set up and repaired, lighter, stronger and foolproof.
The same concepts could be employed in motocross motorcyles for a new genre
of steeplechase racing on flat property. No moguls would need to be
bulldozed. The property could revert to other uses between motocross races.