Sci-Tech Information: Stuntman Builds Jet-Powered Sled That Could Reach 311mph
The Winter Olympics may be over for another year but that hasn't stopped an Australian building a street version of the superfast sled - powered by jets.
Daz Fellows' luge is fitted with two thrusters that produce 200lbs (91kg) of thrust each.
Fellows claims his design has the potential to reach 311mph (500km/h) and he plans to take on the current world record of 115.83 mph (186km/h) next year.
The record for the world's fastest street luge was set by Jason Bradbury on the set of The Gadget Show's 200th episode in Bentwaters Parks, Suffolk, in 2011.
Fellows goes by the stage name Daz the Cowboy and is a TV stuntman from New South Wales.
He claims the board is a complete redesign of the streetluge dubbed Jet Luge. It is made from carbon fibre with a full carbon fibre fuel cell.
At 9.84ft (3 metres) long, the luge has also been referred to as a €man-sized' skateboard controlled using a thumb accelerator, and lean steer turning.
The thumb-controlled wheel increases or decreases power by rolling a thumb over it to control speed.
This wheel can be set at a pre-determined speed, or used as a dynamic accelerator.
Alternatively, the luge can be fitted with a trigger grip control where the rider can use their pointer finger to control acceleration.
The entire powered system is routed to a kill switch cable attached to the rider, and in the event of an emergency the cable is pulled free and everything shuts down.
A secondary unit is positioned behind, and in the event the rider cannot see, a second person can hit that button and shut the entire system down.
Fellows became involved in, and was one of the original founders of, street luge in Australia 1996.
His luge was designed and assembled with his team and involved hundreds of hours of design and testing.
They have spent the last 18 months building the board from scratch.
His record attempt will be carried out between April and August 2015. Fellows claims this is to help keep running temperatures down and maximise thrust output.
Timbersled's Mountain Horse kit converts motorbikes into snow machines
Do you hate not being able to use your dirt bike, all winter long? Well, it turns out that there's a way of pressing it into service, even once the snow has fallen - aside from swapping in studded tires, that is. Timbersled's Mountain Horse kit replaces a motorbike's front wheel with a ski, and its rear wheel with a snowmobile-like track.
Quite similar in concept to the Snoxcycle, the Mountain Horse can reportedly be mounted on a wide variety of dirt bike makes and models, as long as the buyer makes sure to get a properly-spec'd kit. With the exception of the KTM 690, no modifications to the bike are required, and all the components can be simply bolted into place.
There are three versions of the kit, depending on the intended use.
The standard 120-inch (305-cm)-long Short Track provides the best maneuverability along with the optimum power-to-traction ratio, allowing it to be used on bikes with engines as small as 250cc. The 137-inch (348-cm) Long Track, on the other hand, offers a claimed 20 percent better traction in deep snow. That added traction comes at the expense of about 8 mph (13 km/h) off the top speed, however, and it should only be used on bikes sporting 500cc or higher.
Finally, for racier types, there's the 121-inch (307-cm) Snow Cross kit. It's narrower than the other two, and its track is made from a harder rubber. The addition of a swing arm boosts the travel of its rear suspension, plus the paddles on the track are longer in the middle and shorter on the sides - this gives the track a rounded cross-section, similar to that of a tire. Along with snow cross racing, this version is also intended for use on hard-pack snow and rough terrain.
Prices range from US$5,500 for the Short Track through to $6,200 for the Long Track, and top out at $6,500 for the Snow Cross. Bikes using the kits can be seen in action, in the video below.
Should it be your mountain bike that you want to use in the snow, you might instead be interested in the K-Trak. And if you're more interested in making your four-wheeled vehicle more snow-worthy, you could check out Mattracks or Track N Go.
Stealth-X snow sled: what a high performance sled
Winter is officially here and even those of us in sunny SoCal are looking forward to playing in the snow! Now, if only we could get our hands on New Zealand based design company 4DESIGN's Stealth-X snow sled. This super lightweight, monocoque sled is made entirely of carbon fiber to enhance its strength. Sitting in a position similar to an F1 car, the rider leans as they would a motorcycle to navigate turns at a top speed of 40MPH. It's so maneuverable it can be skidded to a stop just like a snowboard. Leave it to the Kiwis!
When you're done with your run, simply fold it up and carry in your backpack!
Designer: 4DESIGN for Snolosleds
Daz Fellows' luge is fitted with two thrusters that produce 200lbs (91kg) of thrust each.
Fellows claims his design has the potential to reach 311mph (500km/h) and he plans to take on the current world record of 115.83 mph (186km/h) next year.
The record for the world's fastest street luge was set by Jason Bradbury on the set of The Gadget Show's 200th episode in Bentwaters Parks, Suffolk, in 2011.
Fellows goes by the stage name Daz the Cowboy and is a TV stuntman from New South Wales.
He claims the board is a complete redesign of the streetluge dubbed Jet Luge. It is made from carbon fibre with a full carbon fibre fuel cell.
At 9.84ft (3 metres) long, the luge has also been referred to as a €man-sized' skateboard controlled using a thumb accelerator, and lean steer turning.
The thumb-controlled wheel increases or decreases power by rolling a thumb over it to control speed.
This wheel can be set at a pre-determined speed, or used as a dynamic accelerator.
Alternatively, the luge can be fitted with a trigger grip control where the rider can use their pointer finger to control acceleration.
The entire powered system is routed to a kill switch cable attached to the rider, and in the event of an emergency the cable is pulled free and everything shuts down.
A secondary unit is positioned behind, and in the event the rider cannot see, a second person can hit that button and shut the entire system down.
Fellows became involved in, and was one of the original founders of, street luge in Australia 1996.
His luge was designed and assembled with his team and involved hundreds of hours of design and testing.
They have spent the last 18 months building the board from scratch.
His record attempt will be carried out between April and August 2015. Fellows claims this is to help keep running temperatures down and maximise thrust output.
Timbersled's Mountain Horse kit converts motorbikes into snow machines
Do you hate not being able to use your dirt bike, all winter long? Well, it turns out that there's a way of pressing it into service, even once the snow has fallen - aside from swapping in studded tires, that is. Timbersled's Mountain Horse kit replaces a motorbike's front wheel with a ski, and its rear wheel with a snowmobile-like track.
Quite similar in concept to the Snoxcycle, the Mountain Horse can reportedly be mounted on a wide variety of dirt bike makes and models, as long as the buyer makes sure to get a properly-spec'd kit. With the exception of the KTM 690, no modifications to the bike are required, and all the components can be simply bolted into place.
There are three versions of the kit, depending on the intended use.
The standard 120-inch (305-cm)-long Short Track provides the best maneuverability along with the optimum power-to-traction ratio, allowing it to be used on bikes with engines as small as 250cc. The 137-inch (348-cm) Long Track, on the other hand, offers a claimed 20 percent better traction in deep snow. That added traction comes at the expense of about 8 mph (13 km/h) off the top speed, however, and it should only be used on bikes sporting 500cc or higher.
Finally, for racier types, there's the 121-inch (307-cm) Snow Cross kit. It's narrower than the other two, and its track is made from a harder rubber. The addition of a swing arm boosts the travel of its rear suspension, plus the paddles on the track are longer in the middle and shorter on the sides - this gives the track a rounded cross-section, similar to that of a tire. Along with snow cross racing, this version is also intended for use on hard-pack snow and rough terrain.
Prices range from US$5,500 for the Short Track through to $6,200 for the Long Track, and top out at $6,500 for the Snow Cross. Bikes using the kits can be seen in action, in the video below.
Should it be your mountain bike that you want to use in the snow, you might instead be interested in the K-Trak. And if you're more interested in making your four-wheeled vehicle more snow-worthy, you could check out Mattracks or Track N Go.
Stealth-X snow sled: what a high performance sled
Winter is officially here and even those of us in sunny SoCal are looking forward to playing in the snow! Now, if only we could get our hands on New Zealand based design company 4DESIGN's Stealth-X snow sled. This super lightweight, monocoque sled is made entirely of carbon fiber to enhance its strength. Sitting in a position similar to an F1 car, the rider leans as they would a motorcycle to navigate turns at a top speed of 40MPH. It's so maneuverable it can be skidded to a stop just like a snowboard. Leave it to the Kiwis!
When you're done with your run, simply fold it up and carry in your backpack!
Designer: 4DESIGN for Snolosleds