Mega-Monster Enduro, February 12, 2011

mrbill

10 kW
Joined
Jun 10, 2008
Messages
532
Location
Silicon Valley, California
Ebikes are welcome at this event in Central California (about 1 hour's drive south of San Jose). Please see the forwarded message below for details.

--Bill

Begin forwarded message:
From: "winterkm" <kmwinterfield@gmail.com>
Date: 2010/December/20 12:54:31 PST
To: lkhc@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [lkhc] ANNOUNCEMENT: 2011 Low-Key Mega-Monster Enduro
Reply-To: lkhc@yahoogroups.com

Low-Keyers,
I am pleased to announce the 2011 Low-Key Mega-Monster Enduro will take place on February 12, 2011.

RSVP now using the online forms:
Solo riders (including tandems): http://megamonster.lowkeyhillclimbs.com/2011/RSVP.html
Team riders (multiple bikes): http://megamonster.lowkeyhillclimbs.com/2011/RSVP_team.html

Volunteers please sign up here: http://megamonster.lowkeyhillclimbs.com/2011/volunteer.html

After successful events in 2008 and 2010, Low-Key returns to Paicines for its semi-traditional dose of mileage excess: 102 miles for the full route, 103 km for the short route: the Mega-Monster Enduro! Treat it as a long time trial, a short ultra-marathon event, practice for the bike leg of a triathlon, or just embrace it for what it is: the Mega-Monster!

Join us on February 12!

Learn more: http://megamonster.lowkeyhillclimbs.com/2011/

Thank you,
Kevin Winterfield
 
Looks great Bill,

We look forward to hearing about your accomplishments at this event.

Peace, Josh K.
 
Hi Bill,

Thanks for the great information. I have noticed the following from the link:

"We also have a "hybrid-electric" division, where the bicycle or tricycle (2-3 wheels) must comply with the following rules: (1) must have functional pedals that allow the bicycle to be ridden on level ground 8 meters in a second solely under human power (18 mph for one second), (2) may use only electric motor or motors to assist propulsion, and (3) may use no more than 2 kilowatt hours of stored energy for the 100mi event and no more than 1.25 kilowatt hours for the 100k event. Since this is a bicycling event, the event officials reserve the right to exclude any vehicle that is deemed to be unsafe or inconsistent with the spirit of the event. If you have any doubts please contact the event organizers ahead of time for approval. "

So theoretically, you are only allow to use a 48v 41.66ah battery or a 44v 45ah Lipo battery. If we need an average of 1Ah per mile, then we need to pedal for another 55 miles by human power. :D

Do you guys have any other way to hyper extend your range in this challenge?

Merry Christmas,
Lyen
 
Do you guys have any other way to hyper extend your range in this challenge?

Other than the usual aero, drafting other riders, friction reduction, brake regen and electronic efficiency norms - if I read those rules correctly, they limit the power you can store but there is no mention of what you can collect or produce. So thin-film solar collectors, but if they're not powerful enough for you then place some laser or microwave charging stations along the way like they use on the space elevator challenge, or alternatively some wireless RF power transfer coupling with a support vehicle. :lol:

What about a catalyst based hydrogen generator filled with drink station water as you go along that is then fed into a fuel cell, or you. Mmm; one sip for me, one sip for my hydrogen generator.

Piezo/thermoelectric clothing, seat, helmet. Suspension regen. What muscles aren't you using you could create power with when your legs turn lactic? Your arms? Your hands with squeeze generators? A wind generator you deploy when going down hill.

Your bike will weigh 50kg after all these mods, so pump it full of excess hydrogen. :p

Merry Christmas.
 
Lyen said:
Hi Bill,

Thanks for the great information.

Theoretically, you are only allow to use a 48v 41.66ah battery or a 44v 45ah Lipo battery. If we need an average of 1Ah per mile, then we need to pedal for another 55 miles by human power. :D

Do you guys have any other way to hyper extend your range in this challenge?

Merry Christmas,
Lyen

Hi Lyen:

20 watt-hours per mile is a generous allotment for a moderately-hilly course. I used 11.6 wh/mi last year and plan to use only a little more this year. 1Ah/mile (at 44V) is more than twice the allotment. Staying within that limit might mean going slower, using more human power, improving the aerodynamic efficiency of rider and bike, or some combination.

The watt-hour limits are set so that the challenge is not only of speed and motor power but a challenge of balancing efficiency of motor power, human power, and of the bike (or trike). The event is primarily a bicycling event, and for a variety of reasons (insurance, logistics, held on open roads, etc.) we have to keep it within that loose definition.

One way to extend your range is to ride as a member of a team of two or more. If you can keep a pace line then the lead rider breaks the wind for the followers, saving them about 15-25% energy for a given speed. Riding as a member of a relay team makes the human effort shorter. For the relay your team of two or three would swap riders and/or bikes at the first and third checkpoints on the course. If you have a buddy and a suitable rig you could ride as a tandem entry.

Please note that the hybrid-electric rules have been modified to account for teams and tandems.

We also have a "hybrid-electric" division, where the vehicle, bicycle or tricycle (2-3 wheels), faired or un-faired, must comply with the following rules:
1) Pedals and human power function: the vehicle must have functional pedals that allow the bicycle to be ridden on level ground 8 meters in a second solely under human power (18 mph for one second).
2) Only electric motors: the vehicle may use only electric motor or motors to assist propulsion.
3) Stored energy limit: the vehicle may use no more than 2 kilowatt hours of stored energy for the 100mi event and no more than 1.25 kilowatt hours for the 100k event. For a tandem the watt-hour limit is increased by 50%. For a multi-rider team the watt-hour limit applies to each bike on the team. For a relay team, the watt-hour limit applies to the sum of stored energy on all team bikes.
4) Battery mounting: batteries must be mounted securely to the vehicle frame. No backpack battery packs.

The event officials reserve the right to exclude any vehicle that is deemed to be inconsistent with a bicycling event. If you have any doubts about your entry please contact the event organizers ahead of time for approval.

We're trying to increase participation, so if your entry doesn't quite meet the rules as written, let me know at least a month before the event, and we'll see what we can do.

Hope to see you and others there.
 
Folks:

Here's a link to my write-up and photo album for this year's MegaMonster Enduro event, 100 miles on an out-and-back course in central California. We had two hybrid e-bike riders participate this year. Weather was perfect considering we were enjoying our summer in winter this January and early February. We had three hybrid e-bikes register, and two showed up, which is an improvement over prior years. Maybe we'll get more participation from the e-bike community next year.

http://bit.ly/fkkTvu
 
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