air-drive bicycles

[carlfogel@comcast.net]

In the 1890s, inventors tried to replace chains with compressed air,
hoping that the compression braking for down hills and the tiny
reservoir to power the rider up climbs would overcome the hideous
complexity:

Deneal's locomotive-style air-drive:
http://www.google.com/patents?id=gv9YAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&dq=582346

Moore used treadles and an upright air reservoir on the seat tube:
http://www.google.com/patents?id=_2dFAAAAEBAJ&pg=PP1&dq=596901

Eyster used treadles and stuck the air tank on the down-tube:
http://www.google.com/patents?id=CrtRAAAAEBAJ&pg=PP1&dq=602618

Schmidt didn't think that weight mattered. The side view is bad
enough. Everything turns out to be duplicated when you page down to
the overhead view:
http://www.google.com/patents?id=nvptAAAAEBAJ&pg=PP1&dq=614992

Ubil used a normal frame as his air reservoir:
http://www.google.com/patents?id=I-tkAAAAEBAJ&pg=PP1&dq=610956

I have no idea if any of these monsters were ever built.

Luckily, this strange air-drive approach seems to have been lost.
Other odd drives still show up, but I don't recall any air-drive
debates in RBT threads.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

[_]

On Wed, 16 Jan 2008 10:28:35 -0700, carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:

> In the 1890s, inventors tried to replace chains with compressed air,
> hoping that the compression braking for down hills and the tiny
> reservoir to power the rider up climbs would overcome the hideous
> complexity:
>
> Deneal's locomotive-style air-drive:
> http://www.google.com/patents?id=gv9YAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&dq=582346
>
> Moore used treadles and an upright air reservoir on the seat tube:
> http://www.google.com/patents?id=_2dFAAAAEBAJ&pg=PP1&dq=596901
>
> Eyster used treadles and stuck the air tank on the down-tube:
> http://www.google.com/patents?id=CrtRAAAAEBAJ&pg=PP1&dq=602618
>
> Schmidt didn't think that weight mattered. The side view is bad
> enough. Everything turns out to be duplicated when you page down to
> the overhead view:
> http://www.google.com/patents?id=nvptAAAAEBAJ&pg=PP1&dq=614992
>
> Ubil used a normal frame as his air reservoir:
> http://www.google.com/patents?id=I-tkAAAAEBAJ&pg=PP1&dq=610956
>
> I have no idea if any of these monsters were ever built.
>
> Luckily, this strange air-drive approach seems to have been lost.
> Other odd drives still show up, but I don't recall any air-drive
> debates in RBT threads.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Carl Fogel

I recall Ducati using pressurized frames as a means of checking integrity;
would work equally well for push-bike frames.

[Werehatrack]

On Wed, 16 Jan 2008 10:28:35 -0700, carlfogel@comcast.net may have
said:

>Luckily, this strange air-drive approach seems to have been lost.
>Other odd drives still show up, but I don't recall any air-drive
>debates in RBT threads.

Not so for cars, sadly. Wanton willingness to ignore Boyle (and
thermodynamics) abounds.

http://www.theaircar.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compressed_air_vehicle

Although one production model is supposedly about to become available,
I doubt that the realities of the vehicle will prove as rosy as the
forecasts. My prediction is that we will say "ta-ta to the Tata"
before the end of 2009. (It would be sooner were the first ones not
being sold in France, IMO.)

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