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not resolvedOn a recent visit to the Royal Museum of Scotland I noticed the Mochet Velo-Velocar appeared to have the fork the wrong way around. However, I have recently been told by Principal Curator of Transport that it would have been ridden forks raked backwards as this made it more stable.
Can experienced recumbent rides tell me if this is likely to be so?
Please note: This is a genuine enquiry and not trying to poke fun.
Strange!
But perhaps true.
"
National Museums Scotland (2 days ago) We spoke to Alastair Dodds, our Principal Curator of Transport, about this and he explained as follows: 'The bike is currently correctly displayed. Contemporary photographic evidence shows that the racing versions of the Velocar had the forks raked back and at one time I tried to ride the bike in both configurations in an effort to find out why. With the forks raked forwards the bike was un-rideable while I was just able to ride it with the reverse rake.'
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/49194391@N00/6470666679/#comment72157628399935157
Recumbent bikes are often more suited to reversed fork rake. Mike Burrows' original Ratcatcher (a long wheelbase machine) had a vertical headtube, as did the Futurecycles/Longstaff short-wheelbase Streetglider; the Minq front-wheel drive bike uses a heavily reversed headtube and fork and handles very well by all accounts.
Big LWB machines though often have the additional problem of simply being very long, and unless remote steering (or a Mochet-style steering column) is used, in order to make the tiller effect of the necessarily long handlebars manageably small while using a desirably reclined seat angle, the headtube is usually raked back strongly, with pronounced rake on the forks to control trail. Can make for super high speed stability but evil handling at walking speed.
thats been posted before (can't recall the thread,maybe spotted)
seemingly they had them the 'right' way round at first and someone has changed them.
no idea if its on purpose or not though
There's one featured in the Players Cigarettes Cycling series:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mando_gal/2129183177/
It looks like it's the "normal" way round.
Curator said he couldn't ride it with more 'trail' but I'm not convinced as some modern LWB bikes have equally 'lazy' steering.
Stability at slow speed was of little interest on this bike and I can't imagine the fork strength being helped by this?
Looks wrong - can't see brakes either. Think it would have chance of 'toe strike' too.
Players wouldn't get it wrong - would they?
NMS have started a debate though.
Rather curiously when this bike first when on display the forts were the other way around http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaputniq/5991590393/.
So I remain confused as to which is correct.
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