Sport: Racing: Cycling
Connected racing bikes   (+2, -1)  [vote for, against]
No more crashing.

Bike racing is dangerous. Even those leisure riders who put on the tight pants and ride around together for "pleasure" sometimes rub up against each other and bite the earth.

I propose that each of the bikes in the pack be connected to those bikes nearest it by telescoping rods attached to a universal joint. This will prevent bikes from getting too close together. It would greatly decrease the frequency of crashes too, and the amalgamated bikes would be very stable. Racing would still be possible, and without dirty tricks aimed at preventing a neighboring bike from passing. It would not be possible to win a race by an enormous distance, as the rod would prevent pulling farther ahead when stretched to its limits, but this will help assuage hurt feelings.
-- bungston, Dec 19 2005

hmn, I fear this might limit all races to being won by the sprinters - but it would also open up the race to keen amatuers who could just hang at the back of the peleton for 6 hours without peddling, then go for it in the last minute.
-- neilp, Dec 19 2005


Rather antithetical to traditional bike race strategy, but it might be interesting in its own right.
-- 5th Earth, Dec 19 2005



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