How should one take a turn in a swimming pool with this?
Avec difficulte'!
Design engineer: "Turns? Turns?!"
'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed
61–70 of 285 posts
Re: 'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed
#62Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not really. Most serious lap swimmers can do a kilometer every 20 minutes sustainably, akin to a marathon runner's pace (Sprint pace would be 100m/minute, with 50m/minute being what you would see in the fast lane of most recreational pools). So 3.6 kph isn't all that different, maybe a little faster than average but I assume they were also using a better-than-average bicycle person when doing the test. There real adv…
Perhaps the question must be then is Michael Phelps (or whoever) faster on it? If he or someone else breaks the record with it, he's going beyond human level speed. Until then this may only have the potential to do so. I imagine the first bikes were slower than the top runners of the time? I see potential for the idea.
>> is Michael Phelps (or whoever) faster on it?
Nope. He would be horrible with this device. That would be like asking a champion sprinter to compete in a wheelchair race. He would be using totally different muscles, legs rather than arms, and get schooled by most everyone with a longer history. A champion bicycle rider would do better on this contraption than any champion swimmer.
(Due to water's density, champion speed swimming is also 80% technique and body shape rather than muscle/cardio. So until the technique is developed, nobody would be "good" with this thing.)
Re: 'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed
#63> The nominal mode enables motion through the water at 3.6 km/h, and for speed-seekers, the SEABIKE can reach a maximum of 7.9 km/h – much faster than normal swimming speeds or even flipper-assisted swimming. https://www.nauticexpo.com/prod/seabike/product-68606-564117... Pretty fast, but "superhuman"? For short distances Michael Phelps can swim faster :)
Imagine how fast Phelps could swim with this!
Re: 'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed
#64I mean swim fins also propel swimmers at superhuman speeds (aside, it would be really cool if there was a proper competitive community for stuff like that, like how on land we have races for runners and races for cyclists; edit: Google informs me the competitive sport has world championships and is called "finswimming"). Is there any quantitative comparison between this doodad and fins? It doesn't even have convenien…
Finswimming appears to be a bit faster according to the 7.9km/h figure they give, and I think using a snorkel and not your arms would make the use of this thing quite more comfortable
Re: 'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed
#65Great for special forces, I guess.
Re: 'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed
#66Earlier quoted context omitted.
Anything you choose will be cumbersome because you can't create friction on the water (well...), your ability to move is based on your ability to move water around you. There are solutions that leverage a pair of catamarans and a track system, or a prop. These tend to move very slowly, much slower than a canoe or kayak. The water wheel style systems seem to move faster, but you can just get a pedal kayak and will be…
I've always wondered why nobody has created something that looks like a catamaran with two rowing shells and a road bike on top directly connected to a prop. That would have minimal drag, an optimal body positioning for using leg muscle strength, and would be fun and intuitive to pilot (facing forwards, feels like biking, etc). The obvious downside is that height above water may be an issue so the catamaran would hav…
They have, they're still quite slow.
Re: 'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed
#67Earlier quoted context omitted.
Really, why? Because you might drown? Try holding your breath and just floating, arms at your side and legs not moving. You will bob to the surface. Then quickly release your breath and snap your neck back to take a new one. Repeat. That's all it takes to not drown. You could almost do it as a quadriplegic (though I'm not 100% on "water balance" in that case).
Some people (myself included) don’t float like this. I try basically every time I get in the water and my legs drift down to just after 45 degrees and then I slip under completely and don’t resurface until I give in and swim back up. People who can float never believe me, but enough have now seen me in the water that I know I’m not “doing it wrong” I just don’t float. The people who’ve seen me try it in water always…
Have you tried filling your lungs with as much air as possible?
Re: 'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed
#68There are a bunch of small watercraft I really want to try. It’s hard to justify the expensive. The hydrofoil board with a prop and motor looks really cool. Just not sure what the learning curve is like and kind of worried about hitting something and flying off.
Those e-foil look amazing, but the prices on them are insane. Like multiple times the price of an e-bike. I, frankly, don’t understand it. They aren’t particularly advanced devices.
I spent a bit of time looking into building your own - from a parts point of view (buying new) you are still looking at £1000 to more like £2500 worth of batteries, controllers, motor and prop, plus the foil and the board you attach it all to. Then you need to make, seal it and make it 'sea worthy' - would be hundreds of hours of work for me.
I'd happily buy a well made new one for £3000 if that was what they cost, but half that price is a new good solid paddle board - so I can see why you can't get the same plus all the electronics you need for £3k.
We can hope in time the costs come down, but as a niche sport, it will be some time, if ever. Have you seen the cost (and service intervals!) of a new jet ski? All simple tech, but they don't come cheap and need a lot of looking after.
I can still dream though.
Re: 'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed
#69There are a bunch of small watercraft I really want to try. It’s hard to justify the expensive. The hydrofoil board with a prop and motor looks really cool. Just not sure what the learning curve is like and kind of worried about hitting something and flying off.
Those e-foil look amazing, but the prices on them are insane. Like multiple times the price of an e-bike. I, frankly, don’t understand it. They aren’t particularly advanced devices.
They're a toy being sold in small numbers to people who live near lakes or can fit driving to the lake with it into their life easily enough to want to buy it - good proxy for having a bit of disposable income to throw around. Market can bear a high price, not enough volume to make competition appealing => ££££