Olympic 5-ringed bicycle!

[GaryA]

Apologies if this has been posted but it looks fascinating-not so much the 5 rings but what looks like a front handlebar supplementary propulsion system!

How does it work-difficult to see from the video or is it unconnected and a way of using upper body movements to help the pedal strokes?
Either way its a hoot

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics/7537229.stm

Ingenius- it looks 2 wheel drive!

 

[Arch]

Excellent!

Funny, discussion of hand and foot drive has just cropped up in the Recumbents section too. General wisdom is there's no great advantage over a longer distance, and using both sets of muscles simply uses up the available energy more quickly (like running two motors off one battery).


Still, I like it, good on him.

 

[Arch]

Oh, I just watched properly, I love his phrase of the alternative drive being like "a deer running from a panther" - I hadn't noticed before that it switches leg action as well...

 

[HLaB]

Thanks
I hadn't seen it before and thought it was

 

[Yellow Fang]

What a great idea! And isn't good to see there are still some cyclists in China.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Wonderful! It may not be the most efficient way to pedal, but good on him for doing something different.

 

[Scoosh]

How do we get him on CC ?
Seems like he could help us all big time

 

[FCN]

Err, how many continents?

 

[CopperBrompton]

How long before the IOC tells him he's not allowed unauthorised usage of the olympic symbol?

 

[Yellow Fang]

Probably about the same time the UCI ban the design as well.

 

[Arch]

Err, how many continents?

He says 5 doesn't he? I think that's perhaps the old school view - I was taught five, but not they count Antarctica (which I would have been told was part of Australasia) and sometimes split America into North and South.

 

[Yellow Fang]

Yes, I'm never really sure if there are four continents or seven.

4: Eurasia, America, Africa, Australia
7: Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Africa, Australia, Antartica

Why is Europe considered to be a different continent than Asia?
Does a land mass have to be populated to be considered a continent?
Is America really only one continent or is it two?

 

[Arch]

Yes, I'm never really sure if there are four continents or seven.

4: Eurasia, America, Africa, Australia
7: Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Africa, Australia, Antartica

Why is Europe considered to be a different continent than Asia?
Does a land mass have to be populated to be considered a continent?
Is America really only one continent or is it two?

I suspect that's more a cultural/ethnic split, than a land mass one...Perhaps the concept of one entity covering from Ireland to China is too much for the human mind to cope with?

 

[marinyork]

Tectonics would more support the idea of six continents I suppose, but even that's a bit of a fiddle.