Joke Of The Day: Big Stick

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Jan 222013
 

Rubber ChickenA fellow was following a truck in heavy traffic. Every block or so, when they were stopped at a stop light, the driver of the truck would jump out of the cab with a big stick and bang on the side of the cargo bay. He’d then jump back into the cab in time to drive away when the signal changed.

The first fellow observed this for several miles, until he could stand it no longer. The next time the truck driver jumped out with the stick, the first fellow jumped out and ran up to him. “I’m sorry to bother you,” he said, over the din of the banging, “but I am very curious; could you tell me what you are doing?”

Without breaking rhythm, the truck driver replied, “Sure, Mac. Ya see, this here’s a six-ton truck but I’ve got eight tons of canaries aboard, so I’ve gotta keep two ton of them flying all the time so I don’t break an axle”.

 

 

Bike You Pedal With Your Hands And Feet

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Jan 212013
 
Bike You Pedal With Your Hands And Feet

 
Tell me that you don’t want one of these things!


Bike You Pedal With Your Hands And Feet

Bicycling can really be a pain in the legs. Your lower limbs pump endlessly to power the bike wheels over miles upon miles of terrain. Meanwhile, your arms just hang there doing little to nothing. The Raxibo Hand-Tret-Velo system evens things out, putting both your arms and legs to work toward cycling forward.

Raxibo is essentially a bicycle with a separate, arm-powered drivetrain that works in conjunction with the traditional pedal system. Cyclists use both their arms and legs to pedal forward. The idea of the system is that you can work your entire body during a bicycle ride, instead of just your legs. The system gets your arm, shoulder, chest and back muscles involved.

The specific mechanical details are a bit fuzzy, but it’s clear that the hand crank uses a series of chains and pulleys. A derailleur system channels both pedal and hand torque to the rear wheel. The system is adjustable and can be set to different arm lengths and preferences. The hand crank has a tilting action that steers the front wheel.

At first blush, we’d expect the extra oomph from the hand crank to add speed and climbing power. However, the system also adds some weight and repositions the rider in a more upright, less aerodynamic riding stance, so any benefit in terms of speed and pedaling power might be minimized or negated. The company doesn’t appear to make any claims about increased speed or power, so we’ll assume the main benefit is in the increased scope of exercise.

The Raxibo comes in five different frame colors and retails for 2,500 Swiss francs (US$2,617 as of publishing). The base version sits on 26-inch wheels, while an upgraded model with a 26-inch front wheel and 29-inch rear wheel costs 2,800 francs ($2,930).

Source…

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