News (Legacy)
September 2010Tri-Sled Fresh Racing wins Tim Bolotti Memorial Award
The Tri-Sled Fresh Racing team were honoured to receive the Tim Bolotti
Memorial Award at the AIPP Super Series. Tim Bolotti, who passed away in 2009
from cancer, was committed to HPV racing and contributed greatly to the sport.
The award is handpicked by the AIPP committee to commemorate the team that
best stands for the values Tim was passionate about: speed, respect and
innovation.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, Andrew McLauchlan spoke about the purpose
of the award: 'Tim liked to go fast, but he had a great spirit of fairness,
equity and playing by the rules. He was also a passionate innovator for the
sport and had a kind and compassionate attitude. This award honours the values
Tim brought to the sport, which we believe Tri-Sled Fresh Racing also
display.'
Ben Goodall, Tri-Sled Director, who raced alongside Tim in the 1990s, was
deeply moved by the award: 'This is probably the most significant award the
Tri-Sled team has received in 15 years of HPV racing', he said. 'Having known
and raced with Tim, this award also means a lot to me personally. To be
recognised as a team that innovates, performs and respects the competition is
a real honour'.
The all-boys 'Aquila' team also took home second place in the AIPP Super
Series and third place at Round 3 (Murray Bridge). It was a close race, with
just 2 laps separating third and second, and second and first places. The
mixed team were racing their 'Girls in Form' vehicle, taking home 20th place
and a lot of mud! Congratulations to our competition, Team Phantom (Deakin) in
second place and TruBlu Racing in first, for another exciting race. We'll
catch you next time boys!
RotoVelo... coming soon!
Yes, our best kept secret is well and truly out. Tri-Sled is almost ready
to launch the world's first rotomolded velomobile. After twelve months of
development and another six months of prototyping we're nearly there, with the
first forward-order customers receiving their shiny new vehicles in early
September. Group rides are kicking off in late September, so you might see us
out and about Melbourne if you're in the area.
RotoVelo is built around Tri-Sled's philosophy of simplicity. It's designed
to make velomobiles more affordable and accessible... not to mention durable!
This is a velomobile you don't have to be precious about. For that reason, we
hope our potential customers appreciate all the things it doesn't have
(as well as the things it does!). We're still working out the exact price, but
it will come in under our other velomobile models.
We are releasing RotoVelo as part of our model range in late October at the
Melbourne Cycling Festival and GoBike exhibition, and will be bringing it to
Spezi (Germany) in April next year. We hope to see you at one of these events!
July 2010
Girls in Form...ula Tri-Sled!
Tri-Sled's all-girls racing team were in form in Tri-Sled's new 'aero'
modified Formula Tri-Sled at Round 2 of the Adelaide Super Series. If you're
thinking the hatch looks a little familar, you're right! While the vehicle
sported a standard
Formula Tri-Sled fairing kit, the hatch was taken from Tri-Sled's
Avatar SuperVelo model. The aero mod turned the normally head-out Formula
Tri-Sled vehicle into a completely enclosed racing machine, and provided
overhead protection to meet the new AIPP rules.
By all accounts the vehicle was light and fast with its corflute body and
aero hatch. The girls team had a blast, coming second against all other girl
teams, and thirteenth against all-boys or mixed open teams (Category 4).
The Avatar hatch can be purchased as an add-on kit for existing Formula
Tri-Sled machines to give your team a speed boost! The hatch also acts as an
alternative form of overhead protection to chromoly bars (also available from
Tri-Sled).
Contact us for further information.
Aquila on track for Super Series top three
The Tri-Sled Fresh Racing Team at Round 2 of the AIPP Super Series in
Adelaide.
Tri-Sled's new Aquila model took to the track at the Adelaide Super Series
in July for the second six hour race of the season. The boys held their
ground, once again placing second behind TruBlu Racing. The Tri-Sled Fresh
racing team went two laps further than the previous six-hour race in May, but
it wasn't enough to trump TruBlu, who went five laps further than their
previous race result. With just two points separating the top three
placegetters in the overall Series, Murray Bridge is sure to be an exciting
race!
New products available online!
Check out the following new products available now through our online
store:
Tri-Sled overhead protection
chain ring 110 PCD
drum brake backing plate
Wheel Cover 16 inch
Wheel Cover 20 inch
spoke cover
hub front wheel 16 inch
hub front wheel 20 inch
Expert Crank Set (110 PCD)
June 2010
Westbourne riders get Airbourne in a Formula Tri-Sled!
Westbourne Park Primary School 'Airbourne' Pedal Prix Racing Team: Jordarn
Karporwicz, Angus Retallack, Tim Hedger, Joseph Hutt, Tim Lai, Jesse
Karapetsas, Kosta Sinodinos, Edward Warren, Molly McDonald, and Alex Barratt.
The heads of Westbourne Park Primary School's 'Airbourne' pedal prix team
might still be in the clouds after winning the Formula Tri-Sled class at the
first round of the AIPP Super Series in Adelaide. The Airbourne team raced
with ten 12-13 year olds and used a race strategy of riding 6-7 fast laps per
rider to give everyone practice and improve pit changes. As well as winning
the Formula Tri-Sled class, the team came third in the primary school
category. The school fielded four teams in the event, all with Formula
Tri-Sled vehicles.
A last minute chain-drop saw the team fall from second to third place in
the primary school class during the final minutes of the race. The team tried
to regain their third ranking in the last ten minutes but Immanuel College's
'Fire' team wasn't going to let it go!
To comply with the new overhead protection rule, Westbourne Park added an
external roll cage to their vehicles. Tri-Sled has also prototyped a new
'aero' windscreen design for the Formula Tri-Sled model which addresses the
overhead protection rule. The mod will be offered as an add-on to the
Formula Tri-Sled kit after the Tri-Sled Fresh Girls Racing Team have
tested it at Round 2 in late July.
The Formula Tri-Sled class is open to any team entering the AIPP pedal prix
with a Formula Tri-Sled vehicle. Trophies and prizes will be awarded at each
round and an overall winner of the series will be announced at Round 3. To
ensure a level playing field, teams receive a ranking which represents their
aweperformance relative to their class.
Contact us for further information.
Aquila is on the mark!
HPV racing is currently experiencing a 'speed squeeze', and ain't it fun to
watch! With just a couple of laps separating the top three teams at the first
round of the AIPP Super Series, and with several new designs from other top
contenders coming to a track near you, we are in for an exciting season!
The Tri-Sled Fresh Racing team showed that it was in the running for a
placing at this year's Super Series, taking home second place behind TruBlu
Racing and slightly ahead of the Deakin Phantom team. All three teams tasseled
for the top three placings, with Tri-Sled Fresh Racing starting out ahead,
dropping back to third, then rising again to finish in second.
The Fresh team were racing the new Tri-Sled Aqulia model, designed
specifically for the HPV racing circuit. The team's previous AIPP Super Series
winning vehicle, 'Son of Tiger', was also out for a run around the track,
placing sixth overall.
The Tri-Sled Fresh Racing Team at Round 1 of the AIPP Super Series in
Adelaide.
April 2010
Two world records smashed: a new era for HPV endurance records
Jeff Nielsen has now travelled further in a day using his own power than
any other person in the world. Not only did he smash the world 24-hour and
1000km records (not to mention the Australian 6 and 12-hour records along the
way), but to the surprise of many, he did it in a modified Tri-Sled
velomobile. The Tri-Sled team bucked the trend of using two-wheeled
purpose-built speed bikes for endurance record attempts. Instead, they ‘cut
and shut’ Tri-Sled’s
Sorcerer Series II shape to produce 'a lil overzealous'.
Tri-Sled Director Ben Goodall explained the motivation behind this
approach: ‘For me, records are all about exploring the upper limit of the
practical possibilities of human power. That’s why we went down the path of a
streamlined tricycle for this attempt. Not only did we exceed the world record
for what’s possible with human power in one day, but we did it in a vehicle
that’s very close to what the average person could ride on the road.’
The team used their expertise in Australian HPV racing to devise an
innovative strategy for providing Jeff with food and hydration without stops.
One of the Tri-Sled Fresh racing team members (predominantly Gareth Hanks)
rode alongside Jeff and passed him supplies through the hatch. This strategy
was so successful that Jeff didn’t stop until he was 12 hours into the
attempt!
And the results? Jeff and a lil overzealous travelled 1109 kms in 24
hours, around 40 kms further than the old mark set by Christain Ascheberg and
the biggest margin set in the last four attempts. Jeff's on-track average
speed for the full 24 hours was around 50 km/hour! He also set a new 1000km
record in 21 hours and 21 minutes, just over an hour quicker than the previous
mark!
Jeff was fuelled by his desire to give something back to his mother, who
died from heart disease. Jeff has already raised over $3000 for the Heart
Foundation in support of these records.
For further information on Jeff and to donate to Jeff's Heart Foundation
'Herometer' visit www.pedalforheart.com.
For more information on these record attempts (including You Tube footage),
click here.
Group photo, clockwise from left: Mikey (pattern finishing); Gareth
(bottle change rider, vehicle development); Ben (vehicle design and
development); Ken (composite parts including shell); Nigel (site
co-ordination); Steve (video footage and website); Mark (on-day helper);
Sharna (Jeff's wife); Jeff (rider).
March 2010
Third place for Aquila at Wonthaggi Human Powered Grand Prix
Tri-Sled Fresh Racing took home third place and the Design and Construction
award with their new Aquila vehicle at the Wonthaggi Grand Prix in March. The
vehicle, which is a return to the head-in format Tri-Sled raced ten years ago,
kept the team busy throughout the night as they trialed a number of different
fog prevention innovations. The race provided the team with useful learning
outcomes which they aim to apply in the upcoming AIPP Super Series.
Congratulations to Team Phantom for their long overdue win, and to Balarat
Community Racing in second position.
February 2010
Third place for Tri-Sled Fresh Racing at Casey Cycling Festival
The Tri-Sled Fresh Racing team eased their way into the season with a third
place at the Casey Cycling Festival. The event was a bit like dejavu, with the
top three placings exactly the same as last year. The Tri-Sled Fresh team was
even racing the same Son of the Tiger vehicle they raced at the 2009 event.
Now that really is history repeating itself!
However, we get the sense that it won't stay that way for long. The team
are in for a year of tough competition, as all open teams seek to raise the
racing bar another level. Tri-Sled is working on a new Aquila prototype
vehicle for the team, and the riders are turning up the heat at training. Only
one thing's for sure. It's going to be an exciting season! Congrats to TruBlu
and Expats Racing for holding their first and second placings.
The team is SUPER excited about this year's racing!
Support Jeff’s Pedal for Heart Record Attempts!
There must be something in Tri-Sled rider Jeff Nielsen’s water. The
Australian 12-hour, 200 meter flying sprint and world trike low altitude one
hour records are not enough for this HPV nutter! This year Jeff hopes to put
two new records under his belt, knocking off the daunting world 24-hour and
mega meter (1000 meter) records. Greg Kolodziejzyk currently holds both
records, travelling 1041 km in 24 hours and completing the 1000km time trial
in 23 hours and two minutes in 2006. If Jeff takes the 24-hour record he will
travel further than any other human in one day using his own power.
Unlike Greg, who achieved the record in a two-wheeled speed bike, Jeff will
be attempting the record in a scaled-down Tri-Sled
Sorcerer Series II vehicle. This three-wheeled HPV will take Tri-Sled’s
real-world testing to another level, giving us a unique opportunity to
discover the ultimate endurance potential of practical road-going HPVs.
As Jeff ramps up for the challenge, he is seeking donations for those with
hearts a little weaker than his. Jeff has decided to support the Heart
Foundation because of his personal experience with this silent killer. In his
own words, Jeff tells us his story about why he asks for our support: ‘I lost
my mother to heart disease, it’s something that I can only really describe as
unfair. I say unfair because up until the night she passed away I never
thought that there was anything wrong with my mother, in fact due to my father
suffering from cancer she had been talking to me about the possibility of him
passing away not the other way around.’
Find out more about Jeff’s record attempt and support his worthy cause at
his website.
Formula Tri-Sled Category expands at the AIPP Super Series!
Tri-Sled HPVs and AIPP Inc. are pleased to announce the expansion of the
Formula Tri-Sled (FT) Category in 2010 at the AIPP Super Series. While last
year’s category was only open to owners of FT vehicles purchased in 2009, this
year it’s expanding to include any team racing in a FT machine.
Tri-Sled HPVs, who is sponsoring the category, will award a prize to the
winners of rounds one two and three, as well as to the first, second and third
place holders of the series. Entry is open to owners of FT vehicles from all
categories, and does not preclude entry in an additional category (such as
junior, secondary etc.) Teams are ranked based on their relative finishing
place within their category.
Congratulations to last year’s FT Category winners, the Crafers Comets team
from Crafers Primary School (pictured here). Larry Edge, Manager of the pedal
prix team, said that they were 'very proud to have finally won something!'.
'We have been involved in the Australian HPV Super Series since 2002 and
look on it as the best opportunity in the school year for students, parents
and staff to get together, socialise and take on a real physical challenge.
With the purchase of the Tri-Sled this is the first year in which we have been
really competitive', said Mr Edge.
Tri-Sled Director, Ben Goodall, said the class offered an opportunity for
teams to compete against each other on an even playing field. 'Like formula
car racing, the FT Category offers teams the chance to compete against each
other based on their racing tactics and riding skills, rather than their
vehicle performance. This means that you don’t have the best or highest
performing vehicle to get a win!'
All teams racing an unmodified FT vehicle in rounds one, two and/or three
are invited to register for this category via the AIPP office. Please email
the AIPP office at
office@pedalprix.com.au to register.
Tri-Sled manufacturers several racing vehicles, so if you are unsure
whether you own a FT vehicle, please check the
Formula Tri-Sled web page or
contact us.
January 2010
Aquila goes full circle
Tri-Sled HPV development has come full cicle with our latest model, Aquila.
After many years of developing and racing HPVs with a focus on practical
real-world outcomes, Aquila represents a return to our earlier focus on
machines designed purely for the racing circuit. As such, Aquila differs from
our
Sorcerer and
Avatar HPVs, which have been developed into road-going velomobiles.
Our decision to develop a vehicle designed specifically for racing was
driven by the increased interest and competition in HPV racing. Furthermore,
returning to a purely racing focus was a natural progression on where we left
off in the late 90s. Aquila builds on Tri-Sled's decade-old FastBack series
and, in particular shares many similarities with our 1999 FastBack model
(pictured right).
However, Aquila doesn't signal the end of the road for Tri-Sled's
velomobile development, but rather a fork in the road, where we will begin to
further specialise our racing and velomobile vehicles.
Aquila was raced for the first time at an informal Casey 12-hour race late
last year. We'll be developing its potential in the new year and trialing it
at several races before offering it as a commercial racing vehicle.
2010 Tri-Sled Speed Trials: register now!
Tri-Sled is proudly sponsoring this year's OzHPV Speed Trials at the Holden
Lang Lang Proving Ground over the Easter (2-5 April) long weekend. Last year's
Easter Speed Trial was a great success which resulted in a number of new
Australian and world land speed records. Tri-Sled rider Jeff Nielsen put down
a new world low altitude trike hour record (61.81 km) and Australian
low-altitude land speed record (82.66 km/h) in our 'overzealous'
Sorcerer Series II time trial vehicle. This year we have a few surprises
in store to improve our existing records and attempt some new ones!
Participating in the Tri-Sled Speed Trials is subject to approval by OzHPV.
A limited number of record contenders and spectators will be allowed into the
event due to high security measures. The application form and further
information is available
File Not Found: href="http://www.ozhpv.org.au/docs/Intention_Lang_Lang2010.pdf ">here.
September 2009
AIPP championship win for the Tri-Sled Fresh Racing Team
The Tri-Sled Fresh Racing Team's Son of Tiger vehicle achieved
second place at Round 3 of the AIPP Super Series 24-hour race, making them the
champions of this year's three round Super Series. The team were racing a
seven year-old model, the
Tri-Sled Sorcerer Racing HPV, which was orginally designed to prove the
practical possibilities and speed potential of human power. Racing against
vehicles designed specficially for Australian HPV racing, the Sorcerer proved
it could still hold its own amongst the best of the field.
Tri-Sled's recently retired racing team vehicle, Easy Tiger, had a
busy breeding program this year resulting in a second Son of Tiger
vehicle for the Tri-Sled Fresh racing crew. With just six riders, the second
team pulled out a massive effort, achieving seventh place in the race.
Unlike previous years, the top three teams in Round 3 of the series were
only separated by five to ten laps for the entire 24 hours, making it an
exciting and intensive race! In the end, there were seven laps separating the
top contenders, BYR Racing, from the Tri-Sled Fresh team, and just two laps
between Tri-Sled and TruBlue Racing. Congratulations to BYR and TruBlu for
their first and third places in Round 3, and to TafeSA (BlueShift) and DUSA
(S-Chair) for their second and third placings in the overall Super Series
championship. Thanks also to Schwalbe for their tyre sponsorship and race-day
support.
From left: The Tri-Sled Fresh Racing Team with their two Son of Tiger
vehicles; at the podium accepting their award.
Crafers Primary School win the Formula Tri-Sled AIPP Championship
Congratulations to Crafers Primary School's Crafers Comets team, for
their Formula Tri-Sled Category win at Rounds 1, 2 and 3 of the AIPP Super
Series. Based on a percentage based award system against their class (Category
1), the Crafers Comets bet a number of other primary and secondary Formula
Tri-Sled Category teams. What a great achievement at one of the toughest HPV
events in Australia! Stay tuned for announcements regarding changes to the
2010 Formula Tri-Sled Category later this year.
Top three finish for Tri-Sled at Technology Challenge Maryborough
Tri-Sled vehicles blitzed the field at the Technology Challenge Maryborough
(TCM) in Queensland on 12-13 September, placing first, second and third in the
Open Boys category (overall win). Nanango State High School's Slipstreamers
team took home the bacon for the third year in a row in their
Tri-Sled FastBack machine. The Slipstreamers pulled out a massive effort
over the 24-hour race, travelling close to 750 kilometers (the distance
between Melbourne and Canberra) with just six riders. Hot on their heels was
St Mary's College's Rough Riders team, just two laps behind in their
Formula Tri-Sled vehicle. Four laps behind them in third position was
another St Mary's team, Fast Forward, also racing a Formula Tri-Sled.
Tri-Sled vehicles also did well in other categories with Cool Runnings,
also from St Mary's College, winning the Open Girls category in another
Formula Tri-Sled vehicle, a massive 96 laps ahead of second place. Nanango
State High School's Junior Boys team, Supermen, also blitzed their
category in a
Tri-Sled Sorcerer vehicle.
Tri-Sled ran a service tent at TCM for the first time this year, freighting
a box of goodies all the way from Melbourne. While Ben and Yolande enjoyed a
few days of sunshine in the north, they had to rush back to prepare for Round
3 of the AIPP Super Series in Murray Bridge the following weekend!
Congratulations to all teams for their fantastic effort, and good luck for
next year!
July 2009
Formula Tri-Sled class takes off at Round 2 of the AIPP Super Series
Contenders in the Australian International Pedal Prix's (AIPP) new Formula
Tri-Sled class (pictured above) took to the field at Round 2 of the Super
Series to battle it out for nine hours in sunshine, rain and darkness.
Tri-Sled is sponsoring the new AIPP class, which aims to get new or struggling
teams competing in the event at an affordable cost. The class is based on
Tri-Sled's popular
Formula Tri-Sled model, which involves students and team members in the
assembly of a corflute fairing kit. The winner of the class will be announced
at Round 3 of the Super Series following the 24-hour race at Murray Bridge.
Formula Tri-Sled teams weren't the only ones doing well in the rain at
Round 2. Ahead of the main field was the Tri-Sled Fresh Racing Team in their
Son of Tiger Sorcerer Series II racing vehicle. After dropping slightly
behind the top four contenders during the middle of the race, a few late
showers saw Son of Tiger come back in the final hours. The team held onto
their first placing in the overall series, taking home second place in the
event behind Tru Blue Racing.
May 2009
When the going gets tough, get a Tri-Sled!
Tri-Sled's 'all-weather' Sorcerer Series II racing vehicle took home first
place at Round 1 of the Adelaide HPV Super Series, demonstrating that this
seven-year old design is still at the top of the game.
The Tri-Sled Fresh racing team achieved the win in their Son of Tiger
2009 racing vehicle, which was raced at the Wonthaggi 24-hour event earlier
this year. Despite the rainy and muddy conditions, Son of Tiger performed
faultlessly throughout the event, with the head-out format providing riders
with good visiblity and competitive track speed.
However, the team was not without its share of problems. Increased debris
on the track from the high number of crashes left Tri-Sled with three tyre
punctures. The vehicle also took a mud bath when one of the riders rolled off
the side the track in the slippery conditions. Nonetheless, Son of Tiger left
the race in excellent condition and is ready for the next round of the super
series in July!
Congratulations to the other top competitors, Expats Racing and Blue Shift,
for their second and third placings.
April 2009
Spezi show presents new European opportunities for Tri-Sled
Tri-Sled Director Ben Goodall visited the 'Spezi' bicycle show in Germany
at the end of April to pursue future developments and opportunities in the
region. Around 10,000 people attended this unique show which showcases
'special' bicycles such as recumbents, velomobiles, handcycles, and folding
and electric bicycles.
During the show, Ben met with Tri-Sled's European suppliers and identified
products that may be of interest to the Australian market. Ben also discussed
the results of Tri-Sled's HPV tyre testing with Schwalbe's product manager.
New Australian and world records for Tri-Sled's speed machine
This Easter, while others were at home breaking into their chocolate eggs,
Tri-Sled was at the General Motors Holden Lang Lang proving ground breaking
records. On Easter Friday, rider Jeff Nielsen set a new low altitude trike
world hour record of 61.81km. This is the second fastest trike mark ever
recorded, exceeded only by a distance of 65km/h achieved at high altitude.
On Easter Saturday Jeff set a new Australian human powered land speed
record of 82.66km/h. This record overthrows Steele Bishop's 25 year old mark
of 78.94km/h. Jeff put down a second attempt of 77km/h which backs up his
record run.
Jeff achieved both records in Tri-Sled's 'Overzealous' Sorcerer Series II
machine, which was specifically built for record setting attempts. The same
vehicle was used to set a new 12-hour and 24-hour record in 2008.
Many thanks to Tim Marquardt from OzHPV for arranging this opportunity and
to the OzHPV volunteers who officiated these records.
March 2009
Tri-Sled takes a 'Fresh' approach to racing at Wonthaggi 2009
The newly formed Tri-Sled–Fresh partnership team went to the Wonthaggi
24-hour HPV race with three specific goals: to get the group working as a
team; to demonstrate the reliability of Tri-Sled's machines; and to get
through the race at a competitive speed with no crash damage. And we achieved
all three!
The team was racing the 'fresh-ly' built 'Son of tiger' vehicle, which, as
the name implies, is a second generation version of our now infamous 'Easy
Tiger'
Sorcerer Racing HPV. Sporting some F1-style stationary wheel covers and an
improved aero-profiled roll bar, Son of Tiger has proven to be a worthy
replacement for his much older and semi-retired father. With the exception of
some tyre problems experienced by many teams on the track, the vehicle had a
completely trouble-free run.
When asked why he opted to build the team a
Sorcerer Racing HPV instead of the new
Avatar HPV model, Tri-Sled Director Ben Goodall responded as follows: "Our
R&D resources are really focused on developing the velomobile version of
Avatar at the moment and I just wanted to give this exciting new team a proven
product. And it payed off! We could pump the tyres up and she'd be ready to
race next weekend!"
The new team achieved a third place finish and is feeling optimistic for
future races. Many thanks to the fabulous Tri-Sled–Fresh support crew and
congratulations to the top competitors.
February 2009
Fresh start for Tri-Sled Racing
Tri-Sled's new partnership with Fresh Racing got off to a relaxed start at
the first race of the season. The new team took to the Casey Fields track with
veteran Tri-Sled vehicle, 'Easy Tiger', placing third overall in the race,
just a whisker short of second. After a few 'nips 'n tucks', and with Fresh
riders, Easy Tiger was moving ten seconds faster than its on-track speed at
last year's event.
Tri-Sled's girls team also took to the track in their 'She'll be Right'
FB10
vehicle, placing 11th overall in the race. Tri-Sled and Fresh are now busy
preparing for the Wonthaggi 24-hour HPV event in mid-March. Congratulations to
first and second place holders, TruBlu and Expats.
Flying Ethel takes a load off
Tri-Sled's newest load-carrying vehicle – a custom-built Dutch-style bakers
bike – has found its way onto Melbourne's streets under the name 'Flying
Ethel'. Watch out for this stylish chariot carrying just about anything around
the northern suburbs, and let us know what you think!
December 2008
Santa says, 'all I want for Christmas is a rickshaw ride'
This year some enlightened event organisers asked Santa what he wanted for
Christmas and he responded with, 'a rickshaw ride!'. Santa said he wanted to
'meet the nice girls and boys' and really engage with his fans in a way that
fire engines, cars and horse carriages didn't allow him to do.
Luckily Tri-Sled Director Ben Goodall and long-time rider Jeff Nielsen were
on hand to bring Santa a bit of well-deserved Christmas cheer. Being the true
role model that he is, Santa also inspired a bunch of Mornington youngsters to
follow his lead and enjoy a rickshaw ride around Mornington Park. Santa
expressed his gratitude to Tri-Sled and the Mornington Chamber of Commerce for
'bringing him to the people', then he said he was hungry and disappeared into
a cafe somewhere for a snack.
November 2008
Tri-Sled's 'Ute' Bike fully loaded!
Tri-Sled's new Ute Bike took home first prize for its load capacity at the
Commuter Cycles load bike competition in November. Chris Mosley (Moz) entered
our Ute Bike in the competition, and successfully carried ten people on the
back tray (that's 11 people including him!)
Our new Ute Bike was intended as a one-off model for the factory, and is
designed to pick up and drop off large materials around the Dromana industrial
estate instead of using the Tri-Sled van. It demonstrates yet again the
enormous possibilities of human power!
October 2008
New model and velomobile page
Check out our new
velomobile page and the new
Avatar velomobile!
September 2008
New racing models now available!
Fast Back Tenth Generation
Avatar
Murray Bridge: New model, old tricks
Tri-Sled's new
Avatar racing vehicle turned heads (and its own tail) at Murray Bridge on
the weekend. The team's 'Chic a Chow' vehicle sustained several heavy
collisions throughout the race, resulting in a respectable sixth place at
Australia's most competitive HPV race.
The team was testing the product of a year of research and development
culminating in Tri-Sled's first CAD-designed and machined set of composite
molds.
The Avatar head-pod is smaller than Tri-Sled's
Sorcerer model and is designed to reduce the frontal area of the head-out
format. This new model has extra room around the shoulders and knee area,
making it more comfortable for road riding. The model offers improved vision
with side windscreens and supports a range of easily-replaceable and
adjustable windscreen options. Avatar is now available as a
commercial racing model and will be offered in a road-going
velomobile format in the near future.
Congratulations to the race winners and runners-up for an exciting and
competitive race.
Photos courtesy of Chris Mozley
At your service
Tri-Sled's service tent was in full swing at Round 3 of the AIPP Super
Series as part of our ongoing committment to the HPV community. Tri-Sled
brought a range of HPV-specific parts and bargains to the event in an effort
to help teams out as much as possible. We look forward to continuing the
service tent at next year's AIPP series. Don't forget to send us any
suggestions for next year!
Eight men, 24-hours, 1181kms
What do you get when eight men go around in circles for 24-hours? Lots of
moaning, groaning, bad singing... oh, and a new world record!
Tri-Sled's eight-man team travelled further than any HPV in a period of
24-hours on 31st August – 1st September. Clocking 1181kms, the team averaged
just over 50 km/hour on the track, with minimal stops. The Tri-Sled team
conducted the record attempt at the DISC velodrome in Northcote under the
watchful eye of six officiators.
The new record was set in Tri-Sled’s 'overzealous' machine, which is a
refined version of the
Sorcerer racing HPV. Overzealous performed faultlessly throughout the
24-hours – it’s only requirement being some chain lubricant about halfway
through the attempt. Rider Jeff Neilsen set a solo Australian HPV 12-hour
record in overzealous earlier in the year.
Until now, there was no HPV world record for an eight-man 24-hour team. The
solo 24-hour HPV record is 1041kms, set by
Greg Kolodziejzyk in
California. The only precedent for an eight-man 24-hour record comes from the
AIPP racing track in Murray Bridge, where the longest distance recorded is
around 935kms. Tri-Sled looks forward to other teams challenging this new
record in the near future!
Many thanks to our six officators: Alan Ball (OZHPV), Damian Harkin
(OZHPV), Chris Mozley (OZHPV), John Perrin (CCHPVCC), Ken Houghton (OZHPV) and
Tim Marquardt (OZHPV).
August 2008
It takes all sorts...
Tri-Sled proved three things at the Maroondah EIPP GP on the weekend.
Firstly, that our new Fast Back Tenth Anniversary model takes all sorts
of riders, as demonstrated by the Tri-Sled ‘She’ll be right’ all-girls team.
Secondly, that the new
kojak 16" tyres will survive all sorts of terrain, with zero flats on
either racing bike despite the rough race track at this year's event. And
thirdly, that it takes all sorts of rider determination and patience to
survive a race track plagued by a perpetual yellow flag!
Fast Back Tenth Anniversary is Tri-Sled's latest addition to the
legendary
Fast Back series of models, which have been tearing around race tracks for
a decade! The vehicle features a fibreglass fairing, a Tri-Sled blow-molded
windscreen and PETG hatch. This model is a sleeker and slicker addition to our
range of racing vehicles and is suitable for competitive race teams looking
for a stable ride. Tri-Sled is still offering the original
Fast Back model with a corflute fairing kit.
For more information about the new Fast Back Tenth Anniversary model,
contact us
Photo credit: Slipstream Racing
Easy Tiger's Last Hurrahhhhh
Tri-Sled’s 'Easy Tiger' vehicle had its last hurrah at the Maroondah EIPP
GP on the weekend, finishing first over the line at the event. Easy Tiger, a
Sorcerer Racing HPV, also won the Tri-Sled team second place at this
year's Casey Fields Cycling Festival and the overall community class
championship award at the Wonthaggi Human Powered GP. Tri-Sled is now working
on a new design and racing model for Round 3 of the AIPP Super Series, held in
Murray Bridge later this year.
Congratulations to Expats Racing, the official winners of the Maroondah
EIPP GP, for surviving the gauntlet!
Exclusive!Kojak 16-inch tyres available now through Tri-Sled
Following the release of the 20-inch Kojak tyre earlier this year, the
much-anticipated Schwalbe 16-inch Kojak tyre has arrived! Tri-Sled now has
exclusive stock of this lightweight and high-performance tyre.
The Kojak has amazingly low rolling-resistance but maintains the impressive
cornering performance of its predessor: the Schwalbe 16-inch Marathon Slick.
Like all Schwalbe tyres, the Kojak features 'RaceGuard' protection which is a
much-needed puncture barrier on the race track. The tyres can be purchased
through our
online store.
July 2008
New AIPP Formula Tri-Sled Class for 2009
Pictured left: AIPP Chairman Andrew McLauchlan and Tri-Sled Director Ben
Goodall
Tri-Sled and AIPP announced a new class of racing for 2009 which aims to
help new and struggling teams become race ready and race savvy at a low cost.
The new class, which is based around Tri-Sled's
Formula Tri-Sled model, was launched at Round Two of the 2008 Australian
Super Series and will provide up to ten teams with a $2000 start-up subsidy
towards their first or replacement machine. Teams have the option of
purchasing the remainder of the vehicle at the end of the year, or returning
it to AIPP.
As part of the Formula Tri-Sled class, Tri-Sled will provide a shared
spares system for teams at the three rounds of racing and ongoing advice and
race support aimed at empowering teams to get up to speed as fast as possible.
The class also includes a prize, jointly sponsored by Tri-Sled and AIPP, which
covers the remaining cost of the winner's
Formula Tri-Sled vehicle.
Entry details for the Formula Tri-Sled class are still being established
and will be announced soon. Any Interested schools should
contact Tri-Sled to register their interest.
Harry Barber visits the Tri-Sled hub
CEO of Bicycle Victoria (BV), Harry Barber, visited the Tri-Sled factory on
Wednesday 16 July for for an 'R&D' tour and update on Tri-Sled's recumbents,
HPVs and racing achievements.
Mr Barber met with Tri-Sled Director, Ben Goodall, to discuss opportunities
for broadening out common perceptions of human powered transport, and more
closely aligning BV's school and educational riding programs with school HPV
racing.
Tri-Sled looks forward to working more closely with Bicycle Victoria in the
future.
June 2008
Over-zealous first home at Eastlink Challenge Ride
Despite starting halfway down a pack of 12,000 cyclists, Australia's
12-hour HPV record-holder was first home from Bicycle Victoria's (BV) 65
kilometre Eastlink Challenge Ride on 15 June. Jeff Nielsen, who was riding
Tri-Sled's 'over-zealous' time trial vehicle on the newly surfaced road,
recorded an average speed of 55 km per hour, despite the heavy 'traffic'. Once
Jeff was safely clear of the main bunch he let loose, recording a top speed of
78 km per hour, passing the front-running bunch of road cyclists to finish in
just over an hour. Not far behind Jeff was a number of other Tri-Sled and
community HPVs.
The event was organised prior to the opening of the much-anticipated
Eastlink tollroad. BV estimated that the event attracted 45,000 cyclists -
21,000 more than were originally anticipated.
Tri-Sled Director Ben Goodall said Jeff Nielsen's achievements provided the
community with an example of the potential of human power, but expressed
disappointment at the lack of commuting bikeways along the Eastlink stretch.
'This shouldn't just be a one-off', he said. 'If we are serious about
climate change and congestion, we should get serious about human power and
encouraging diversity on our roads. Like most things in our society, we have
the solutions on hand, but lack the political will and impetus to provide the
infrastructure and support necessary for change to occur.'
May 2008
New Australian 12-hour record
Well it's been a long time between record-setting drinks for Tri-Sled, but
rider Jeff Nielsen managed to score another round in the wee hours of the
morning on 26 May.
In what was meant to be a 'trial run', Jeff Nielsen set a new Australian
distance record of 490.25 km in twelve hours. The attempt was made in
Tri-Sled's time trial vehicle, 'over-zealous', at the DISC indoor velodrome in
Northcote. 'Over-zealous' is based on the
Sorcerer series 2 racing vehicle. Jeff began his trial at 8pm on 25 May
and rode through the night, finishing up at 8am on 26 May.
The Tri-Sled team was there to watch the action, which one enthusiastic
onlooker described as 'the HPV equivalent of watching paint dry', and another
as 'twelve hours of circles'. Nevertheless, team members were in high spirits
and are optimistic about future attempts. Jeff's record follows on from
Tri-Sled Director Ben Goodall's (still undefeated!) Australian hour record of
58.8km set in 2003 in a
Tri-Sled Sorcerer (series 2 vehicle).
Jeff's journey: from pleasure to coma... (thanks to
Moz for
the happy snaps).
April 2008
Over-zealous blitzes the field at Grand Prix Time Trial
Tri-Sled's 'over-zealous' time trial HPV gave spectators something to think
about at this year's Grand Prix Time Trial, held during the Melbourne Cycling
Festival. Tri-Sled team rider Brock Mills completed the course in just 25
minutes, three and a half minutes faster than the best UCI time trial cyclist.
The course was a quick 22km up and down one side of the Grand Prix track at
Albert Park lake. A U-turn at each end hindered over-zealous from achieving
its full speed potential.
Brock was following on from his impressive effort at the Maryborough time
trial held earlier in the year. Team members Matt and Ed, and Tri-Sled
Director Ben Goodall, also came along to make sure everything ran smoothly.
Tri-Sled participated in the time trial to raise awareness about HPVs and
their speed potential for road-going applications. As always, our 'speed
machine' R&D feeds into our velomobile projects and model updates.
Many thanks to John Stevens from Transplant Australia for the photos
pictured here. Transplant Australia supports those who have received organs
and lobbies the rest of us to register our organs for donation so that many
others can be helped. Tri-Sled supports this organisation and we encourage you
to visit their website.
Tri-Sled goes global at Taipei Cycle 2008
Tri-Sled Director Ben Goodall and partner, Yolande Strengers, went on a
four-day sourcing mission at the Taipei International Bike Show in March to
track down a range of HPV and recumbent products and parts. The Taipei show is
renowned as the biggest sourcing event of the year for the bicycle industry,
with everything from 7kg mountain bikes through the the latest and greatest in
small tyres. We are now in the process of sorting through a range of samples
and catalogues to provide you with more options for building and accessorising
recumbents and HPVs.
There was some confusion from Tri-Sled customers about the one-week
disappearance of Ben and Yolande, with many thinking the couple were relaxing
in Thailand, instead of roaming bicycle stands in Taiwan. We assure you that
we were deep in the land of derailleurs and large chain rings (although we
would have preferred thai food and cocktails on a beach somewhere!)
Second place for Easy Tiger at Casey Fields Cycling Festival
Tri-Sled Racing's Easy Tiger team took home second place at the Casey
Fields Cycling Festival on 12 April. Following closely behind in fifth place
was Tri-Sled's 'come and try' team, racing the veteran bike, 'Yee Ol' Yellow
Beast'.
This year's six-hour race was tight from beginning to end, with only a lap
separating the top three contenders. A flat rear wheel at the beginning of the
race put the Easy Tiger team behind, but the riders fought back to second
place, finishing less than a lap behind the winners, Tru Blu Racing.
Tri-Sled is now focused on preparing new models for the 2008 AIPP Super
Series in Adelaide and the Maryborough Energy Breakthrough event held later in
the year. Tri-Sled is developing a new top-end racing vehicle for its own
racing team, as well as a tenth aniversary
Fast Back racing fairing, to commemorate the tenth year since this
pioneering model won the AIPP Super Series in 1998.
Gizmo proves its practicality at the OzHPV Challenge
Tri-Sled's
Gizmo
compact sports trike took home the practicality prize at this year's
OzHPV Challenge
held in Wodonga on April 5. Rider Jeff Neilson performed well in all eight
races and won the shopping race, which involves riding around a tight and
challenging course, stopping to collect and deliver a load of shopping. Jeff
placed fifth in the event overall.
Tri-Sled HPVs is a proud sponsor of the OzHPV Challenge, which is an event
consisting of a series of races designed to ascertain the practicality of
HPVs. Any human powered vehicle can compete.
Fleet of Maxi Bikes hits Sydney city streets
Worsening congestion in inner-Sydney has prompted several courier companies
to seek alternative tranpsort options. In response to this recent demand, we
have 'courier-proofed' our existing
Maxi Bike model.
Maxi Bike is designed to carry heavy and bulky loads in front of the handle
bars while still offering riders a stable and smooth ride.
A bike that carries everything... including the kitchen sink!
In Spring 2007, RMIT University's Cultural Tranpsort Unit engaged the
services of Tri-Sled's Director, Ben Goodall, to design and build a
collapsable 'kitchen bike' in conjunction with RMIT's Industrial Design
students. The project resulted from Ben's participation in the Cultural Unit's
Pedal Powered Vehicle Workshop
held in April last year.
This unique machine collapses to fit inside the large load-box it carries.
The lid of the load-box also opens out to form a bench, transforming the bike
into a moveable feast-producing kitchen!
The vehicle was used by the group for a festive 'Ride on Dinner' around
Melbourne's inner suburbs. Ride on
Dinner is an event-based arts project that takes place in public spaces.
Each event typically involves a team of five hosting artists, up to one-
hundred audience/participants with their own pedals, a set of cycle-based
mobile props, a three- course meal from local organic produce and cycling
through the city to pause in a range of locations. The hosts engage guests in
the performative nature of their participation in ways that involve
storytelling, digital technologies, sound and bike dancing over the course of
a journey.
March 2008
All-girls Lynx team blitz the field at Wonthaggi Grand Prix
Congratulations to St Margaret’s 'Lynx' all-girls team, who finished 50
laps ahead of their competition at the 2008 Wonthaggi Human Powered Grand Prix
with a Tri-Sled Series 4
Sorcerer fairing.
The secondary-level girls were racing their Tri-Sled 2007 Maryborough
sponsorship vehicle. The team finished ten laps behind Bendigo Youth Racing’s
(BYR) all-girls team, who were competing in the community category.
For full race results,
click here.
Tri-Sled 2008 t-shirts now available
Rider Jeff Neilson and the Tri-Sled team model Tri-Sled’s 2008 'coolmax'
t-shirt, available now through our
online store.
Easy Tiger!
The youngest Tri-Sled team in history won the community class at the
Wonthaggi Human Powered Grand Prix on 1-2 March.
The 'Easy Tiger!' team exceeded the track record for the event along with
Bendigo Youth Racing (BYR), who finished just 6 laps ahead of Tri-Sled in the
24-hour trial. Tri-Sled tied for first place with Tru Blue Racing in the
design and construction category, giving Tri-Sled the overall championship for
the community class.
Following a summer of testing, the Tri-Sled team was racing a refined
version of the
Sorcerer Series 2 fairing with an
Apex Racing Trike, decked out in a tiger-skin pattern.
Steve Taylor, the team’s slowest rider on a recent uphill training ride,
put on an impressive show at the start of the event, wowing the crowd with a
leopard skin 'boob tube' and skirt to 'unveil' the new vehicle. Although
wearing the outfit was designed to be an incentive for riders to get up the
training hill as fast as possible, we think Steve may have seen it as an
opportunity to show a little leg.
The riders were 'fed and watered' by Tri-Sled’s largest-ever support crew
of 20-plus people, who did a fantastic job at keeping the team on the track.
Rider Tristan Wright surprised the team by matching 'super-freak' Jeff
Neilson’s first stint time of two hours, followed by a second one-and-a-half
hour stint, all with lap times in the low 2:20s.
Tri-Sled’s Easy Tiger! team achieved second place in the trial with 599
laps. Congratulations to our competition, BYR (605 laps) and Tru Blue Racing
(592 laps) for achieving first and third place respectively. Full race results
from the event are available
here.
From left: Tri-Sled’s 'grid girl' dazzles young and old with his
feminine charm and allurement; rider Matt Leonard gets pushed off from the
Tri-Sled pits; celebrity chef, Geoff Janz enjoys a brief moment in the Easy
Tiger! HPV.
From left: Easy Tiger! zooms passed Tri-Sled HQ as a tired crew look on
from their deck chairs; rider Matt Leonard on the track.
February 2008
A flying finish and fabulous 'fluff-up' at Maryborough Time Trial
Tri-Sled rider Brock Mills set an amazing time of one hour and nine minutes
at the Maryborough Time Trial on 17 February, ranking him the second fastest
rider for the course over the duration of the event. Broc was riding
Tri-Sled’s latest speed machine – aptly named 'over-zealous'. Just 17 years
old, Brock put down a faultless and very professional run. He was sitting at
over 60 km/h for much of the course and descended one of the hills at over 90
km/h.
Three shady characters, from left: Broc Mills, Ben Goodall and Jeff
Nielsen
On the other hand, Tri-Sled’s veteran rider, 'freakshow Jeff', lived up to
the name of the bike by marginally avoiding the back of a horse float at over
70 km/h before missing a turnoff at Avoca. In a desperate attempt to make back
time, Jeff enacted what can only be described as the U-turn of the century,
pushing over-zealous’ 30 meter turning circle to its limit. As if that wasn’t
enough drama for one time trial, Jeff dropped over-zealous’ chain on the
fastest desent pulling off an emergency stop from around 80 km/h to prevent
the chain jamming up in the rear wheel.
Despite this incredible procession of fluff-ups, Jeff still achieved an
impressive time of one hour 12 minutes and is keen to move on from the
experience. Reflecting on his run, Jeff said, 'well I fluffed that one up good
and proper. I’ll have another go next year though. This is Brock’s day and I’m
not going to take anything away from what was an amazing run'.
Tri-Sled team riders Ed and Matt were also in attendance and rode the
Tri-Sled yellow trainer to achieve impressive times. Thanks also to Tristan
Wright who supported the riders at the event.
The Maryborough time trial started three years ago but this was the first
year Tri-Sled has raced in the event.
January 2008
Online HPV store open for business!
Well it’s been a long time coming and a hard slog at that, but Tri-Sled is
pleased to launch Australia’s first online HPV and recumbent specific store.
The site features Australia’s largest range of HPV parts all in one
convenient shop. The online store is divided into two main categories for HPV
and recumbent homebuilders and recumbent users. You can search or browse for
products and save them in your profile for future reference. We’ll be
continually adding products to the store over the coming months so make sure
you keep your eye on it, and don’t forget the check out the latest specials!
Tri-Sled's online store accomodates all of our Australian customers with a
range of payment options and delivery methods. School purchase orders are also
accepted but official confirmation must be faxed through to our office.
Click here to enter the online store
November 2007
Top 10 for Tri-Sled machines at RACV Energy Breakthrough
A large number of teams racing both old and new Tri-Sled racing models
achieved top ten in their class at the Maryborough RACV Energy Breakthrough on
23-25 November. Tri-Sled had a record 20 plus machines on the track in both
the primary and secondary divisions and our emphasis on reliability and
performance came through in the results.
Among the teams to make top ten was Tri-Sled’s sponsorship all-girls ’Lynx’
team from St. Margarets School (pictured left). The team was racing the new
Tri-Sled
Sorcerer Series 4 fairing on an
Apex Racing Trike and achieved second place in the female class. Also
racing the new Series 4 Sorcerer fairing was Woodleigh School’s ’Team CAT’,
who achieved a solid sixth place in their class.
The new
Formula Tri-Sled model was raced in both the primary and secondary
divisions by Haileybury Primary School and first-time racers, Dromana High
School. Dromana’s ’Eagle 1’ team achieved an impressive thirteenth place in
their class - a fantastic first race effort!
Other top ten teams racing Tri-Sled vehicles included the ’Hot Wheels’ team
from Caulfield Grammar School and Mornington Primary School’s ’Mornington
Missiles’, both racing the
Fast Back Racing Trike. Padua College's ’Surge’ team achieved third place
in their class racing a
Tri-Sled Apex Racing Trike with their own fairing design.
First-time Maryborough entrants, Nanango State School from Queensland,
achieved an impressive eighth place in the open class with Tri-Sled's Fast
Back model fitted with a nose cone, windscreen and corflute fairing. Nanango
received a wildcard entry to the RACV Energy Breakthrough after winning the
2007 Holden Maryborough Technology Challenge in Queensland with their Tri-Sled
vehicle.
Congratulations to all teams who competed in this year’s RACV Energy
Breakthrough!
Click here for provisional race results from the weekend.
October 2007
Racing page updated
We have just updated our racing page with new Tri-Sled models and our full
range of fairings.
Click
here to check it out!
gobikelogo
Go Bike, Go!
Ever wanted to try a recumbent? Well here’s your chance! Tri-Sled is
hitting the streets of Melbourne on 19-21 October with Victoria's biggest
range of recumbents at Bicycle Victoria’s
Go Bike Expo.
On display at the expo will be our unique range of Australian-made recumbents,
as well several internationally-renowned models from
Challenge,
Hase and
Rans recumbent manufacturers.
The expo is at the heart of the Melbourne Cycling Festival, being held all
weekend at Alexandra Gardens in Melbourne. The festival features the Jayco
Herald Sun Tour (including a HPV race!) and the Portfolio Partners Around the
Bay in a Day.
Tri-Sled will be at the expo on Friday 19 October from 4-9pm and all
weekend from 10-5pm each day. We will have a range of recumbents available for
test rides and inspection at the expo.
Warm to a recumbent with a Rans
Not quite ready for a full-blown recumbent but interested in improving
cycling comfort? Tri-Sled is now dealing Rans crank-forward and compact
short-wheel base recumbents which retain a semi-upright position but take the
pressure off problem cycling points.
The Rans Fusion and Rocket models both offer something different for the
comfort cyclist. The crank- forward Fusion model is perfect for cyclist who
prefer to ease themselves into the recumbent position. The compact short-wheel
base Rocket is one of the most easy-to-ride two-wheeled recumbents on the
market and is very fast to adjust for different riders. Both models are easily
transportable and great value!
Further information will be available on our
recumbent bikes web page in the near future.
ransrocket
Rans Fusion (left)
Rans Rocket (right)
September 2007
Racing season ramps up a notch
Just one weekend after a stellar all-girls effort at the Maroondah HPV
Grand Prix, the Tri-Sled boys team took home second place in the AIPP Adelaide
Super Series while new Tri-Sled owners, Nanango State High School, made
Queensland HPV racing history at the Holden Maryborough (QLD)Technology
Challenge. Full details below.
Mayhem and madness at Murray Bridge
Freakishly high winds and the winter flu were the only things holding back
the Tri-Sled racing team at Round 3 of the Adelaide Super Series on 15-16
September. The team achieved a solid fourth place in the Murray Bridge 24-hour
race, just five laps behind the third place holder, Tru Blu Racing, and twelve
laps behind first place.
Tri-Sled Racing successfully held off the two other super series
contenders, GT6 and Das Racing, to achieve second place overall in the AIPP
super series. Tri-Sled’s Adelaide sponsorship team, Team Bluebird, also did
well in the event, achieving 9th place in their category, despite a severe
rider shortage.
Tri-Sled team members Gareth Hanks and Jeff Neilson pulled the long hours
with Tri-Sled Director, Ben Goodall, to finish the new machine just in time
for the event. The team raced the first complete next generation prototype of
the Tri-Sled Sorcerer velomobile which is expected to be commercially
available by Christmas.
The new Sorcerer machine is the result of a culmination of ideas and
previous prototypes tested at HPV events throughout the year. Although at
first the shape appears almost identical to previous Sorcerer prototypes, a
close-up next to Team Bluebird’s version developed earlier in the year,
highlights the machine’s smaller profile. Seasoned Tri-Sled riders described
the HPV as feeling roomier compared with previous models, while younger team
members described the riding experience as ’fully sick’.
The new machine proved to be very fast and reliable, as did the riders!
Unfortunately the Tri-Sled team was on the backfoot having lost one rider to
the flu. Ben took the place of the 8th rider and helped the team out with a
quick 30 minute stint during the final hours of the race. The team ran several
younger riders for the first time and adopted a sliding seat for the
considerable height difference. The event was cancelled one hour early due to
80kmh winds ripping though the track, leaving the team's final rider hanging
with a massive sugar high to burn off!
Tri-Sled’s commitment to the service tent resulted in Ben handing over the
racing reins to the Tri-Sled team for the weekend. Despite everyone putting in
a spectacular effort, he couldn't resist sticking his head in the pits every
now and again for an update.
Congratulations to Blueshift (first place), Team Ballistic (second place),
and Tru Blu Racing (third place) for a fantastic effort and an exciting race!
Queensland champs
New Tri-Sled owners, Nanango State High School, made Queensland HPV racing
history on the weekend, comfortably defeating the home team, Maryborough
College, and setting a new track record with their Slipstreamers team at the
2007 Holden Maryborough (QLD)Technology Challenge. This was only the second
time the Maryborough team has been beaten in the history of the event.
The Nanango team finished with a 20 lap lead on the defending champions and
a 30 lap lead on third place. While mechanical problems plagued other teams,
the Slipstreamers sailed smoothly through the event with only minor horn
problems holding them back.
Energy Breakthrough personality Nigel Preston was on hand to praise the
team and offer them a wildcard slot in the Maryborough Energy Breakthrough in
Victoria.
The team was racing the well-proven Tri-Sled
Fast Back
design. Team Leader Peter Cavallaro flew down from Queensland to visit the
Tri-Sled factory and find out more about our racing machines before deciding
on the Fast Back model. ’We thought that we could make gains with a narrower
frame width, lighter aerodynamics, modest chamber, a lower centre of gravity
and changing the seat postion to a lower angle,’ he said.
’We also wanted the simplest in steering, componentry and drive train
possible. We somehow started discussion with the Tri-Sled people and found we
spoke a similar language. I was impressed with their operation and dedication
to HPVs in general and particularly racing.’
The team’s training schedule consisted of mountain biking, road biking,
wrestling and boxing. Asked how it feels to win, Peter commented that ’winning
feels better than losing’. We second that motion!
Tri-Sled Girls in a class of their own
Tri-Sled’s all-girls team achieved an impressive third place in the
community class at the 2007 EIEP HPV Grand Prix held at Maroondah on Sunday 9
September.
The girls achieved eighth place overall in the event, competing against 42
other entrants, including hybrid motor-assisted vehicles. The team’s five
riders were competing predominately against all-male teams. There is currently
no female community class at Australian HPV events.
The team was made up of all shapes and sizes with a height difference of
almost 30cm between the shortest and tallest rider. The renowned female trait
of attention to detail along with the diversity in height proved to be a
perfect testing ground for the prototype Formula Tri-Sled model raced by the
team.
The Formula Tri-Sled model has been designed by Tri-Sled for first-time
racing teams or those seeking a complete reliable and affordable machine. The
model is based around a reworked version of Tri-Sled's longstanding
Fast
Back racing model and includes a computer designed and cut corflute
fairing kit. The kit is intended for schools or home builders who wish to
assemble themselves and further integrate HPV racing into the school
curriculum.
Tri-Sled is now taking orders for the Formula Tri-Sled model. Pricing is
still be finalised but is expected to remain within our $4000 target budget
for the complete machine and fairing kit.
For results from this event,
click here.
Spring stock at the Tri-Sled shop
Spring has arrived, and so has Tri-Sled’s new product range at our expanded
shop front on the Mornington Peninsula. This season we are featuring
Challenge, Hase and WizWheelz recumbent trikes and bikes, Birdy and Brompton
folding bikes, and budget trailers. Of course, we're still selling and
manufacturing our own Tri-Sled models too!
challenge
Hase bikes
TerratrikeAugust 2007
Schwalbe Kojak tyres have arrived!
The bike geeks here at Tri-Sled are extremely excited by the arrival of the
new ultra-slick, ultra- light and perfectly rounded 20-inch Schwalbe Kojak
tyre.
The arrival has been MUCH anticipated so if you’re one of the many people
who’s been patiently waiting for these tyres, we now have them in stock.
For a full list of HPV components available through Tri-Sled,
email us your postal address to receive a CD copy of the 2007-08 HPV
racing catalogue.
Moving house with a work bike
Can you do this with your bike?
Chris Mosley (Moz), a recent Tri-Sled
work bike convert, is living proof that there’s more to human power than
bike paths and Sunday morning rides. Moz has recently moved house using the
energy contained in his own two legs, several loaves of bread and a large
amount of vegetable matter.
Moz moved all his belongings to his new Sydney flat using a Tri-Sled work
bike and his own self-built
’megatrailer’.
Tri-Sled folk are, as always, very impressed with Moz's insatiable desire
for anything and everything human-powered, and his unwavering commitment to
no-emission transport solutions.
Photos courtesy of Chris Mosley
Challenge and Hase recumbents arriving this Spring!
Tri-Sled is expanding its product range this Spring with high-quality
European brands from The Netherlands and Germany.
First to arrive is the
Challenge Hurricane short wheelbase low racer from The Netherlands. The
Hurricane is a highly manoeuverable, lightweight, compact and fast machine!
Keep checking our website for news on its arrival or
contact us to express interest.
Next on the list of arrivals is the Hase Kettwiesel
comfort delta trike from Germany. The Kettwiesel features an elevated
adjustable seat, 'jump on and go' functionality, and stores upright for tight
spaces. A Kettwiesel demo is due to arrive in September.
Tri-Sled also sells a range of budget trikes.
Contact us to discuss your requirements.
