A description of the sculpture courtesy its designer:

ART: none

ENGINEERING: minimal

OTHER: not much to write home about

 

 

A description of the sculpture courtesy its designer:

ART: Well, we’ll look faster than we are

ENGINEERING: We are three seat, trike, with collapsible-arm-mounted floatation devices, a re-engineered derailleur, re-adjusted handle bar, improved brakes, and only a little rust

OTHER: We are Flaming Innuendos… is that a joke?

 

 

A description of the sculpture courtesy its designer:

ART: Team Terrapin is back again! Riding with the spirit of the 60’s rockin and rollin our way through Humboldt. Celebrating the spirit of Hobart Brown, reminding you this race is more than just a pretty view! We’ll be touring with our dancing bear crew and a couple of terrapin too. You can get a backstage pass; join the fun where the high tech meets the low life.

ENGINEERING: Ken Beidleman historic bicycle still rolling strong after two decades.

 

A description of the sculpture courtesy its designer:

ART: Very little Art and not much Pageantry. You cannot expect much from an Ominionated Minion. Art A one minion driven machine. It is a small one minion vehicle that might spew items from its jet power pack, but nothing that will take it out of the quest for ACE.

ENGINEERING: This was a 26” bike, more like three or four, which was highly modified into a 140 lbs. kinetic vehicle. The width is less than 8 ft., we have to make it legal. It is set-up in a delta trike configuration with duals on all three sets of wheels making it a hexacycle. I have rebuilt the power unit using mostly electrical conduit tubing. This is in keeping with the philosophy of building the craft from electrical conduit where possible. I have lowered the final sprocket ratio by 25%. This will lower my speed, but will increase my power for the last dune before Dead Man Drop. The drive system is set up based on two 6 speed and one 5 speed cassettes. This gives me a 15 speed vehicle that can be set on 6 different drive ranges, giving me a unit that has 90 forward gears. Calculated max speed is about 8 mph running a peddle speed of 60 rpm. I have had this craft up to 17 mph on a slight downhill. The lowest speed with this peddle speed is about ½ mph with everything set at the lowest gears. The craft is propelled in the water by paddle wheels that are integral part of the drive wheels. These wheels are adjustable in the water to take a better bite and not have as much churning as the position they are needed for the water to land and the land to water transition.

OTHER: Speed on the water is unknown at this time. I am keeping with my philosophy of, “Why waste a good sinking without the benefit of an audience”. Keeping with this mindset, I have sunk the last two years due to sudden structural failure. This has generated great audience participation and many stories of the hauling of the craft over rocky banks and pulling it through 24 inch soft mud. I have tested the vehicle structurally, this year, to verify it does not buckle under the stresses of the pontoons. The plan this year is to have two uneventful water crossings on my way to my goal of earning the ACE

 

 

A description of the sculpture courtesy its designer:

ART: The art for Super Moi is ourselves plus a Super sized puppet - Super Moi! Plan DD, Kaptained by Laura is carrying “Louise” through the race. Louise is 7‘8” tall, weighs only 34 lbs! and is a fully poseable and vetriolquist driven puppet created by Marilyn K. Kurka. Look for her and her all girls team to do several fun antics along the way. 

ENGINEERING: This is Plan F, 5th in the series, owned and lent by Keith Rasmussen. Plan F is sporting a new front wheel system that we hope will help us through the dreaded Junes Dunes

 

 

 

A description of the sculpture courtesy its designer:

ART: Simply, Red. Melvin is red, lubricated with CFM (continual forward motion). This is our 37th race and we humbly flaunt our 28 aces

ENGINEERING: Three independent drive systems with 108 speeds each. Three independent retractable water- drive systems. Melvin has received an engineering award a few times.

OTHER: Melvin is 4 feet high, 4 feet wide, 24 feet long, with 6 drive wheels. The first year this frame raced was 1995. It has earned 5 Grand Champion Awards. On the road and sand, we peddle as fast as we safely can. Water speed is top secret and even faster with a supporting current and a tail wind. Melvin has an entourage of thousands. Thank you for being one. 

 

 

A description of the sculpture courtesy its designer:

ART: A few years after Hobart brown started the California kinetics he moved to Boulder and started the kinetics there. It became the largest event in Colorado! I heard about it and decided to travel the 1000 mi. Round-trip from my home in New Mexico. That year I was one of 50+ sculptures with 60,000 spectators on the beach! Big name bands, beer and hot air balloon‘s were everywhere. We felt like rock stars. I continued to build a new sculpture most years over the next 30. It was of course expensive and a challenge finding the time, but I was working so I had the money and needed the artistic outlet in my life. A few years ago most of the kinetic people felt it had become way too commercial. We reorganized, moved it to a beautiful lake in another town and it became a family oriented event. It’s been quite a ride. My sculpture this year celebrates these 30 years of kinetics with a large road runner representing my home in New Mexico and displaying photographs of my sculptures and those of fellow artists in Colorado throughout the past 30 years. In this way I hope to bring part of our kinetics to California. I know that the 3400 mile round trip uses a lot of gas and four days of hard driving will tire me but the “glory of having fun, showing kids adults having fun” I deem worth it. With this sculpture I bring the spirit of Hobart Browns Colorado kinetics to the GKR And share our glory with you as we discover new friends to help us all cope with this very scary insane world. It is hoped that in a small way we will be participating in a healing of humanity ceremony that spreads around the world. God bless all the illuminated souls who form the embodiment of kinetics

ENGINEERING:  Coming from New Mexico I knew my sculpture would have to be lightweight and compact for the 3400 mile round-trip atop my car; But not small. We want our Colorado kinetics sculptures to be seen. A tandem bike pulls a trailer consisting of two pontoons and supports several poly carbonate sheets which are the focus of our sculpture, a 22 foot long by 10 foot high road runner all weighing only 250 pounds. ROAD: The innovative feature is that the bike is located in the middle between the pontoons positioned such that the rear wheel of the tandem is aligned with the two trailer wheels! The bike is structurally attached to the front crossbar of the trailer in such a way that the crossbar keeps the bike upright. This configuration allows for a very tight turning radius and all four wheels to move up and down independently. WATER: each pilot operates an oar while sitting on a rolling seat as in a scull boat. The invention is : by using two connecting rods in a parallelogram configuration, the blade of the oar and the handle always stay perpendicular to the boat, always pushing against the water at the proper angle. Another Innovation I discovered quite by accident. I had missmeasured the support for the roller seat and when I tested it, it wasn’t level. It occurred to me that I might use this to my advantage. That is for the rest stroke I have to pull myself up an incline plane and on the power stroke I recover that, gravity generated, stored energy. (The international HPV Association allows one cycle of stored energy). WIND. I’ve never sailed in salt water only lakes in New Mexico. The poly carbonate road runner offers 50 feet of sail surface. By utilizing both a front and back rudder we can adjust the Tack of the flat bottom boat and effectively “set the sail” SAND: The Colorado kinetics has mostly water and road and very little sand. I have a low gear and four fat tires but anticipate problems!

OTHER: Over the years Colorado kinetics has evolved and changed dramatically. For example we have two blind team members. A few years back one of the queens offered me the privilege of cheating and allowing pit crews to replace pilots. Thereby we were able to accommodate these members. We have been doing this for several years now and find that it works well for incorporating more people into the artistic process thus adding to the fun . My 74th birthday is on the day of the race, May 26. I will definitely be starting as a pilot. However I’m thinking that though I am healthy I may not be able to finish the three days as a pilot. I have always taken the rule that “cheating is a privilege not a right “to heart. I hope that we can exchange many ideas and traditions. Height: 10’, Length: 22’, Width: 8’, Weight: 250#, Wheels: 4, Built: this year(as always), Land speed: 10 mph, Water speed: 5 knots, Builder: Jon VerPloegh (ploo)

 

A description of the sculpture courtesy its designer:

ART: The Hatmobile is the official conveyance of Hatwoman and Bobbin. These Caped Crusaders fight bravely against broken chain, jammed gearing, broken bearings, and general kinetic entropy, all while stylishly clad in hand made hats, of course. The Hatmobile sports a 4x8 top hat, and custom painted side panels. Nah, Nah, Nah, Nah, Nah Nah, Nah, Nah, Nah ,Nah, Nah, Nah, Nah, Nah, Nah, Nah, Hatmobile! 

ENGINEERING: Integrated floatation wheels, continuously variable transmission shifting and 3 gear ranges, speed range from 20 feet/minute to 20 mph, independent front suspension, rack and pinion steering, and new custom spring retracting hydraulic brakes.

OTHER: 11’ height (with hat), +500lbs weight, 14ft length, 4 wheels, built 2017 by teenagers James Noble and Alex Breed. This is our first year racing the Kinetic Grand Championship. We have raced 7 years in Port Townsend, and 5 in Corvallis

 

A description of the sculpture courtesy its designer:

ART: Our art this year consists of a giant light bulb, signifying both the great ideas that have come to fruition from the race and our team name, the Dimlits. We will have large filaments made from wire on our bike helmets, as well as themed bribes for our judges. The theme of our cart this year is “50 Years of Kinetic - What a Bright Idea!”. We’ve designed our art around the theme of ideas, especially those ideas complete with a light bulb. We hope to honor the history of the race by remembering some great ideas that happened in the past, and by continuing that theme this year to make a great race! 

ENGINEERING: We took our previous year’s entry and extended its frame to seat 4 people, who all power the front wheels. We revised our rear steering system and stabilized our cart at high speeds to make the race smoother and safer. We also revamped our flotation by moving the locations of pontoon mounting points to make the cart more balanced. 

 

A description of the sculpture courtesy its designer:

ART: “Life is a journey, not a destination.” Potholes? Lane closures? Traffic? That rough road is an invitation to forget about the finish line and dance with Team Pineapple’s CalTrans Solid Gold Wrecking Crew! We’re hard at work to make you late for work. Combining gold for this 50th annual race with orange for safety, our fashion sense is as unstoppable as our crew. We’re putting the “trans” in Caltrans! We’re making the race a real bash with our sold gold pineapple wrecking ball swinging at the end of our crane which rises up to 14’ high. The wrecking ball not only looks fabulous but also is our counterweight to keep us upright on Deadman’s Drop! Our glorious heavy equipment themed rig encourages other teams to slow down and enjoy the journey as we take over lanes and spread joy with our fresh dance moves. Our golden shovels are not only functional tools in case we get stuck in the sand, they are also handy as paddles for water crossings and add flash as we dance. Our giant sand tires complete the burly look of our wrecker. Always concerned for the wellbeing of others, we bring the safety with traffic cones, road signs and flashing lights. At Crab Park, be sure to follow the flashers to complimentary pineapple-themed beverages! No CalTrans crew is complete unless there are people standing around doing nothing - so watch for folks in safety vests who are just standing there. They’re stopping to appreciate the world around them. Join them, join us; slow down and savor this journey - it’s glorious! 

ENGINEERING: Our tiny 4-pilot all-wheel drive rig weighs in at just 320 pounds. Each seat features a breathable webbing cross-weave and is fully adjustable for maximum pilot comfort. Integrated flotation provides seamless transitions for water crossings, and our specially engineered, high-thrust paddlewheels work with our very low draft to speed us through the water. Wheels are dished to provide extra lateral support for solid cornering. The specially contoured floats maximize stability in the water while providing sufficient clearance for land obstacles. When we strap on our sand tires, we have plenty of dune-conquering clearance beneath the floats. If we do happen to high-center, the floats can be removed and carried on the roof racks to preserve our ACE. Moving the steering pivot forward of the front axle improves upon Ken Beidleman’s center pivot design. Steering is car-like while also reducing the risk of capsizing should one end of the vehicle begin to list. A whacking great steering yoke provides positive control eliminating inferior steering cables used on other sculptures. Every budget-conscious opportunity to reduce weight has been exploited. The 60 tooth drive gear is also the brake rotor, bolting directly to the wheel hub. The drive axles taper inboard to eliminate heavy pillow block bearings. Half-inch drive chain is as short a loop as possible. Cleverly designed and fabricated eccentric bearing cups replace idler and tensioning gears. The frame is minimized and optimized for strength. Even the wheels are low-mass, built from relatively small 29” rims. This is one of the smallest, quickest 4-pilot rigs ever built. Team Pineapple proudly pedals our ACEmaker to Glory

 

A description of the sculpture courtesy its designer:

ART: For 2018 we have built on our 2017 Grand Champion Theme, TriloBike Test Kitchen, and have done major upgrades with TriloBike Diner. We were able to reuse the vintage style refrigerator on the back for gear storage but we had to make some structural upgrades because at one point last year the giant fork was torn off its mounting to the fridge and the body of the fridge it got tweaked from pushing against it to get us up the steep bank of the Eel River. The fridge is now stronger than ever and is used to stow sand tracks, inflatable floats, float supports, winches, Sandy Claws, tools, spare parts, and the 2 gallon bucket with all the “required” stuff. The front aerodynamic fairing is now a curved counter of a retro diner serving up the finest paleontological fare. Check out the juke box controller and the record player up front along with “fresh” trilobites with a side of fries. Life jackets and paddles stow under the counter. The stem to stern giant arrow diner sign with rotating menu wheel up top ties the diner theme all together, but unfortunately it is a bit heavier than the fork from last year. Next year I must make it lighter. We have a real functioning diner clock if you ever want to know what time it is. I put way too much work into the costumes this year with cool diner hats, aprons, hot pink tee shirts, and flags. We have done a rewrite of Be Our Guest for the pageantry competition and will have a team cheer for the race course. For those of you lucky enough to see us at night at Crab Park, you will see some cool lighting effects as well.

ENGINEERING: The current TriloBike machine is seeing its fourth year in the race and each year there have been major upgrades. Our system of extremely low gears, robust sand tracks, and wrap around “sandy claws” will get us up the sand dunes without too much fuss. Our new float system introduced last year works pretty well, but we use custom made worm drive winches to lift the machine onto the floats and they are under a bit of stress (keep fingers crossed). We upgraded our water drive system this year and use a twisted chain on a fold down propeller drive assembly. Unfortunately it has not been fully tested yet and so we may end up padding if it craters. We need a reverse gear to get us back up the launch ramp and get us out of the water and this year we simplified the chain and tensioner pulley arrangement. Once again, not really tested under actual field conditions yet, so we will see how it goes. I just hope we have fixed the variety of problems in the past such as not low enough gears, key stock slipping out of the brake disk, insufficient axle support, difficulties with lift systems, water drive and rudder problems (mounting the propeller backwards!), etc. so this year it will be smooth sailing. 

OTHER: The machine is three riders in line with four wheels. This may seem simple in concept (which is what I thought), but it is logistically very complicated. We pack a lot of complexity into a small area. It is a bit narrow and I am always worried about getting blown over, but so far we have been in good shape. It is too heavy for my liking as well. The next machine will be made of titanium or maybe excelsior. Also I have spent an insane amount of time on my artwork. We do all of it with little outside help. Some of the work is very time consuming. Just wait for next year, my ideas are even more outrageous (but lighter). 

 

 

A description of the sculpture courtesy its designer:

ENGINEERING: My kinetic sculpture features optional four wheels drive, two water drive systems using propellers. All pilots have 24 gears to independently choose from plus low sand, regular sand and highway gear transmission making for 72 gears to choose from. Our floatation supports up to 4K lbs. our sand tires also contribute to our floatation. The Hoosier Daddy is one of the largest machines(number of pilots) to attempt so many repeated attempts at ACE’g the race in a true Hobartian fashion. 

 

A description of the sculpture courtesy its designer:

ART: Sparky showed up at the animal shelter a while back and has received some loving care and attention while there. Sparky is ready to go out and find his forever home. When he first showed up he was missing some fur he had some raw patches on his feet and a lot of rust and corrosion in his gears. We are not sure how old Sparky is. He does all of his shots up to date. He has been neutered. He gets along well with other sculptures. He loves to play on the beach and in the water and some of the other sculptures will tell you he can be wicked fast on the road when he is feeling his oats. If Sparky not the dog for you, there are many other pets at the multiple animal rescues and shelters that are looking for their forever home and there is more than one that would be the perfect fit into your family.

ENGINEERING: Sparky is a happy go lucky dog that is showing his age in a few areas but still has a lot of get up and go. With four paw, rear paw drive, Pontoon floats, two person internal companion and a multitude of bicycle and go-cart gearing.

OTHER: Since the animal rescues have so little available funds and so many animals to help are financial goal was to spend less than $100.00 this year. We are right on budget. Any donated funds made through the sculpture will go 100% to local animal rescues.

 

 

A description of the sculpture courtesy its designer:

ART: We’re bringing “the Green Place” with us! Mad Max vehicle fused with mutant vegetation! We lose, we win, we lose again.

ENGINEERING: This is the 5th race with the newly rebuild machine. 1st race, without art: Great! 2nd race, Star Trukkers: front wheels broke. 3rd race: Hot Roddenberries - see it on Amazon: Beyond Geek Season 2. 4th Race: Donated to Chris Gardner - Some sort of Santa debacle.. ha ha ha. THIS RACE: Entirely rebuilt rear end, new GEARED UP drive train, new rebuilt rear wheels. Lose to win. 

OTHER: Sober team this year…. we are not drinking the whole time, even when we are building. We don’t think we’re better than you, don’t worry, we just want to remember all the stupid stuff along the way!

A description of the sculpture courtesy its designer:

ENGINEERING: The most amazing aspect of this dual drive quad is the 60 gears. The sculpture has one traditional hub of 10 sprockets but also has two internal hubs of 2 and 3 gears respectively. It has an amazing dual disc braking system with dual emergency brake locks. The air horn is made from a recycled water bottle and both the front and rear lights are rechargeable. It has four 26x4 inch tires and light weight rims with posi-traction to the rear wheels. The entire sculpture weighs less than 75 pounds.