The heart of the kinetic sculpture is the racing chassis. The chassis needs to be strong enough to carry one or more pilots in some comfort and efficiency and to provide a structure for the flotation and any decorations or art shell.
Bicycle parts and frames are the most common items used. Some builders use galvanized steel electrical conduit to build their frames. It's cheap, but gives off toxic fumes during welding.
Nowadays most racers use bicycle wheels on the highway. But regular bicycle wheels are worthless once away from hard surfaces. On courses where there's sand and/or mud, the better-designed machines have snap-on homemade tank treads. Another strategy is to switch to fat tires for all-terrain vehicles.
Three-wheeled chassis are currently more favored because the steering is easier to design.
To pedal sculptures over challenging terrain, pilots need super-low gears. A machines with a wide selection of gear ratios based on small increments will make the best use of a pilot's limited strength and endurance. Builders often create transmissions by ganging together a series of bike sprockets and their derailleur, or gear-shifting mechanisms.
I'm getting tired just writing about this!
The heart of the kinetic sculpture is the racing chassis. The chassis needs to be strong enough to carry one or more pilots in some comfort and efficiency and to provide a structure for the flotation and any decorations or art shell.
