Home-made fat-tired rollerskates

phil · Post by **phil** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 10:24 pm

http://stuff.mit.edu/people/robot/plans ... index.html

Detailed instructions and pictures. This guy uses them on a beach, where he's pulled by a kite, but it looks like they'd work on the playa. He uses ski boots, so I think you could not really skate with them. I'll let you decide.

ibdave · Post by **ibdave** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 10:33 pm

While I was out post burn morning doing MOOP patrol. I saw a guy having fun in the light wind.. You know the light wind that blows the moop just out of your reach, over and over again...

Atar · Post by **Atar** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 10:04 pm

Tim Anderson (the creator) is part of a group of people called Squidlabs, I stayed with them before moving to BM this year. Great bunch of people! I think I rode these things (or was it the frontwheel-drive, low-rider bicicle?) and I can tell you its hard to do so! Anyways, Tim's a great guy and if you ever get to meet him make sure you ask him about his 'Vrijboot'....

ps. also check out www.constructibles.com

Toolmaker · Post by **Toolmaker** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 4:54 am

Atar wrote:ps. also check out www.constructibles.com

That link doesn't work.. maybe you were thinking of this one?
http://www.instructables.com/

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 9:53 am

I saw a guy couple of years ago. He was zipping over the playa about the man. He was traveling very fast. Only saw him the one time. Bmorg must have told him wind sailing is a no no. But it sure looked great.

Atar · Post by **Atar** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 10:10 am

Yeah, my mistake. I think it was about 2 in the morning when I posted that.... Also, that website is made by the guy that made them rollerskates. Thats why I posted it.

skygod · Post by **skygod** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 11:34 am

unjonharley wrote: wind sailing is a no no.

Is that true?

Post by **AntiM** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 11:44 am

It depends.

from the Main Site:

Allowed

Certain Wind-Powered Vehicles
Wind-powered vehicles that are allowed to operate within Black Rock City must meet certain criteria. They must have a pivoting mast, must operate while the sailor is in a standing position, and must weigh no more than 50 pounds.

Not Allowed

Wind-Powered Vehicles that Do Not Conform to the Wind-Powered Guidelines
Kite-sailing vehicles, land yachts, and wind-powered vehicles that have a fixed mast and weigh more than 50 pounds are not allowed to operate within Black Rock City. You may take your wind-powered vehicle to the Black Rock Airport and operate/store it there.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 11:48 am

skygod wrote:
unjonharley wrote: wind sailing is a no no.
Is that true?

/
I do know that sail boarding is ban to the outer playa. The guy I saw roller sail/kite blading was going 10-15 mpr. Thats pretty fast to be traveling around people and art works. There s a lot of stuff going on. Like keep an eye on your sail, plan your path of travel,plan your turns and miss anything in your path. Then a person walking becomes a moving target.

phil · Post by **phil** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 12:30 pm

> > Is that true?
> It depends.

The material quoted _appears_ to be directed towards "vehicles," and I would question whether a person on skates is a vehicle. I think the "allowed" vehicle is essentially a windsurf board on wheels. If we want to bring the skates within this category, I'll argue it's got no mast but that the kite meets the pivoting mast requirement since the kite is the sail and does in fact jibe pivoting about the operator, is operated standing, and weighs less then fifty pounds. Whether I would win is another matter entirely. :-)

If people want to use these at BM, it's fine with me.

Post by **AntiM** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 12:56 pm

I wouldn't care much either, although I could see how navigating a crowded street might be interesting.

The vehicle/not vehicle argument could go either way, after all, those annoying stand up scooters fall under allowed "vehicles." I say the first wreck into a tent with injuries would decide the matter.

Atar · Post by **Atar** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 3:28 pm

I saw a guy on a surfboard when comming out of one of this years' haviest whiteouts (wednesday? thursday?). Albeit he looked magnificent on his brightcolored surfboard with his 30ft. tail, it did seem kind of dangerous to be surfing around after such a hefty storm.

phil · Post by **phil** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 4:34 pm

Atar wrote:I saw a guy on a surfboard when comming out of one of this years' haviest whiteouts (wednesday? thursday?). *** it did seem kind of dangerous to be surfing around after such a hefty storm.

Yes, that happens every year. Louise and I were at the Man one year when the white out reduced visibility to four feet (according to the BLM website we looked at later and which I believe because we couldn't see the ground we were standing on), but we heard art cars driving around. I'm sure they couldn't see past their own hoods if they were car-based.