Anyone Street Luge?

"Random Commenter" (theemptykinja) 07/14/2015 at 18:58 • Filed to: None

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Hello Opponauts!

So, I’ve been interested in Street Luging for a while, having done it a several times in my late teens... I thought it would be cool to get back into, being as it was a lot of fun... But then I was searching online to buy a street luge, and I notice that there is a significant lack of manufacturers producing street luges... And none of the companies that I have found that do produce them make any using carbon fiber...

So I thought I’d check here, and see if any of you Opponauts were into street luging... and if so, get a little marketing research info from you... If you are interested in street luging , I have a couple questions for you:

1. If a High-Quality Carbon Fiber Street Luge, complete with Trucks and Wheels, featuring adjustable foot rests (to allow adjustment for rider height), came onto the market for $1,000 (ones of metal construction go for $650+), would you buy one?

2. Would you donate $750 to a crowdfunding campaign as a pre-order, if you ended up getting your Street Luge at a 25% ($250) discount off of the purchase price, and also got free shipping to your door for pre-ordering?

If you are interested in Street Luging, please leave your responses in the comments.

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > Random Commenter 07/14/2015 at 19:05

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Quite possible the only thing more dangerous than riding a motorcycle that I want to do.

Random Commenter > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. 07/14/2015 at 19:12

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I’ve done it, on a really shitty street luge, and it was still a blast... Might I get you to answer my questions? I’m looking for every opinion/answer I can get... so I had to ask...

Flavien Vidal > Random Commenter 07/14/2015 at 19:39

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Hello, been luging for over 10 years Forget that... 14 years now (Damn, I’m getting old lol)... Downhill skateboarding about as much...

Actually two of the guys in the picture you’ve posted are friends. Guy in second position is Yvon Labarthe, from Switzerland and in 4th place is Chris McBride, a friend from Seattle.

To answer you:

1 - Forget about footrest... it’s not the 90’s anymore, you don’t need any. as for the “Buy it now” luges, I’m assuming you’re talking about the Roger Bros ones. While they are very decent, I cannot recommend enough that you actually build your own luge...

2 - I already have a luge, so no, thank you :)

I like jumping too ;)

Random Commenter > Flavien Vidal 07/14/2015 at 19:43

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I am talking about building my own, but I’m also throwing around the idea of making them to sell to others... I was thinking there might be a market for some high quality street luges made from carbon fiber... So I’m trying to gauge interest.

Flavien Vidal > Random Commenter 07/14/2015 at 20:14

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Before you go any further, you are not going to make a luge out of carbon fiber. You can imagine that it has already been tried. You need an aluminium structure. After you can put a carbon fairing if you want, but a full carbon luge is a massive waste of time and energy.

Some very good wood builders have done very performant wooden structure with carbon fairings like the SC8 luge for exemple

And even this specific luge is arguable way to heavy at something like 35lbs...

As far as carbon goes, it might work for a couple of runs. Then at your first crash, it will be gone. Also it would require a lot of engineering not to actually bend AT ALL. Keep in mind a luge as to be stiff as hell. A car can be parked in the middle of mine and it doesn’t flex. On the other hand, it’s only 24lbs fully setup.

Also I had to build something like 10 different luges before actually knowing what to do and what not to do. I don’t mean to crush your dreams, but performant luges are a lot more complicated to biuld that it looks. Dimensions, stiffness and weight reduction are extremely important.

First build yourself a cheap first luge, then later on, another one and it 5 or 6 years of building and riding you will have understood what has to be done and not done and you will be able to actually have a saleable product. Until then, you need to start riding first :)

Random Commenter > Flavien Vidal 07/14/2015 at 21:12

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Ok, well, I think I could make one completely out of Carbon Fiber, but I do agree that a crash would be a really bad thing for such a luge... So, I guess I’d go Carbon Fiber with an Aluminum backbone... but contrary to your advice, I don’t think I’d need to ride luges for 5+ years to learn how to build one... I just need to research and see what others have done to make good performing luges, and then make my own design based on the information I found.

Flavien Vidal > Random Commenter 07/14/2015 at 21:15

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So did I and so did everybody :)

Yet, the first good luges came out after quite a few years, I promiss you :)

For exemple the fact that you were willing to build a luge with footrest in the first place.

Lots of people have made luges and decribe them as great and stuff... Having raced all around the world, I promiss you that 99% of what you will find on internet and what you will base yourself onto is actually NOT good. Roger Bros for exemple are far from great and that includes their full carbon faired luge. These are luges based on a 15 year old design.

Flavien Vidal > Random Commenter 07/14/2015 at 21:28

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Also your first luges will have a great use after a few years :)

You can destroy them without being too unhappy about it lol

Video of the jump at 4min38s :)

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415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Random Commenter 07/14/2015 at 22:06

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I think this comes under the heading of, my sport is basically to not die. Like Seinfeld said about scuba.

Random Commenter > Flavien Vidal 07/15/2015 at 00:54

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One question I have: Why wouldn’t you want a foot rest?

On many of the times that I went street luging, there were street luges with, and without foot rests, and I always preferred the ones with foot rests... I personally don’t like to have to hold my feet up off the ground with no support when I’m on a section of hill where I won’t be needing to brake... I’d rather have somewhere to plant my feet so I can relax them and focus my energy on controlling the luge until I do reach a section of the hill where I will need to brake. I always thought holding your feet up by yourself was a waste of energy... Energy that would be put to much better use when it comes time to do some braking.

Flavien Vidal > Random Commenter 07/15/2015 at 01:33

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Four reasons.

First, pegs are on your way to actually properly move your body from side to side when entering a corner, therefore reducing your turning abilities.

Secondly, you cannot draft properly draft the person in front of you until the very last second. In a race, without pegs you can stay a lot closer to the person in front of you, simply passing your feet over his head. With pegs, forget about it.

Thirdly, it transforms your luge into a freaking weapon in case of a crash. Pegless luges are a lot safer as the front of the luge being a lot wider makes it a lot better to accept effiecient protections.

Fourthly, it adds weight for no reason and on a starting line or at a braking zone, it’s easily a few extra meters saved or gained.

Also, a properly built pegless luge should require zero effort for you to maintain your feet up and allow you to solely concentrate on your aerodynamism. This is why I explained that it takes a long time before getting a properly well built street luge. :)

Flavien Vidal > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 07/15/2015 at 01:37

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Street luging is very safe... You can stop faster than any supercar around and it’s very controllable. It’s not any worse than driving a motorbike a bit sportly in the mountain... It’s arguably a lot safer actually as you’re naturally a lot more stable.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Flavien Vidal 07/15/2015 at 01:44

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Well I quit riding too because my aunt who was an ER nurse told me what happens a lot. I assume luge is in a closed course?

Flavien Vidal > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 07/15/2015 at 01:49

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Nah, open roads, same for downhill skateboarding... But usually lost in the mountains where there is very few traffic... Only races and freerides are on closed roads, a few days every year.

I have no luging videos as I haven’t done any vids for a long time, but I have DH skateboarding videos. Imagine the same thing, faster, but less slidy

Here in Japan 4 years ago

Flavien Vidal > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 07/15/2015 at 01:56

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You can also check this one out, shot in BC with a few friends...