RAIL BIKE - Version 11 - The RED BARRON returns - New Front Guide & Updated Outrigger - IT IS READY!

This is the 11th prototype of the railbike I am designing and building. At this point, I have tested and tried many variations and have a very good understanding of how these work. This version in particular, includes all of what I have learned thus far, and my next step is taking it on extended ride so I can learn more about the long term characteristics of such a device.
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[@mikekmalick]

I saw a guy use an electric bicycle with a rail set up! He went over 100 miles one day and he went around 30-35 miles per hour average. Pretty kool!

[@Suluk46]

You probably watched CamEngineering, he has a super cool folding version and electric bike version.

[@jackgarry1134]

yes add a brace to the front wheel for the outrigger, use a pin lock to make it easy fast removal and attachment.

[@JohnnyBeesh]

This is cool. I love watching projects like this evolve and you do a good job at showing us what you're thinking and why you made the changes you made. Also - the way Red hollered "WOW! That is some nice rail!" reminded me of the SNL skit 'Bass-o-matic'... "WOW! That's great bass!" 🤣🤣. I'll sub just to see what other changes you make!!

[@Suluk46]

Lol. Thanks man. I've had a few versions since this one if you want to check them out. It's super fun project.

[@mp29k]

This is awesome, it has been so cool to watch this from the last 5 or so iterations. Have you considered creating a brace for the outrigger that goes from your fork, back across to your outrigger wheels/stack? I bet it would increase the stiffness and help prevent the slight lean you got from flex of the outrigger pole/flex at the rear wheel attachment... also, one word "CARBON"! 3,000 miles sounds ambitious! I love it 🙂

[@Suluk46]

Thanks man. I'm having a blast working on this thing, and I'm honestly learning so mich. It is such a quirky device. I might add a brace, going to see how it works out once I redesign the outrigger for optimal stiffness.

[@davidalau]

What a fun hobby and amazing tenacity creating so many iterations. I’d love to get the design drawings in case I ever get my work bench cleared. It’s also inspiring to read all the suggestions that people submitted, useful or not. Thanks!

[@Suluk46]

I'm still playing around with designs, it will never end, it's a creative passion. They all work in someway or another, more so the later versions. I don't have design drawings, but maybe one day I will.

[@royreynolds108]

Nicely done.

[@Suluk46]

Thank you sir!

[@JoeZelensky]

Got my subscription with how awesome this is. Next it needs to be available to the market.

[@Suluk46]

I'm working on it. Stay tuned!

[@heatseekerbus]

I built one similar last year but still haven't gone to test it. I also built a skateboard last fall. I just bought a truck so i'll be able to go test them out. Good job on yours 👍

[@Suluk46]

Thanks. Good luck with yours, it's fun once you start getting into the details.

[@hike2bhuman110]

Very good, Very smooth.

[@Suluk46]

Thanks man. Put some work into this one.

[@ktdeepdene]

Hi delighted to see success. I have been watching your progress from sunny Western Australia. This motivates me to get back into my railbike project this winter. There are hundreds of kilometers of abandoned rail here and so far only two of us I know of trying it out. Look forward to seeing a longer run.

[@Suluk46]

Thanks, it has been a fun project. Glad you have been watching. Looking back to the early versions makes me laugh 😂 I need to find a very long abandoned section that is in good shape for durability test ing. Maybe I need to head down to Australia!

[@jimokee1]

needs rigid front frame. get rid of the fake shocks also the length of the rear bar is an inherent problem. Using smaller wheels would be a big help, smaller the better, maybe fitting into your backpack for long halls.

[@zacke6]

This is amazing

[@Suluk46]

Railbikes are super fun.

[@dmosier]

I think you have got it!

[@Suluk46]

Best one yet for sure.

[@nicholascamburako7326]

With the front guide extended out further, it should have provided much more control over the front wheel steering. Did you feel you could have let go of the handle bars at any point and the bike would have continued forward without any issues?

[@Suluk46]

These older versions were always finicky. Have you caught up yet, and seen the newest version? On that one, you can certainly let go of the handle bars.

[@spiet7380]

Love it! Instead of the outrigger tho join another bike to the opposite rail and you can both ride together! That would be awesome!

[@Suluk46]

A 2 bike version is definitely on the to-do list. No fun in riding alone 😜

[@hotchihuahua1546]

I have watched your development and wish you success ! It would be interesting to see if triangulation , as suggested by some , could be tried from the point in which the front wheel is guided to the wheels that are on the other track . It’s worth a try . If you do finalize your design I would be interested in purchasing your finished product . 😊

[@Suluk46]

Thanks! It's fun to play around with the designs. These all work pretty well, but because of all the bike geometry variation, it is hard to make them universal. So that is what I am working on now.

[@jackgarry1134]

Also if you double the front wheels front and back plus use two horizontal spring loaded wheels on each side that ride the side of the rail on both sides. Similar to the top wheels this will work better then the pins and be allot smoother.

[@steveturansky9031]

Is rolling on the rails less resistance than on the roads? I would think the rails are more efficient but then you also have to account for the drag of the guide wheels. I'm thinking an electric rail bike pulling an inline one wheel trailer would be an efficient bug out vehicle when the roads are jammed.

[@Suluk46]

I've never done any measurement but the coefficient of friction between the bike tire and a very smooth steel railway tie is very low. You can see in some of my railbike videos that a small push on the device leads to a very long coast along the rails. I plan to do an electric bike version but that would only be for shorter rides, not the multi-day trips that I plan to do with this.

[@pex3]

Finally! Also looks like your channel views are EXPLODING! You're gonna be a full time youtuber soon!

[@Suluk46]

Hahaha. Doubtful. I have the world's most unsuccessful channel...

[@ayedee6681]

OK, I'm new to this, but my one thought on seeing this was why not have everything at the front, outrigger as well. Then maybe a rear system like you have at the front trailing the bike. (funny, I just checked your new video of the home-made rail rigger)

[@Suluk46]

Yeah, I'm basically testing every scenario I can think of. The front wheel only system in the new video is awesome, it's just very big but I'm working on getting it smaller.

[@ayedee6681]

@@Suluk46 then I checked out version 10, silly me :) - I was wondering if you had a cable from the outrigger to the front of the front rig, and maybe a system which locked the front wheel to the frame, like a flip up ladder from the frame to the forks, making the whole front end rigid.

[@zacksmith3507]

Amazing! Would you ever be open to selling this setup??

[@Suluk46]

Yes, working on a system for early next year.

[@zacksmith3507]

Wow, like in a few months? Can't wait to see!@@Suluk46

[@dalestephan]

It’s looking really good. Glad to catch this video even though I’m four months late. Doha. I’ll keep my eye out for the long distance test result. Kudos on your development work. By the way, the stability of the running along side video is amazing. What camera, stabilizer, or phone are you using?

[@Suluk46]

It's just a GoPro 10. No gimbal needed, the thing is just awesome and has some kind of internal stabilization. New version of Railbike is almost ready 😁

[@ThePlanet_L.I.]

U need a triangle to stabilize that lean

[@Suluk46]

That would work.

[@simonnaughton2272]

e-bike adaption now....

[@Suluk46]

Might have too 😁

[@allwaysareup]

So quiet

[@Suluk46]

Smooth as butter.

[@darrelloneal3489]

I'm sorry dude, I enjoy watching you waste money, but enough is enough ... you need a engineer to help you stop this endless drone of pain and discomfort. Wish I had time to help, but. BTW, the mistakes you are making are large and dangerous. I hope no one actually trust your garage shop skills and risk their lives on this. I hand it to you for trying, but, please don't risk the lives of your fellow riders. WOW

[@Suluk46]

Lol...dude, don't take it so seriously...it's a railbike...a youtube video...and a bunch of fun. No one is dying here, haha. I'll see if I can track down an engineer to help me ;)

[@joefried79186]

brother coulda just wrote a paragraphs worth of suggestions but decided to take the time to write ts instead lol

[@davidalau]

I wonder how many engineers it took to design the pyramids? Oh yeah, none.