Inline Wheeled Off-Road Boards

[Gomer]

I thought I'd start this thread in response to a question about patent applications for inline off-road boards (aka Dirtrsurfers). I don't think I found the Safari board application although I know I have seen it before.

The applications seem to fall into two catagories - those that are steered by the front wheel using some sort of caster rotation limiting device and those that have two-wheel steering.

The ones that have front wheel steering are split between those that have a platform equal distance between the front and back wheel and those that have platforms between the front and rear wheels and behind the back wheel.

The first one is interesting in several ways; inline wheels, two wheeled steering and the most recent mountainboard patent.

Two Wheeled Mountainboard
http://www.google.com/patents?id=dim...zoom=4&rview=1

Dirtsurfer
http://www.google.com/patents?id=N-Q...zoom=4&rview=1

Grassboard
Stable and maneuverable two-wheeled ... - Google Patent Search

Two Wheeled in-line w/ torque generator
Two-wheeled in-line vehicle with ... - Google Patent Search

Off-road in-line two wheeled skateboard
Off-road in-line two wheeled skateboard - Google Patent Search

Scooter w/ Front and Rear Steering
Scooter with front and rear wheel ... - Google Patent Search

Coaster vehicle having front and rear steerable wheels
http://www.google.com/patents?id=DeU...zoom=4&rview=1

Skating Board Bike
http://www.google.com/patents?id=weM...zoom=4&rview=1

Wheel Board
http://www.google.com/patents?id=V1M...zoom=4&rview=1

Steerable Locomotion Device
http://www.google.com/patents?id=Bzs...zoom=4&rview=1

Two-wheeled riding-board apparatus
http://www.google.com/patents/about?...398237&rview=1

Articulated Two-Wheeled Board
http://www.google.com/patents?id=S_4...zoom=4&rview=1

[ATG-ATB]

Too much information for my brain on a saturday! As I can't be arsed to switch my brain on I'll just bitch about something (think I'm getting the hang of this forum!). That brake lever looks very restrictive, don't think I'd like to stick my leg in that thing! There seems to be no end of complicated steering mechanisms that never make it to market; do you know if anyone has tried a single sided swing arm along the lines of a NoSno truck?? I have spares a may be willing to sacrifice...

[Gomer]

As I can't be arsed to switch my brain on I'll just bitch about something (think I'm getting the hang of this forum!).

Ha yeah, not switching on brain usually leads to bitching. Common practice here.

I agree the mountainboard brake and the whole board look too complicated. That is not good on any board but really bad on an off road board where every bit gets rattled.

I thing what looks like a brake lever is actually the steering mechanism. I haven't looked too close because it doesn't matter too me. Too complicated, heavy and unidirectional.

I'm not sure where the NoSno truck would go on a swing arm to control steering.

The NoSno truck is a design whose time has yet to come. Design Extreme has picked up the idea with a recent carbon fiber truck and Howla pretty much refined the concept.

How about a two wheeled board with an offset frame (think the Freeline skate in tube steel) and steering like on a Dirtsurfer front and back?

[ATG-ATB]

The NoSno truck is a design whose time has yet to come. Design Extreme has picked up the idea with a recent carbon fiber truck and Howla pretty much refined the concept.

I think they're perfect but probably they just suit my riding style!! Don't frorget that a NoSno is a package deal, alot of the steering comes from the deck. Howla have unfortunately liquidated I believe, damn shame. Although the design was pretty much the same, just different materials and styling.

I haven't really thought too much how they could steer with only one wheel on them but with a flexible deck and snowboard bindings they wouldn't need to steer much. It seems to be an approach that only NoSno has ever really taken and is ripe for exploring!