New Bike

[Joe Saunders]

Updates on the progress for my bike in case anyone is interested:
0) Tension Belt -- I replaced the rubber section with surgical tubing,
but it seems like it might be too stretchy -- any more information on
what the original looks like would be greatly appreciated.
1) cdrom drive is shot -- I should be able to replace that easily --
still looking for a replacement
2) Steering cable is off the pulley - found the problem, the bracket
is broken... I'll have to take the steering arm assembly completely
off to weld the break
3) No cd -- found the original worlds CD in the drive, but it has a
deep scratch on it, still plan to burn a replacement
4) Fixed! Tilt Sensor -- Turns out it's not problem -- I was
interpreting the test screen wrong. Tilt sensor registers -45 - +48
degrees
5) Fan doesn't spin -- Might not be a problem, I figured out the fan
starts if I turn it all the way up, then continues running if I turn
it down. Is this a common behavior?

So I am still hopeful that I can get it working 100%. It looks like
all the problems are within my capabilities to fix.

Joe

On Tue, Feb 7, 2012 at 1:59 AM, Joe S <joe...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I just bought a VR Bike at goodwill and got it home tonight.   It's in
> relatively rough shape, but the really critical things (like the
> coprocessor board) seem to be working so far.   However,the rubber
> leader (between the kevlar and the motor) on the friction belt is
> completely gone (reduced to rubber crumbles).   Is there anything
> special about this piece rubber that would prevent me from just
> substitutine a piece of belt of similar size?   How long is it?  How
> stretchy is it?
>
> I am excited to get this thing running.   However, before I drop too
> much into it, does anyone know what these are going for these days.
> It doesn't make sense to spend $500 fixing this if I could get a
> working one for $200
>
>
> Other than the tension belt, the other things wrong so far are:
> 1) cdrom is shot -- I should be able to replace that easily
> 2) Steering cable is off the pully -  I haven't opened the covers
> enough to see if anything is broken or if it just needs to be re-
> routed
> 3)No cd -- already downloaded the image from tulrich.com (thanks!),
> haven't burned it yet
> 4) Tilt -- not sure if this is a problem, but when I tilt one way the
> B bar is solid on the test screen, A is blank, when I tilt the other
> way A and B are both solid
> 5) Fan doesn't spin -- there is a high pitched whine when I turn it up
> and it twiches a little.   I hope that means the fan is out and not
> the controller.  Anyone know of a source for replacement fans?
>
>
> Things that work:
> 1) Monitor is good
> 2) Motherboard and co-processor seem to work, at least enough to bring
> up the test screen up
> 3) Tension sensor registers and the motor turns when I pull on the
> tension belt
> 4) RPM Sensor works
> 5) All the buttons seem to work
> 6) Sound works -- at least it beeps when I press buttons
> 7) Drive belt looks great
>
> Any help or advice is appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
> Joe
>

[Andy Keller]

Hi there,

the tubing won't work. Just replace the rubber section with a piece of
a regular leather belt, like the kind that keeps your pants up. It
works did it a million times. Mind the width though.
Don't sit on the seat when you perform tests on the test screen. Don't
sit on it nor move the seat when you turn it on.

Andy
ser...@akfitness.com

On Feb 9, 1:21 pm, Joe Saunders <joeb...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Updates on the progress for my bike in case anyone is interested:
> 0) Tension Belt -- I replaced the rubber section with surgical tubing,
> but it seems like it might be too stretchy -- any more information on
> what the original looks like would be greatly appreciated.
> 1) cdrom drive is shot -- I should be able to replace that easily --
> still looking for a replacement
> 2) Steering cable is off the pulley -  found the problem, the bracket
> is broken... I'll have to take the steering arm assembly completely
> off to weld the break
> 3) No cd -- found the original worlds CD in the drive, but it has a
> deep scratch on it, still plan to burn a replacement
> 4) Fixed! Tilt Sensor -- Turns out it's not problem -- I was
> interpreting the test screen wrong.  Tilt sensor registers -45 - +48
> degrees
> 5) Fan doesn't spin -- Might not be a problem, I figured out the fan
> starts if I turn it all the way up, then continues running if I turn
> it down.   Is this a common behavior?
>
> So I am still hopeful that I can get it working 100%.  It looks like
> all the problems are within my capabilities to fix.
>
> Joe
>

[Joe Saunders]

Andy,

Thanks so much for the response. How long should I make the piece of
leather? I assume the tension belt should be just barely loose when
the motor spindle is rotated all the way back, is that correct?

Also, with the tube on there, when I use the + button when on the test
screen, the motor will tighten up while I am pushing the button, but
then as soon as I release the button, the spindle will be rotated
backwards by the tension on the belt. Is that expected behavior? I
haven't gotten the World software to work yet (doesn't recognize the
disk, I think I am burning it wrong), so I can't test it outside the
test screen.

Thanks,
Joe

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[legalmind]

Hey Joe,

Perhaps I can help a bit. 

First let me say - you should do all you can to get the game disk to work. When I first bought the bike, I misjudged its size. Since I traveled close to 100 miles to pick it up, I dismantled it as much as I could so I could fit it into my brother's minivan. When I put it back to together, the game would not load up. I essentially pulled a CD ROM drive from one of my OLD computers and used it as a replacement. Easy install - worked instantly. If you have a spare CD drive sitting around - and you know it works, try popping it in - then try your disk. 

The software, in my opinion is your best tool in gauging what works (buttons, spindle, fans, tilt, left/right, etc.) For instance, the fans kick on when riding the bike (simulating a breeze). I assume the game sequence activates the fans as needed. 

With regard to the tension belt, I had the same issue. One day I riding fine, the next I'm peddling as fast as I could - yet the game cycle stood stationary, going nowhere. I cracked it open and found the strap had snapped (I believe it was either metal or some sort of plastic composite). If the strap is still there, its in your best interest to mend it as it would meet the required length. Now to mend it, I used an emergency automobile belt repair kit I had sitting around...similar to this: http://www.amazon.com/Victor-EMERGENCY-FAN-BELT/dp/B000KKN8UY 

I utilized the screws/nuts that were included. Fixed it in less than 5 minutes - worked like a charm and its still going strong after many years. 

Again, try getting the game working...try a different CD Rom drive if you can. If it still doesn't work, perhaps the image on the CD is not readable, thus you should get a original. I found an ebayer who was selling a bike...the listing also mentioned they had game disks for sale: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tectrix-VR-Bike-RARE-HARD-FIND-/380408891233?pt=Exercise_Fitness_Cardio&hash=item5892230761#ht_500wt_1182

Hope this helps!

Take care!

Lou

[Joe Saunders]

Lou,

Thanks for the advice. I got the bike to recognize the CD drive
eventually -- the problem appears to have been the IDE card. I
replaced with another one and it went from a message that the drive
was disconnected to one that the image was corrupt. Looks like the
original card might have blown a capacitor. My original CD has a
couple of deep scratches in it which presumably is why it's not
readable. My desktop computer hangs trying to copy it... I may be
able to polish the scratches out. I am also trying to burn a new
disk from the .iso image, but I am struggling with burning a
multisession disk.

Regarding the belt, another user suggested using a leather belt (as in
one you would wear), but I am still looking for any advice on how long
it should be. The one in my bike had crumbled to small bits, so I
have no reference to even ball park it.

I'll keep the list posted on my progress.

Thanks for the help.
Joe

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[legalmind]

Hey Joe,

Glad you tackled the CD drive issue. With respect to the tension belt,
it seems someone may have went the belt (or something similar) route,
hence the reason you have crumbled bits of rubber. In other words, the
leader should not have been rubber - it should have been either metal,
kevlar or composite plastic. I saw the belt suggestion...while a
decent fix, I can't help but think the belt will eventually fail. My
concern is leather and rubber have similar textural qualities. In
turn, while a leather belt may provide the necessary tension - it will
also provide unwanted friction. The friction will eventually cause the
leather or rubber strap to waste...then snap. Simply, a metal/plastic
strap wont "grip" the wheel as tension is provided. It would allow for
a free flowing - yet evenly tensioned spindle. I'm sure you can find
something at Home Depot/Lowes for under $5. Either way, just my
opinion.

If I have some time tonight, I'll take the covers off - snap a few
pics and take measurements of the tension strap for your reference. No
promises for tonight - but definitely within the next few days.

> > sale: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tectrix-VR-Bike-RARE-HARD-FIND-/380408891233?...

[Joe Saunders]

Thank you very much, pictures would be helpful.

Just for your information, the punch list left on my bike is this:
1) Burn a working software CD
2) Replace the tension belt leader
3) Disassemble the handlebar mechanism, repair the broken bracket (the
part holding the "steering" cable on the left cracked, it's going to
be a pain to dig it out to re-weld it)
4) Replace or repair the CPU heatsink bracket and replace the CPU fan
(which is dying noisily)
5) (hopefully) Ride!

Everything seems within my abilities so I a should have this running soon.

Joe

[Jeff Beeghly]

On 2/22/2012 12:56 PM, Joe Saunders wrote:
> 1) Burn a working software CD

A tip here... as I recall, when you burn a copy, the CD-ROM needs to
have two partitions. One partition is the ISO and the other contains a
small .WAV file. The boot sequence looks for the .WAV to play as a
start up sound and if it doesn't find it, it isn't able to boot up.

So unfortunately, you can't just burn the available ISO to a CD-ROM.
Instead, you need to get a CD burning application that will allow you to
burn multiple partition/multi-formats onto the CD.

Jeff

[Joe Saunders]

Thanks for the advice. I am struggling with a the multi-session burn,
I haven't been able to figure out the settings that will let me do
that. Any suggestions on which burner software to use. I am
trying infrarecorder, which has instructions for multisession, but
they aren't working for me.

I also did not realize the music track had to be a .wav file. I was
throwing a .mp3 on that session. So I am glad you mentioned that or
I might have been very frustrated once I got the burn working.

Joe

[Kerry Kurian]

Was .mp3 even invented when we wrote that software? ;-)

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[Thatcher Ulrich]

Concerning the length of the belt repair -- the belt tension is controlled by a servo with a strain gauge.  Meaning, the length is not critical; it just needs to be long enough so that the belt can loosen, and short enough so that the cog can tighten the belt sufficiently.  At least, that is my software engineer's understanding of it.  Proceed at your own risk!

-T

[10027...@compuserve.com]

Hi Joe,

I know quite some time has passed but I came across your post in Google groups.
As I have a VR bike and a VR stepper I have just had a failure of the brake tension belt.
It is like yours, the belt is Kevlar and the brake lining is Nomex. these should last for ever.
The foam is just self stick heavy foam like draught/noise excluder.
Anything will do.
The rubber part is to wrap around the tensioner drum which is connected through a little gearbox to the
automatic tensioning motor.
When the bike is turned on this takes up the slack and goes to a preset torque.
30 lb/ft on the pedal should cause this to slip.
The VR hills/downslopes make the motor tighten and release.

The rubber component seems to perish completely over time.
Although others have suggested using a leather belt this also has a short lifespan.
Try to find a flat rubber driving belt. This should have reinforcement through it.
Browse through scrapyards, PepBoys, Home Depot and places like that.
Reinforced Rubber sheeting will also work, use several thicknesses.

The original dimensions were 4.5in Long by 11/16in Wide and 5/32in thick
I would say the replacement belt should be less than 3/4in wide and 3/16in thick.
In any case it should bend easily between two fingers to a 2 inch dia. semicircle.

Stamos

[joann...@gmail.com]

I have an original VR Bike.  It has been in storage for years but was in good condition at last use.  

Please let me know if you are interested in it.  I am looking to give it away.  For pickup in Canton, MA.

Best,

Joanna

[Stamos D Fafalios]

Thanks for the offer, but I am in London England and the bike will not fit in the airline overhead luggage bin.

Stamos

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