Bicycle mounts

When mounts are a thing.

Electricity and bicycles are both late 19th century as is much of the technology in New Britannia. But we don't yet have bicycles.

(Please don't misunderstand this post. No electric bicycles in New Britannia. Electric bicycles are post 19th century).

Draisine - No pedaling, 'kick powered'. Basically a sit-down scooter with modern bicycle sized wheels (though the frnt wheel was a bit smaller than the rear). Purchasable, not craftable.


Scooter - A standing scooter. Purchasable and craftable. Slightly customizable.

Velocipede - Pedals on the large front wheel. Pedal and steer with the same wheel. Purchasable, not craftable.

Rod-driven velocipede - Rear wheel drive. If you are picturing a turning shaft connecting the center of a pedal assembly to the center of a real wheel, don't. Picture multiple rods running directly from pedals on rods to an offset position on the real wheel. Kinda like on the wheels of a steam engine. Purchasable, not craftable.

Penny-Farthing (retronymed Ordinary Bicycle) - The iconic extra large front wheel, high seat, and tiny back wheel design. The awkwardness of this bike is visually evident. Also note the extra difficulty to pedal and steer with the same wheel. Only Grand Master Train Dexterity skill can prevent frequent crashing. This bike cannot be ridden outside a city, or even on most surfaces in a city. It is way to big to lug around in inventory. Thus can never leave the city where it resides. But it isn't all bad. Tubular steel frame, wire-spoked wheels, solid rubber tires were great innovations. The main advantage to the large front wheel was a far smoother ride than small wheels could provide at the time. For New Britannia, a steel substitue metal, wire-spoked wheels, leather on wood tires. Purchasable, and craftable but not customizable.

Dwarf Ordinary - modified Penny-Farthing. Lower seat closer to the back wheel. Much smaller front wheel. Toothed gears to make a similar power-speed ratio as the original. Gears and pedals where still on the wheel used to steer. Purchasable, and craftable but not customizable. Couldn't find a pic, but did find the related Kangaroo that is the same thing but with a chain drive.

Bicyclette/Safety Bicycle/Dwarf Safety/Upright Bicycle - These had chain drives for real-wheel drive. It has the layout of a modern bicycle. Was the first bike with a seat that was not all metal or wood, because the tiny steel wheels made for a punishing ride. For New Britannia, a steel substitute metal, wire-spoked wheels, leather on metal tires, leather seat (make it resemble an animal saddle?), wooden chain or metal chain. Purchasable, craftable, and customizable.

Ornate versions of all the above for rewards. Going up hill requires great strength and time. If the bike slows enough, an avatar will get off an walk with the bike. Riding any of these bikes over steps (even just one) could result in death and total damage to bike durability. Bikes ridden into deep water are lost. Fishermen will sell the bike to the local bank (recovered for the owner) for a nominal fee after they fish it out a few days later. Tricycles are a much lower risk of crashing.

Kobold Hydraulic Bicycle (or Trike) with pneumatic single elastomer tube elastomer tires, all-wheel drive, and regen. Reward only. Suitable for most any terrain that can be walked or horse ridden without jumping or falling. Steps are doable but not recommended for sake of bike durability.

I think modernness should stop here with the exception of improvements of some components for crafted bikes. (As the above bikes, except the Kobold bike, do not originate post-19th century)

Craftable customizable bicycle variants:

The frame is a mountable (Left Coconut)
Wood bicycle frame
Solid metal bicycle frame
Metal tube bicycle frame
Wood tricycle frame
Solid metal tricycle frame
Metal tube tricycle frame
Metal Seat - damage taken for most small wheeled bicycles.
Wooden Seat - damage taken for most small wheeled bicycles.
Leather covered seat.

The drive system is a mountable that wears out much faster but is replaceable separately from the frame (Right Coconut). A wood drive requires wax and oil for crafting _and repair_. A metal drive requires oil for crafting _and repair_.
Brakes are a reagent of the drive system and replaceable.
Foot brakes - As in lower foot to ground Or if willing to risk broken bones, stop pedals with feet or put foot on tire. This is default and need not be specified. It is really the only way to stop one of these bikes.
Push block brakes - As in leaver a wood block onto the tire Or leaver to ground. This cannot stop these bikes, only aid in slowing them and make 'foot braking' slightly safer.
Leather strap brakes - Also leaver powered. Slightly better than push block brakes, until the strap breaks!
(These bikes pretty much have no brakes per the predominate practice of most of the 19th century.
Bushings/bearings and sprockets are irreplaceable drive components that contribute to the durability of the drive
Wood pulleys - for belt drive.
Wood sprockets
Wood wheel bushings
Wood wheel bearings - believe it or not, wood bearings and bushings have advantages over metal. Sand contamination, for instance, will quickly grind up a metal parts where as rock maple properly treated with oil and wax can be highly tolerant to contamination. Wood bushings are what an avatar would want to frequent Grunvald, beaches, and swamps on a bicycle. Especially since medieval technology would make it difficult to protect metal bearings and bushings from contamination.
Metal pulleys - for belt drive.
Metal sprockets
Metal wheel bushings
Metal wheel bearings - Metal is more durable, if it remains uncontaminated.
The chain/belt is a replaceable reagent of the drive.
Leather belt - cheap, easy, resistant to contamination. But limited torque (slips, very slow hill progress) and it negates all but foot braking.
Rope belt - cheapest, easiest, most resistant to contamination. But least durable, very limited torque (slips, can't do hills) and negates all but foot braking. Also a fire hazard at high speeds, even when not breaking.
Wire belt - Like the rope belt without the fire hazard but even more limited torque and brake.
Elastomer belt - Not that cheap or easy, resistant to contamination. But somewhat limited torque (slips) and mostly negates all but foot braking.
Wooden chain - 80-97% efficient (depends on wear and conditions) Most expensive and time consuming to make. Not very durable, but highly tolerant to contamination. A Kobold product or craftable by a level 140 carpenter with recipes for each component. Inner link plate, outer link plate, bush pins, master inner link, master outer link, master bush pins. Wax and oil needed for crafting _and repair_. Chain bushings and rollers would make it much more durable, but they are post-19th century.
Metal roller chain - Less expensive and time consuming. more durable, but intolerant to contamination and especially to certian kinds of contamination (sand and grit). Carpentry craftable level 100 and wood variants of the recipes. Oil needed for crafting _and repair_.
Gear drive - very inefficient.
Shaft drive - No, not even Kobold. Sure, it is 19th century, but it sucks, even by 19th century standards. Even modern shaft drive cycles fall short in most categories and are only useful in a few niche circumstances.
Freewheel - Reshape drive with a pattern. (all these bike require the pedals always spin according to the bike's speed except for belt. Freewheel lets the rider keep the pedals stationary at speed. Belt drives are damage when stationary pedal is attempted.)
Toothed belt drive - If Kobolds can make a toothed metal belt, then ok, there's some advantages. But it seems unlikely and the drive would not survive a crash.
Hydraulic drive - Kobold tech, 75% efficient (but static in all conditions and even with moderate wear). Never needs repair for normal use (it can be damaged by attached or crashing), it is uncontaminable. Freewheel standard. Rear, front, or both-wheel drive. Also the only way practical way to shift gears in a medieval setting (both-wheel drive must use continuously variable transmission). Shift while stationary or going backwards! Pedal forwards or backwards to go forward (or backwards, or brake, really break, to a stop like a modern bike). Trikes have a reverse gear. Ride while moving silently! Optional regen system. Heavier. More costly. If you manage to break it, very expensive to repair (almost cheaper to buy a new one). Flammable if damaged. Overwhelming critical hits (by trolls and dragons) can actually lead to explosion.
Freewheel - Reshape drive with a pattern. (all these bike require the pedals always spin according to the bike's speed except for belt. Freewheel lets the rider keep the pedals stationary at speed. Belt drives are damage when stationary pedal is attempted.)
Wheels are a replaceable reagent to the drive. Wheels are salvageable for some components, mainly the wheel (rim), some spokes, some small inner tubes, elastomer scraps, wood scraps, and/or metal scraps.
Wood only wheels
Metal banded wood wheels
Leather banded wood wheels
All metal solid-spoked wheels
All metal tension-spoked wheels
(tension-spoked wood wheels won't work outside a sci-fi setting)
Medieval elastomer - For pneumatic tires. I don't think rubber should be introduced to New Britannia. There is no such thing as a medieval elastomer or even a 19th century elastomer (as far as I was able to find). So it'll have come from an elastomer skinned fantasy creature I suppose. An Ahuizotl maybe.
(Pneumatic wood wheels - seems like a bad idea.)
Metal wheels with solid elastomer tire. Highly durable, Highly rough ride.
Metal wheels with multiple pneumatic tubes in a leather tire. Air filled elastomer tubes inside a leather wheel. As the 8 tubes wear out (or are damaged) and leak air, the tire flattens. Say, durability 80, 8 tubes, durability 10 per tube. 70/80 makes the first noticeable difference (1 tube down).
Metal wheels with multiple pneumatic tubes in a elastomer tire. Air filled elastomer tubes inside an elastomer tire.
Metal wheel single pneumatic tube inside a leather tire. A single tube is susceptible to a quick flattening.
Metal wheel single pneumatic tube inside a elastomer tire.
(Metal wheel single pneumatic elastomer tire, not New in Britannia. Not even Kobold)

Kobold this:

 

Cool idea! But if they are added they will really need to be realistically slow, last thing we want are people comically flashing over the place. (like wow and swtor). Maybe a fraction over running?

 

Actually.... maybe make running duration limited, and bikes pretty much the same speed but no exhaustion kinda thing maybe one day? Could help in not making this game appear too "arcade like" where everyone is running around unrealistically?

 

Of course, most people people can run faster than most of these bikes. Going any faster than that (Kobold Bike) holds an exponentially high risk of crashing.

 

Please, no.

 

What about unicycle and tricycle though!?

 

Make them faster but if you turn quickly you will fall off
Should be hard to use in rough terrain and in steep climbs as well. They need roads and paths to be used on.

 

Road or Trail Required at the speed of coconuts "Fun" ~TL~

 

I did briefly mention tricycles. I'll add that they have cargo potential and can be used by traveling merchants. As for unicycles, well, they _are_ 19th century I suppose...

You know, a Penny-Farthing has quite a bit in common with a unicycle. For instance, they will both try to kill you.