Hi All !

I'm Olivier from www.crab-buggy.com
There's a few pics of the latest prototype of the Crab here : http://www.box.net/shared/v1p66p7vg7
Production and distribution is still work in progress, but I'm really happy with the current design.
The ride is smooth (thanks to Mr. Buggybags !) and steering is precise and stable.
Comments and questions are welcome !

Cheers,

Welcome Oliver,

That thing is pretty slick!

so it steers kinda like a board... tilting the foot plate?

That is pretty crazy stuff! Good work!

So I guess to change direction and go back, you just stop and restart going the other way? No powerslides? It does make sense to face the power of the kite, but I would miss the sliding turns.

i wonder how quick the steering is. inland i quite often jink up/down wind to account for gusts and line slack.

Check the website of Olivier ,...I did also tried to drive it on La Franqui, France, some years ago.....very funny to drive,

Here is a link of a photo from me in the 2nd proto,..:
http://www.crab-buggy.com/photos/proto2_pionniers/grandes/DS...

Welcom Olivier, hope to see you again soon,..fyi, I am from the 26th juli to the 14thaug in France, nearby La Franqui.
Just a bit vacation and cruising with the Apexx....

regards,
Ozzy

Hi Ozzy !
Congrats for the NABX dash !

Regarding the question about powersliding, I suggest you guys check out this vid : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUbOJxwSCvA
The music is a bit "old school", but I just picked it from Youtube's "free of rights" tunes, since I was axed by Warner for a copyright infringement.
:embarrased:

The Crab does slide, no problem !

Nice one!

Lol I felt like I was looking at an Escher drawing...

"Lol I felt like I was looking at an Escher drawing..."

That's what kite-surfers, snow-kiters and mountain-boarders may think when looking at a kite buggy :frog:

Hi Oliver, I am so pleased everything is still moving forwards with your Crab Buggy, like the web site too

Hi Carl !

I've been working on drastic simplifications to the steering mechanism and went back to an adjustable frame instead of adjustable seat which wasn't a good idea after all.
Result : 30% less parts and weight gone down almost 8 kg !

I've never been closer to production...

Cheers,

I want to see a 360' or a 180' with that.

Hi Weldngod,

There's a 360 here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sizPsY8tB94
This was 4 years back with prototype 3.
Today, with prototype 7, it kicks more ass...

dont get mad if I make me one of those crabs.
Cause I can. And probably will.
I promise I won't sell it though. Just add it to the collection.:wee:

Hi Weldngod,

It is an honnor for me.
There are already "home-made" Crab builders in the folowing countries :
Canada, Mexico, Russia, Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, France, and probably others that I am not aware of.

Although I'm curious to see how someone would go about and build one from scratch, I can send you documentation about my current design if it can help you out.

I want to build one too!

Ahaa ! My evil plans are starting to work :evil:

That thing is pretty sweet. I hope you do make one Weldngod 'cus I sure want to ride it.

Crab-buggy, could you take a couple of pics of the steering linkage? The pics you have don't show it very well and I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around how it works. Great idea. I hope you sell a boat load when it comes time for production.

Clint

Hi Clintopher,

and thanks for the kind words.
Here's a video of the front wheel kinematics : http://www.box.net/shared/frpn9m7qhq
It is designed to have the same steering logic as a kitesurf board.
More descriptions of how the Crab steers : http://www.crab-buggy.com/crabe-lang-en-groupe-comment.html
Contrary to what one might think, the Crab steers pretty sharp. Up to the last prototype, it was even perhaps a bit too strong.
This is why I replaced the direct universal joints linkage with a lever+rod system that allows to adjust the steering strength.
In short, there is a "freestyle" position and a "racing" position.

Cheers !

Hi guys,

I decided to post all my Crab-related stuff on my Blog from now on :
www.oliviersuire.com

Some might be interested by the "Crab-Fab" page : I placed a link to download a complete set of fabrication drawings for prototype 11.

There's also new videos on my Youtube chanel :
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA2BA1A4B0A854B79

Enjoy !

--
Olivier

Awesome!! Would love to see some more videos....

Hi John,

I wish I had your talent for shooting and editing videos...
The videos that I make hardly convey the fun I have riding the Crab, and it's a bit frustrating.

Would you have any advice for me ?
I have a Gopro 2 camera ; what would be the best point of view on a sideways-riding buggy, at your opinion ?
What resolution to you shoot at ?

Cheers !

Hi Olivier,

Sur "mon" spot préféré; à Varennes au Québec y a un rider qui a un buggy crabe.
Mon opinion personnel... pour rider "pépère" ça l'air super. Pour rider "agressif" ça semble fragile.
Parcontre ça semble être la machine parfait pour remonter au vent!

Je ne sais pas pour le Crabe que tu as vu, mais le mien n'est pas fragile du tout :
https://www.box.com/shared/static/gcx8tazwrun70ft3j81i.jpg

Pour ce qui est de rider "pépère", c'est aussi une question de pilote.
Sur cette vidéo, on voit quelques dérapages :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUbOJxwSCvA

Je suis sûr qu'on peut envoyer beaucoup plus fort.
C'est aux jeunes pilotes talentueux de le montrer !

Amicalement,

Quote:

what would be the best point of view on a sideways-riding buggy, at your opinion ? What resolution to you shoot at ?

Thanks, Olivier! I use 720 at 60fps on the gopro. I think I would try to rig the gopro on a short arm near one of the front wheels. I also find having the gopro on a short hand-held extension pole is very handy - you can strap a tube to your siderails to store it in.