Math / physics for the real world.

This past weekend was my son's fourth birthday and as a super fun special surprise, the guy I was dating and I purchased a BIKE for him. Not just a lame little kids trike, but an honest to goodness two wheeled pedal bike. It is meant to look like a dirt bike, complete with the front racing number on the handle bars, front and rear brakes (also the brakes when you pedal backwards for kids) and a day glow, safety orange paint job. Slick. Just what he has been asking for since he could speak.

As mentioned in the intro post, I am into tech things. True to form, I found a SUPER awesome gadget for the bike that is touted to make training wheels obsolete and make crashes a thing of the past. Or at least reduce the amount of blood spilled in the process. Either way I was thrilled to buy it and charge it up at home. The "it" I speak of is a gyro-wheel. The eleven pound, sixteen inch wheel has a rapidly rotating gyro (disk) inside that at full spin, will prevent the tire from tipping over. Thusly, letting us ditch the training wheels and use the sick looking red and black gyro-wheel to help our young lad learn the ins and outs of riding a bike.

 We had the bike ready to unwrap, but decided not to add the gyro-wheel so Sy could get used to the bike and we could adjust seat height etc before installing the wheel itself. I charged the tire and off we went to that guy's family for the party. Everything was picture perfect! We swam in the pool, we had great BBQ for dinner, ate some yummy, icing laden cake and opened some wicked gifts. Then, it was time for the bike. He opened it and was the happiest kid in the state! (Who wouldn't be with a safety orange, pseudo-dirt bike?!) During the course of the day, Jess and I had been telling his family about this really awesome tire that would let us take those blasted training wheels off and let my child experience the pure awesomeness that is bike riding. The family wanted to see this thing in action, and lucky enough, we brought it AND it was fully charged!!

Shiny and new!

 The OOOOOOs and AHHHHHHHHs were deafening. It powered up like a WWII era jet, the red and black inserts spun with a hypnotic hum and people were captivated. I don't blame them, this thing is sick.  As they were all watching the dynamic gyro-wheel do its stuff, that guy I was dating suggested I give it a bit of a push and knock the side of it to show how rock solid this powerhouse of a toy was. I happily obliged! Look at this, all! It doesn't fall over! It picked up speed and I gave it a bit of a kick, true to the manufacturer's word, nary a wobble.

 As I basked in the fact that this was possibly a close second to the greatest gift on the planet, I began to notice that the infallible tire was indeed *still* not falling over. And it was picking up speed. And it was traveling down a hill. *Still* picking up speed and not falling over. As the mental calculations were adding up, a pit formed in my stomach. There is a CREEK down there!! One flashback of the directions echoed in my mind. "Do not submerge in water.. Doooo Noooot subbbmeeerge in waaaaaaattterrrrrrr!"

 Recalling another equally ominous image (the price tag), I decided NOW was the time for action. See Dani. Run, Dani, RUN!

RUN Dani! RUUUN!

 Unfortunately, my lack ability to calculate physics and apply it in the real world resulted in a slight *cough* delay of my sprint. (I had to carry a one then invert the fraction and that trips up everyone!) The  gyro-wheel blissfully rolled over the brambles, through the bushes, then in an awe inspiring climax, launched itself off the bank and smack dab into the middle of the flowing creek. As it was floating and spinning in the creek, it still didn't fall over. Kudos, Gyrobike, makers of Gyro-wheel! It really works!

Down periscope!

 In spite of the fact that I am used to chasing down small fast moving juggernauts (Sy), the fact that I was laden with energy boosting carbs from dinner and have the fight or flight response of a gazelle, I did not make it in time. Hurling myself downhill over uneven ground was only the first obsticle. I had to navigate my way as gracefully as I could (the audience of family members was still in a trance from the exposure to awesome) through a twine fence, and barrel my way through the barbs and stickers of bushes before finally coming to a crescendo of my own, diving in after the gyro-wheel.

 Standing there in the creek, dripping wet and holding a whirring, clonking Gyro-wheel, I felt triumphant! I got it!! It was only dripping a little, right? And the strange buzzing was there before.... right? I didn't care at that moment because all I wanted to do was get out of the creek and dry this sucker off.

 The party wound down a few hours after the creek incident and we were able to pack up the bounty of gifts and return home. We dried it off as best as we could, took it apart (bye bye warranty!) and let it air dry for a few days. After looking it over for rust or any kind of real damage, Jess's attendant put it back together for us... and it still works!!!