2014 lunocet

[neurodoc]

I have not found that the Lunocet (classic, not pro yet) requires much in the way of different technique compared to a Finis Foil, Waterways Nemo or Glide. It seems to work well regardless, and best with a good straight-leg undulation technique. The classic, smaller flukes for me work best with a constant stroke and not a kick and glide. That may be because I don't glide very well. Also, it rewards a higher cadence stroke more than a glide fin does. I see this as parallel to the differences in how fish swim; the fast fish like mackeral, tuna, wahoo have a high cadence/short amplitude type of stroke. Of course, they are significantly more slippery in the water than I am

 

[seaflower]

I'm really torn about the new Lunocet.
If it's true it heightens speed and mobility so much, I'd love to have it, but I absolutely hate the tracking shoe concept.
I'm also quite certain no pool would let me into the water for training with shoes mounted on a fin.

I've swum with Finis Foil, Rapid, Competitor, several self-made monofins, and I swim a fast dolphinkick without fins too,
so I'm really curious how it'd go with a Lunocet :/

 

[noa]

I'm really torn about the new Lunocet.
If it's true it heightens speed and mobility so much, I'd love to have it, but I absolutely hate the tracking shoe concept.
I'm also quite certain no pool would let me into the water for training with shoes mounted on a fin.

I've swum with Finis Foil, Rapid, Competitor, several self-made monofins, and I swim a fast dolphinkick without fins too,
so I'm really curious how it'd go with a Lunocet :/

Hi Seaflower,
Do you mean cycling shoe concept ? They are, thus far, pretty much the best way to transfer power to a foil type monofin.
I don't think a pool will be concerned with shoes but with what fin you use (in order to prevent potential injury to other swimmers). The blade go the Lunocet being relatively small, and covered in rubber, pools should be ok with it. It's certainly less "dangerous" than a classic monofin or hyper.

 

[seaflower]

yes, I meant cycling shoes.
I don't doubt that's the best way to transfer power onto the fin, I just can't get used to the idea of wearing a pair of bulky shoes in the water

Hopefully there will one day be a similar fin with a more elegant solution?

It's great that it can be disassembled at any rate.
Nothing more stressful than trying to get a competitor sized fin onto an airplane.

 

[Xaid]

Some Luno Sapiens inspired artwork, in the spirit of personal fluke customization.
I am also eagerly waiting for the Pro to arrive, hopefully we will be in the water soon!

 

[marginatus]

yes, I meant cycling shoes.
I don't doubt that's the best way to transfer power onto the fin, I just can't get used to the idea of wearing a pair of bulky shoes in the water

Hopefully there will one day be a similar fin with a more elegant solution?

It's great that it can be disassembled at any rate.
Nothing more stressful than trying to get a competitor sized fin onto an airplane.

have you tryed it?

 

[Kars]

If you have small feet, your shoes will be small
If you want you can make a rubber cover for over the shoe.
Nice design, makes me think of Maori style designs. How will you get that on you foilblades?

 

[cdavis]

Wonderful artwork Xaid!!

Seaflower: Yes the cycling shoes look weird, at least they do now because the idea is new. But try'em for even a short dive and you will be a convert. Drag is far less than it looks like and the comfort level is far, far superior to any other type of mono.

Weird looking is a very relative and changeable thing. Long fins look pretty weird if you've never seen a pair. Now they look perfectly normal to freedivers. The Lunacet looks pretty weird at first. The Dolfin looks really weird and works better than the current model of the Lunacet. If it looks odd but works really well, pretty soon it doesn't look odd any more.

 

[noa]

Some Luno Sapiens inspired artwork, in the spirit of personal fluke customization.
I am also eagerly waiting for the Pro to arrive, hopefully we will be in the water soon!
View attachment 37951

Vert cool !

 

[Chipswim]

Some Luno Sapiens inspired artwork, in the spirit of personal fluke customization.
I am also eagerly waiting for the Pro to arrive, hopefully we will be in the water soon!
View attachment 37951

Wow Xaid!

Your idea, the design and the application of your art to your flukes are spectacular! Is this real or a computer image? If real how did you do it?

I bet it would be a popular option if offered!

Fin fashion is born!!!!

 

[Chipswim]

yes, I meant cycling shoes.
I don't doubt that's the best way to transfer power onto the fin, I just can't get used to the idea of wearing a pair of bulky shoes in the water

Hopefully there will one day be a similar fin with a more elegant solution?

It's great that it can be disassembled at any rate.
Nothing more stressful than trying to get a competitor sized fin onto an airplane.

Genius is often created when two highly developed areas of study discover each other and find they are not only compatible but expansive!

Bicycling and monofinning created genius when bike shoes replaced rubber foot pockets. I think that occurred because the Lunocet designer is also a very high end bicycle component designer. I'm not positive he was first with the shoe innovation. It would be cool to hear the story from him or whoever had the original idea.

As far as an elegant non cycling shoe design maybe you've seen Revan's orca where both feet appear to be in one pod. If we plan to keep our feet that has to be the most futuristic, fish like fin attachment so far.

I have to give Revan admiration for creating an entirely unique concept stem to stern from design through manufacturing and then swimming it to a championship himself! I understand he continues to improve his designs as well.

Note that he also offers a cycling shoe option. Wonder if anyone has adapted cycling shoes to a flat monofin or bifins? I tried but promptly broke my flat fin.

I'm confident your initial concerns about cycling shoes in the pool will evaporate when you use a fin that is set up that way.

I swam my 2014 Lunocet with Shimano carbon road shoes this morning and it was wonderful as usual .

 

[Apneaddict]

Sporasub had shoe-like footpockets on bifins.

C4 had laces on their footpockets.

I'm sure there are other similar concepts.

I THOUGHT cycling shoes would be clunky / draggy, but they really are elegant if you pick the right model.

They hug your feet as much as possible and therefore don't add any unnecessary extra bulk. That are much smaller than my hyperfin footpockets.

If they were draggy, the LunocetPro wouldn't glide so well.

 

[cdavis]

Could be wrong, but I think Smith Aerospace (Revan) came up with the cycling shoe idea first.

C4 had a similar idea with the Mustang pockets, much more like shoes. I've used them(for several months). Good pockets, better than bifin foot pockets , infinitely more comfy than traditional mono pockets, but not as good as bike shoes. Drag is probably slightly less with the mustangs, but not significant, especially since the lunacet or dolfin have so little drag to start with.

 

[Ted Ciamillo]

Could be wrong, but I think Smith Aerospace (Revan) came up with the cycling shoe idea first.

I was the first to use the cycling shoe for a swim fin but it was Noa (the user of this forum you are all familiar with) who had the idea for the cycling shoe.

 

[Chipswim]

Yea NOA!

I'm beginning to think temporary lack of oxygen creates brilliant thinkers!

 

[cdavis]

I stand corrected, thanks

 

[Xaid]

Wow Xaid!

Your idea, the design and the application of your art to your flukes are spectacular! Is this real or a computer image? If real how did you do it?

I bet it would be a popular option if offered!

Fin fashion is born!!!!

Thank you everyone for your encouragement, I'm glad you like it. Ted and Revan are creating funtional art of the highest level, they are truely sources of inspiration to me!

Chipswim, the photos of your frankensteined flukes were the inspiration for a "tattooed" fluke design. Although I‘m not yet ready for fluke piercings like you (haha), it did get me thinking about other possible design customizations that Luno Sapiens might want to incorporate into their flukes.

The design itself is inspired by Northwest American Indian artwork and also Maori designs. I started by drawing it on paper with pencil and ink, and then scanned it and cleaned it up/shaded it with photoshop and illustrator. I was able to get the accurate dimensions for the Pro fluke, thanks to the excellent photos that Apneaddict posted.

 

[Ted Ciamillo]

Thank you everyone for your encouragement, I'm glad you like it. Ted and Revan are creating funtional art of the highest level, they are truely sources of inspiration to me!

Chipswim, the photos of your frankensteined flukes were the inspiration for a "tattooed" fluke design. Although I‘m not yet ready for fluke piercings like you (haha), it did get me thinking about other possible design customizations that Luno Sapiens might want to incorporate into their flukes.

The design itself is inspired by Northwest American Indian artwork and also Maori designs. I started by drawing it on paper with pencil and ink, and then scanned it and cleaned it up/shaded it with photoshop and illustrator. I was able to get the accurate dimensions for the Pro fluke, thanks to the excellent photos that Apneaddict posted.

Xaid, this is cool.. I have been wanting to incorporate tribal designs in my work for years. I am actually a quarter Cherokee myself

 

[noa]

I was the first to use the cycling shoe for a swim fin but it was Noa (the user of this forum you are all familiar with) who had the idea for the cycling shoe.

Ted, you're alive... : ) Good to hear from you.
Thanks a lot for the credit. I think I have written about it in the past somewhere on these forums.
For the story, I initially toyed with cycling shoes around 2001 with a pair of Sidis (don't remember the name of the model, but it was one of the most high end). A year before that I had heavily modified a pair of roller blading boots with terrible results.
The Sidi shoes initially where used on a blade I made myself and once I broke that, on an old blade Russian blade (that soon also broke). Despite the failures, I got to see how powerful cycling shoes where and how direct the power transfer. The potential was indeed there.
Then in 2008 when I was in contact with Ted (and Nico Danan), I told them about the cycling shoe idea and it turned out they had also been contemplating the concept. Ted got to work and further developed the idea.
The rest of the story is happening as you can now witness it...

 

[Xaid]

Props to you Noa for coming up with the cycling shoe idea! I just received my Sidi T2 triathlon shoes, and I cant wait to clip these babies into the Pro. They fit like a slipper, and as you can see are rather streamlined. They only come in "silver snake" color, but couldn't resist taking a black sharpie to them, in keeping with a more luno-centric color scheme