I 'kin love the look of these things...

[cloggsy]

What do you make of these?

I have to say, I absolutely love the look of 'em.

They seem to be quite big in Holland; these are quite a few vid's on YouTube of people 'driving' them...

Anyone ever seem one in the flesh (or better still 'driven' one?)

What do you think?

P.S. Is it driven or ridden?

 

[HLaB]

Saw them a fair bit on the Etape Caledonia, I've not seen them elsewhere though other on tv/ net. I forget their name but there's somebody who sometimes posts on here and he has one and records some amazing speeds with it

 

[ianrauk]

I've had a go in one and they are indeed brilliant to ride/drive. Bloody great fun.
And I know that another member of this forum is getting one pretty soon.

 

[Borbus]

They're called velomobiles, and yeah they look awesome! I've never seen one, in fact I've only ever seen a recumbent once. They'd be awesome for doing the commute in terrible weather. It doesn't just keep you dry but all of the moving parts are kept dry and dirt free too. I dream of a future where everyone uses these to get around...

 

[Arch]

Velomobiles.

Lovely things. Not without their drawbacks - they need a garage or decent shed to store them in, and they are a bit heavy up hill, And the cost, of course. But on the flat, or downhill, the aerodynamics are superb, and the sheer psychological benefit of getting out of the wind is huge. Those are the reasons they are big in Europe, especially the Low Countries, where hills are less of an issue and winds can be unremitting. I rode a Trice Borealis at the York Rally a couple of years back, in the year when several marquees took off, and as soon as I got in, the wind just vanished.


My favourite is probably the WAW - looks like the front cut off a Spitfire.

This year's Spezi show was absolutely dripping with them, including the Rotovelo from Oz, which might be the way to get the cost down, being made of kayak plastic - easy to mould, and more robust/less precious for everyday use than fibreglass.

http://www.trisled.com.au/rotovelo.asp

Sadly at the moment, the import cost means they aren't much cheaper in this country.

 

[Chris S]

They're just over-grown pedal cars!

Only 27.5 kgs? That's twice the weight of a typical BSO.

 

[Arch]

They're just over-grown pedal cars!

Only 27.5 kgs? That's twice the weight of a typical BSO.

Yes, but with good components, and complete weather proofing.

Anyway, what's wrong with pedal cars? It's all fun and cycling!

 

[Piemaster]

http://www.trisled.com.au/rotovelo.asp

33.2 kg. but as its roto moulded it doesn't surprise me. The roto moulded sailing dinghies eg. Laser Pico are very heavy compared to a traditional grp lay-up as they tend to need more stiffening and support as the material isn't inherently as stiff - think washing up bowl. Advantage of the HDPE is that its as tough as old boots (hence the popularity of it for sailing school boats). Ideal for bouncing off cars during your commute then.

 

[Borbus]

they are a bit heavy up hill ... But on the flat, or downhill, the aerodynamics are superb

I wonder if using a regenerative brake, which some trains have, would work. Basically on long downhills an electric motor would be engaged which would charge a battery which could then be used to turn the electric motor to assist on uphills. It would save on the brake pads too. But it would mean carrying around the electric bits.

 

[fossyant]

They look awesome, but I fear I'd overheat. Need the wind to cool. 30kg for something big like that is light.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

Doesn't look like it would get over the speed bumps on my street so would be a fail straightaway for me :-(

 

[Adasta]

Doesn't look like it would get over the speed bumps on my street so would be a fail straightaway for me :-(

 

[Arch]

Doesn't look like it would get over the speed bumps on my street so would be a fail straightaway for me :-(

Most recument trikes are fine on speed bumps, and these are just trikes with a fairing.

Borbus: electric assist is of course an option, like on any bike or trike. Regen braking hasn't so far been worth it in electric cycling, although I think there are the first hints that it may be becoming possible efficiently. The amount of power generated by regen braking is currently so tiny it makes little difference.

(Think about normal cycling. No matter now you throw yourself into a downhill, you lose momentum very quickly uphill. Unless the uphill is quite a lot less than the downhill, you'll end up pedalling again to make it up)

Piemaster, the exciting thing about the rotovelo for those of us who've seen it in the flesh (in fact it's still sitting in front of my desk at work!) is the robustness. This is a velomobile you'd be more happy leaving in the street. It can be kicked, rolled, whatever, and bounce back. Plus, one could customise it with stickers to one's heart's content, which would seem like sacrilege on a Quest or a Waw! I fancied a shark type face, like a warplane....

 

[smokeysmoo]

€7290 that is all

 

[Piemaster]

Piemaster, the exciting thing about the rotovelo for those of us who've seen it in the flesh (in fact it's still sitting in front of my desk at work!) is the robustness. This is a velomobile you'd be more happy leaving in the street. It can be kicked, rolled, whatever, and bounce back. Plus, one could customise it with stickers to one's heart's content, which would seem like sacrilege on a Quest or a Waw! I fancied a shark type face, like a warplane....

I don't doubt how robust it is! It is a benefit of the material used for roto-moulding, thats why the intended market is sailing schools/beginners/kids of dinghies made of it. I can see it would be more practical than a grp lay-up which does tend to chip, though its also much easier to repair than the HDPE. Only real downside is the extra weight as it has to be more reinforced as its not as inherently stiff.

Its certainly interesting though as the tooling costs must be fairly substantial so they must see a market for them.

And why are you not using it as your desk instead of just having it in front of it Or perhaps on the plane theme this