Living with a velomobile

John Lewis
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Re: Living with a velomobile

Postby John Lewis » Sat Jan 23, 2016 9:37 pm

The Glyde hasn't been made for some years.
From memory it was very heavy and had other problems.
A pity as it looked really nice.

John

max_torq
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Re: Living with a velomobile

Postby max_torq » Mon Jan 25, 2016 11:13 am

yes its an older one..

I carry a bit of weight in cargo with the trike and e-assist negates it a fair bit. Yes it looks nice but is it quick enough? and is it easy to live with, or too big and heavy? What other issues they had?

John Lewis
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Re: Living with a velomobile

Postby John Lewis » Mon Jan 25, 2016 10:33 pm

If you Google Glyde velomobile you get a lot of hits.
I suspect you will find answers there to most questions.

As I recall the Glyde ended up being very expensive when exported and that may have been part of the problem

When I first saw it I was tempted but it was way beyond my price range at the time.
Years later I ended up with a Sinner Mango and I'm pretty happy with it.

Due to the aerodynamics a velo is pretty slick on the flat. It is also great fun in rolling hills. But. If you have a lot of long up hills then, at least for me, the going is slow.

One concern I'd have with the glyde now is the availability of parts etc. Might be worth inquring of Greenspeed on that.

I don't know if Glyde had suspension but it's almost mandatory at velo speed.
That said the Rotovelo seems to manage pretty well without it.

John

just4tehhalibut
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Re: Living with a velomobile

Postby just4tehhalibut » Wed Feb 10, 2016 11:15 am

There's a velomobile for sale on Ebay in Eltham, VIC, albeit a bit of a narrow one. Needs a little work on it but for $1200 should sell easily. Listed a a racing velo so I'm not sure how it'd go as a commuter.
Image

MikeAvery
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Re: Living with a velomobile

Postby MikeAvery » Tue Mar 15, 2016 3:52 pm

This is my first post - a relatively new import from across the Tasman.

I am very pleased to report that WAW 287 is landing In Warrnambool in the next few weeks. I had been contemplating getting a velo for a number of years in NZ, and almost sprung for a Quest XS at one stage. The WAW has long held my attention though and finally everything aligned. I really like the modular design with the very stiff central portion to which all of the drive components are fitted. The shape with the built in low pressure zone to take care of cross winds also has some appeal given the continual southerly gales down here. I was fortunate to be able to try out a WAW when visiting the States last year, and once bitten ......

Stephane Boving at Katanga has been great to deal with - always very prompt, courteous and informative. He sent through some photos of WAW 287 in the final stages of its construction.

Image
The front wheels will have carbon covers on them but are not shown in this photo.

The next shot shows the right hand tank style steering lever with the rear gear changer and also a trigger shifter for a SRAM dual drive hub. I opted for the Dual Drive as I have had it on my Greenspeed X5 without problems for well over 30,000km. The brakes are 90mm drums, as opposed to the stock 70mm, as we will no doubt return to the hills of home at some point.

Image

The velo is full carbon with the longer tail, a front access hatch and full lighting spec. It will be arriving just as the weather is starting to turn down here which will be very fortuitous. I'll post some more photos once she lands.

Cheers,

Mike

John Lewis
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Re: Living with a velomobile

Postby John Lewis » Wed Mar 16, 2016 11:16 pm

Hi Mike,
Welcome to the velo world.
Looking forward to more pics and ride report in due course.
The WAW certainly looks well made and solid.
Being all carbon I'd be interested in the weight.
My Fibreglass Mango comes in at 27.5kg. Plus any junk I've added.

John

petie
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Re: Living with a velomobile

Postby petie » Thu Mar 17, 2016 12:37 am

Nice Mike, I reckon you'll love that! Might need to arrange a velo meetup somewhere between warny and Geelong, I'm going to put in for the shorter distance, my RV is less aero than that demon!

MikeAvery
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Re: Living with a velomobile

Postby MikeAvery » Sun Mar 20, 2016 8:23 pm

That Mango weight is very light! Is that with a hood and full electrics? The quoted weight of the WAW is 31kg, but that includes pump, battery, lights etc and the full hood. I'll know more detail when it arrives about the weight of the various riding configurations - cabriolet, hatch cover only, full hood etc.

One of the big attractions about the WAW for me is the ease with which it can be transported. A day ride up to Geelong is not featuring on my plan for this year, but heading up that way for a ride may well be!

Cheers,

Mike

John Lewis
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Re: Living with a velomobile

Postby John Lewis » Mon Mar 21, 2016 10:50 pm

Hi mike,

That 27.5 kg is the weight with electrics and Flevo Roof. Does not include pump etc hence my comment on extra junk. Pump, tools, water bottle and Radical Designs Velo bags
I have the carbon hood but haven't weighed it.

Will do that and let you know what extra it adds.

John

zebee
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Re: Living with a velomobile

Postby zebee » Wed Mar 23, 2016 6:44 am

So what is the Mango like when going over bumps or squeezing into tight spots?

Having seen and heard the Green Rocket interact with the environment I think a fibreglass one must be treated very carefully or break a lot.

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Rob74
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Re: Living with a velomobile

Postby Rob74 » Mon Mar 28, 2016 10:06 pm

Top 5 Velomobiles Human Powered Vehicles - Published on Mar 15, 2016

"
Velomobiles are the fastest human powered vehicle you can ride. They are very common in Europe and are growing in popularity in North America. The links below will help you in finding your own velomobile.

The WAW velomobile http://www.katanga.eu/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The DF velomobile http://www.cyclesjv.com/pages/pages-c.." onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
The Milan velomobile http://velomobil.eu/range-of-models/r.." onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
The Quest velomobile http://www.velomobiel.nl/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The Orca velomobile http://www.flevobike.nl/en/Orca/orca..." onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
A store in France that has them all. http://www.cyclesjv.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Other websites and brands for your study.
http://www.sinnerbikes.com/en/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.go-one.de/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Velomobiles in Canada http://www.bluevelo.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Trisled in Australia http://trisled.com.au/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"

I support Zeebee's comment...
"Having seen and heard the Green Rocket interact with the environment I think a fibreglass one must be treated very carefully or break a lot."
=>> The Rotovelo Wizbin type shell material (http://trisled.com.au/hpv/rotovelo-2/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) has a weigh penalty at 33kg but exudes robustness/everyday commuter practicality, compared to http://trisled.com.au/hpv/rotovelo-carbon/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; lists "Weight - From 17.8KG" nominal 20kg either has hill climbing as a weakness.

Anyone over 6Ft4" rolling in a velomobile? What did you choose & why?

Rob

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Duck!
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Re: Living with a velomobile

Postby Duck! » Sat Apr 02, 2016 7:22 pm

zebee wrote:Having seen and heard the Green Rocket interact with the environment I think a fibreglass one must be treated very carefully or break a lot.
Fibreglass shells are a lot more resilient and robust than they sound. They do tend to amplify noises so minor scrapes can sound like you're tearing the floor out of the thing, but really you've got to thump them bloody hard to do major damage. Unlike carbon, the fibres aren't that stiff, so will still tend to hold together even under solid impact, it's just the resin binder that fractures, so they go a bit soft but hold their shape.
I had a thought, but it got run over as it crossed my mind.

Uncle Just
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Re: Living with a velomobile

Postby Uncle Just » Sat Apr 02, 2016 11:03 pm

MikeAvery wrote...
The brakes are 90mm drums, as opposed to the stock 70mm
Any reason why they spec drums rather than hydraulic disc brakes?

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Duck!
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Re: Living with a velomobile

Postby Duck! » Sat Apr 02, 2016 11:52 pm

Drums are a lot easier to build chassis & steering components for.
I had a thought, but it got run over as it crossed my mind.

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Re: Living with a velomobile

Postby Uncle Just » Sun Apr 03, 2016 7:32 am

Ok thanks.

MikeAvery
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Re: Living with a velomobile

Postby MikeAvery » Sun Apr 03, 2016 2:55 pm

Uncle Just wrote:MikeAvery wrote...
The brakes are 90mm drums, as opposed to the stock 70mm
Any reason why they spec drums rather than hydraulic disc brakes?
Having used both on recumbent trikes, my own humble view is that hydraulic disc systems are over-rated. The pads are relatively high maintenance, difficult to prevent rubbing on the discs and stick out into the airflow. The one thing they are good for is locking up one wheel and allowing for amazing tail slides at speed if you are so inclined, which is a lot of fun but not something I'm about to try with a velo!

The larger drums apparently negate the old issue of overheating drums and subsequent brake fade on a descent, although that is not something I have experienced. I always figure that I exert so much energy getting going, why would I want to brake all the time.

All that aside, it is the design aspects and lower maintenance plus improved aerodynamics which lead to a choice of drums.

Cheers,

Mike

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Bartek
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Re: Living with a velomobile

Postby Bartek » Mon Apr 04, 2016 10:01 pm

Rode the Freeway Bike Hike on Sunday and managed to get myself on the Perth Ten Eyewitness news 01:22, don't blink or you will miss it. and they didn't spell my name correctly!
http://tenplay.com.au/news/national/201 ... archresult" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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KMX Viper
Trek 350

Joeblake
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Re: Living with a velomobile

Postby Joeblake » Sat Apr 09, 2016 10:04 am

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Roinik
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Re: Living with a velomobile

Postby Roinik » Sat Apr 09, 2016 10:51 am

What a bick in the wind and oooh the leg suck potential! LMAO though.
You don't need the best kit, you just need the best attitude.

MikeAvery
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Re: Living with a velomobile

Postby MikeAvery » Sat Apr 09, 2016 4:07 pm

WAW 287 arrived in Warrnambool on Wednesday in a large crate. The velo was securely attached to the crate at various points - you dismantle the crate from around it with the wooden panels being held together by spring clips. Very nifty.

Unfortunately I have been suffering a severe sore throat and headcold for the last week and riding was not on the menu. I finally went out for 30km today, but my legs had absolutely nothing in them - coughed and spluttered my way along the road. The other annoying thing was that the rear derailleur was out of adjustment and I like to see the alignment rather than listen for it when I'm adjusting the cable - I never know which direction it is out of alignment in. So it was a slow and careful ride at an embarrassing average of 28km/hr - 4km/hr slower than the Fujin.

I had a couple of welcome observations. Apart from the intermittent clanking of the gears as the chain continually slipped and chattered on the cogs, the velo was surprisingly quiet. Not as silent as the Fujin, but good enough to not be bothered by the noise. The other thing was how smooth the ride was, even over Victoria's rural coarse chip. There is front suspension but, in lieu of rear suspension, the seat is suspended between hard foam at the back and small elastomers at the front, which work surprisingly well. The tyres are Kojaks on the front and a Marathon Supreme at the back - all at 50psi. I did get it up to 65km/hr, but the concentration required to keep it in gear and getting used to the steering meant that its was not particularly relaxing!

I've also decided that velos and helmets do not go together very well. I persevered until I got out of town and then stowed my helmet for the remainder of the ride. Not enough room under the hood, and hits the front face of the turtle deck when riding with the open hatch. The only close fitting BMX style hats I've seen are hot and heavy.

When I got home and took the rear panel and chain protector off, I was immediately able to deal with the derailleur adjustment. It had been fine on a very short test run, and they are Jagwire cables, so not sure what happened for it to be almost half a cog width out of whack. All good now though.

I checked the weights on delivery. The complete velo is 31kg and the hatch cover and race hood, which are included in that weight, are 0.7kg each. So typical riding weight, head out but with the hatch cover on, is 30.3kg. And then there is the extra 7kg that I haven't lost yet!

On with the pictures.

Image

Image

Image

Image

I have interior and detail shots if anyone is interested.

Cheers,

Mike

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Re: Living with a velomobile

Postby Mulger bill » Sat Apr 09, 2016 7:27 pm

MikeAvery wrote:
I have interior and detail shots if anyone is interested.

Cheers,

Mike
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John Lewis
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Re: Living with a velomobile

Postby John Lewis » Sat Apr 09, 2016 11:24 pm

That looks really great.
I'd be interested to see more pics for sure.

Don't know about your speed. Sounds OK to me. I'm a bit ancient and only see speeds like that down hill. :D

I suspect once you get it all dialed in and get used to it the speeds will pick up.

The riding technique is quite different as you'll find.

Anyway, again it looks great so go out, ride and enjoy. First rainy day you'll appreciate it for sure.

I'm yet to find a helmet that works. Under the Mango hood there is no room at all.

John

MikeAvery
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Re: Living with a velomobile

Postby MikeAvery » Sun Apr 10, 2016 4:36 pm

Thank you for the encouraging words! I've put some photos in a new topic to save cluttering up this on.

Cheers,

Mike

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recumbenteer
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Re: Living with a velomobile

Postby recumbenteer » Sat Jun 11, 2016 8:09 pm

Living with a Velomobile.......

you get to ride UP hill

Trisled Rotovelo Mk 2
Rotovelo Across Australia

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Re: Living with a velomobile

Postby Joeblake » Fri Jul 15, 2016 10:00 am

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