Living with a velomobile

[John Lewis]

Hey John,

I did indeed do the 250km ATB last year.....thought I'd try the longest version and succeeded after only a few weeks of Mango ownership at an average speed of 30kph.....

This year a few of us (3 recumbents) might just happen to be riding along a similar route around the Geelong / Bellarine region for 120km......Musashi, Performer & Bacchetta and a few uprighters.....

This year I am doing the Great Cycle Challenge to raise money for charity (kids cancer research) so far upto 480km in October and about $350 raised ! Feel free to sponsor me


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Good one Paul.
Hope its a good day for the ride.
Where do I go to sponsor you ? Sounds good to me so we'll see what we can do.
I'm waiting on The Risse Genesis shock conversion from Sinner at the moment. Should have been sent last Tuesday so hope it doesn't take too long.

John

[Bartek]

This year I am doing the Great Cycle Challenge to raise money for charity (kids cancer research) so far upto 480km in October and about $350 raised ! Feel free to sponsor me

Me 2, all done in the Mango!

I can be sponsored on

https://greatcyclechallenge.com.au/Riders/JanSzczygiel" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also tomorrow I will be taking part in the "Ocean Ride for MS" with my youngest daughter who has decided to complete the 50km ride on my old recumbent trike (KMX Viper) again I will be in the Mango but sticking to her pace. I can be sponsored for that one on

http://www.mswaevents.org.au/Ocean-Ride ... nSzczygiel" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So feel free to sponsor me also

or if you just want to sponsor Riggsbie use my link then search for him!

[John Lewis]

Thanks for the links Jan.
Found Paul OK.

I have donated to both of your Ocean Ride for MS and Great Cycle Challenge and to Paul's Great Cycle Challenge as well.
Too bad if I don't eat next week.

Hope you both reach your goals.

John

[Riggsbie]

Thanks John !

Passed 500km today......doing a 120km ride tomorrow.....

Good work Jan !


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Bartek]

Thanks John,

Up at 4 am this morning to ride the Ocean ride for MS, weathers not looking great but fingers crossed!

Riggsbie good luck with your 120 km, I am only doing 50 but have to travel at daughter pace

[Rhubarb]

but have to travel at daughter pace

Nice thing to do with your daughter though.

[Bartek]

Well we are back home after the "Ocean Ride for MS" daughter only completed 17 km and then I had to wait with her until she was picked up by the support vehicle, we averaged 16.9 km/hr for that first section then I set off on my own and averaged 31.3 km/hr. We met up at the finish with a promise that she will train more for the next ride!

My daughter was riding my KMX Viper pictured in the second pic, there was also another recumbent trike, which we only saw at the beginning and then again at the end (but not during) and no pic!

I also found another Velomobile at the ride, a Trisled Kestrel, very fast, left us for dead

once he had help with the speed bumps.

[Riggsbie]

Excellent work Bartek !!

We did a cruisy 130km today

http://www.strava.com/activities/90155476" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Lots of stopping and starting and the DFers we rode with bailed and took the soft option......great ride but frustrating......really liking my Musashi a lot now as a fast easy cruiser, smashed a load of DFers on the hill climbs.....who says recumbents can't climb ?

I think I need to make the Musashi faster with a tailbox......the windsock certainly made it quicker by about 3-4 kph.....

Now upto 660km on the Great Cycle Challenge


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[John Lewis]

Good ride bartek. That's stoking along in my book.
That Trisled velo looks like one of those they use in the HPV racing.

Looks like a pretty good ride there for Riggsbie too. I figure him at an average round 27 kmh or so with a bit of climbing.

Way faster than I'll ever be anyway. I did get out today but took the trike and trailer with the dog. A nasty headwind and I got rained on. Tomorrow I'm going out in the mango come what may. I'm getting withdrawal symptoms.

Riggsbie, I have flown across that area where you were riding. Crossed from the other side somewhere south of Arthur's Seat, skirted below Geelong to avoid the military airspace and headed for Hamilton. A ferry flight to bring a plane back to WA.

Good to see you guys helping a charity. Worthwhile in my opinion. My effort this year was for the Heart Foundation. It didn't involve any riding though. Might have to join in something next year that I can ride.

John

[Duck!]

That Trisled velo looks like one of those they use in the HPV racing.

It is. That vehicle race in the AIPP 24-Hour at Murray Bridge a few weeks ago.

[Rhubarb]

Duck, how practical / impractical would one of these be in the real world?

Besides ground clearance, how would they go with ventilation on extended climbs etc?

I note even the trisled web site says they are unsuitable for road use but dont seem too far off being road useable.

Whats the open flat road cruising speed of these things for a rider of reasonable fitness (but not uber athlete)?

[Duck!]

I wouldn't recommend a race-oriented trike for "real world" riding. Ground clearance is an issue (most are around 40-50mm, which isn't much), but a greater concern is the considerably lower seat position (designed to lower the centre of gravity, for improved stability at racing speeds), which does hamper the rider's visibility. I have ridden my ThinkHPV "Bullet" racer on the road once, and it is a little uncomfortable when your line of sight is around the height of the average front bumper...

Ventilation isn't brilliant, especially at low climbing speeds. Typically the fairings aren't built with any ducting, because it complicates the moulds too much, so it's left to the vehicle owners to develop their own vents.

A reasonably fit rider should be able to cruise in the low 40's quite comfortably. At race speeds we're typically averaging close to 50, and peaking around 60.

[Rhubarb]

Velomobiles on special next week at Aldi ....

https://www.aldi.com.au/en/special-buys ... edal-cars/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Bartek]

Velomobiles on special next week at Aldi ....

https://www.aldi.com.au/en/special-buys ... edal-cars/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

made me laugh!

I have passed my 500km target for the Great Cycle Challenge, up to 522 for the month, and 3400+ since I got the Mango in February.

[Riggsbie]

Nice one Rhu.....

I managed a few big rides on the weekend ( in the rain on Saturday in the Mango and had a few tank slappers on wet greasy painted white lines, had the Mango on 2 wheels at one point, oops) and a quickie after work yesterday and am now sitting pretty on 956km.....the 1000km is now in sight.....


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[John Lewis]

Great going Riggsbie and Bartek.

Funny. After I read about that Aldi "Velo" here several people have emailed me the link with various humorous comments.
Guess it does look a bit like one of the old Mochet Velocars.
Paul, were the tank slappers and onto two wheels due to the back wheel breaking away?

John

[Riggsbie]

Clocked anther few Kay's tonight, it was not raining....

1.5 hours at 31kph for 123 bpm average.....you gotta love efficient recumbents !!

Here's my Great Cycle Challenge update:

Hi,

As you may know, I have been riding in the Great Cycle Challenge this month to fight kids' cancer!

So far I've ridden 1,009 km and raised $854 to help kids fight this terrible disease.

And my riding challenge ends on Thursday...

My legs are sore, my bottom is numb and my lycra is stretched... but it's worth every kilometre to help these kids.

Because cancer is the largest killer of children from disease in Australia - 3 children die of cancer every week.

Kids should be living life, not fighting for it.

To those who have generously sponsored me, THANK YOU. It's your support that has kept me pedalling throughout the month.

For those of you who have not yet shown your support, there's still time to sponsor my challenge and join me to fight kids' cancer!

To make a donation, simply view my page by clicking on the link below:

http://www.greatcyclechallenge.com.au/Riders/PaulRiggs" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

All funds raised will support Children's Medical Research Institute to continue its work in developing treatments and finding a cure for childhood cancer.

Thank you for your support.

Paul

P.S. Wish me luck for the rest of the challenge - I'm not finished yet!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[John Lewis]

Well at last I received the Risse Genisis rear shock from Sinner.
Then the fun started. You need to undo a bolt way down the back and my arms were a bit short.
Nonetheless after about an hour I finally got it out. It included two spacer washers and I had no idea how I was going to get them back.
Unfortunately a trip to the city intervened but on Tuesday I was able to get back to it. Much cursing and another hour and I had it installed.
Yeah, Right. I went to pump it up and realized that I couldn't get to the valve. I had to do the job all over again to turn the shock round
so I could get at the valve.

I don't have a shock pump yet but Sinner sent a little fitting so I could use the normal pump. It was not really easy to use but I got about 5 bar into it which should do for now.

On Wednesday I took it out to the over 50's group ride to try it out. It certainly seemed to work well enough.
It's about 30mm shorter than the original and so increases the trail a bit. This has improved the steering a lot. I was able to bomb downhill at 57 kmh with no problem whereas previously anything over about 45 had me all over the road. I'm pleased about that .

I also think I'm a bit faster. I'm slow but I saw myself in the 30's and 40's on a few occasions although I couldn't keep it up for long.

The whole ride was about 37km in all. From home and for some of the ride I had a moving average around 25. That dropped off a bit once I joined the group but It was still in the 20's. Unfortunately the long uphills on the way home put paid to that and I ended up with an overall average of 17 kmh. That's good for me though.


I deliberately hit a few bumps and potholes and the suspension seemed to take it in its stride. I think it is much better than the original shock and a worthwhile upgrade.


Should mention that while in the city I caught up with Baalzamon and visited Justforthehallibut who lived a few doors from where we stayed. I enjoyed the visit and having a look at his stable of DF's and Bents. He has quite a collection.

John

[AndrewBurns]

Quick question, how common is it these days for recumbent trikes/velomobiles to have front (or rear) disc brakes? How is hard braking in a trike/velo different to an upright bicycle? I'd imagine having such a low centre of gravity would mean you could brake very hard, is it possible to use differential braking of the front wheels when going around corners?

[Riggsbie]

Great news John.....

My replacement arrived just the other day as well......so how did you position the valve ? Photos please


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[John Lewis]

Hi Andrew,
Some velos have front disk brakes. Most trikes seem to as well. In the case of trikes the brakes oddly enough are usually independent right and left. So yes we can and do use differential braking at times.

My Mango Velo has the brakes combined into one lever. It uses 90mm Sturmey Archer drum brakes.
Drum brakes are often preferred because they require less maintenance and don't wear as quickly in the velo environment
which can cause a lot of road crud to hit them due to the enclosed or semi enclosed wheel wells.

Rear brakes are not recommended except perhaps as a park brake. Applying a rear brake on a trike or velo could cause a skid, subsesquent loss of control and a roll over.

John

[John Lewis]

Hi Riggsbie,

I haven't taken any pics yet but can if you want.
There are really only two ways the valve can point, up or down.

I thought up was the way to go but then found that it pointed to the rear and was up inside the rear top in such a way that you couldn't see it or easily get at it.

When pointed down it looks forward and is easy to get at. Also the mount for the mid drive gave me somewhere to put the foot of the pump, so I could get a bit of pressure in, I was using an ordinary tyre pump.
For me 5 bars seems plenty but will experiment when I get a proper shock pump.

The fun bit is undoing and doing up the bolt and getting the washers in.
The first washer is easy. I used a tiny bit of grease on the second and that helped hold it a bit.
Put a cloth or something in the bottom else the washer will bounce when you drop it and can be hard to find. That applies to the nut too.

The trick that worked for me was an open end spanner on the nut. Hook the other end of the spanner over or under the final chain depending which way you are turning the spanner. Now use a clothes peg to keep it there.
Use a 5mm Allen key on the other end and it is fairly easy.

Edit: I should have mentioned to cut the cable tie and remove the top clip from the cross member so the body drops down on the tire. That puts things a bit closer and takes tension off the bolt you are removing and replacing.

Of course if you have longer arms and are pretty slim you may not have the trouble I did.

I reckon you will like the shocker when you try it.

John

[Baalzamon]

Rear brakes are not recommended except perhaps as a park brake. Applying a rear brake on a trike or velo could cause a skid, subsesquent loss of control and a roll over.

John

My Ice Adventure FS HD had a rear drag brake/parking brake. It was designed to not lock and only drag giving option to slow the trike down as well, but never caused it to skid

Did a brake test with phil when he had his Ice Vortex+
70mm drum brakes vs Hydro disc brakes.
We were doing 25kph and slammed brakes on at same time. He was stopped within 1m and had back wheel lift. Took me 5m to stop.

[Riggsbie]

Thanks for the tips John !

Harry recommended 5.5 bar for an 80kg rider, so you are probably pretty close ! The one thing I will be glad of, and that's no more squeaking shock, the nitrogen filled shock has squeaked from day#1 !

Looking forward to the improved cornering manners too, mine does feel a little scary at times, not to mention having had wheel spin a 45 kph on wet white paint and getting it up onto 2 wheels....and the odd rear end bouncing in resonance on ripple strips n the shoulder.....

Still love the Mango tho !

Next weekend I might own an M5 carbon, hehehehe


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[John Lewis]

Thanks for the tips John !

Harry recommended 5.5 bar for an 80kg rider, so you are probably pretty close ! The one thing I will be glad of, and that's no more squeaking shock, the nitrogen filled shock has squeaked from day#1 !

Looking forward to the improved cornering manners too, mine does feel a little scary at times, not to mention having had wheel spin a 45 kph on wet white paint and getting it up onto 2 wheels....and the odd rear end bouncing in resonance on ripple strips n the shoulder.....

Still love the Mango tho !

Next weekend I might own an M5 carbon, hehehehe

Yes I weigh about 67 kg so I think the 5 bars will be fine.

I had a couple of minor funnies hitting rumble strip and the like . Resonance, bounce and go sideways. Not at great speed
so no danger. Never been o two wheels yet. Don't want to be like the guy in that video.

M5 eh! Now you are rubbing it in. Green with envy.

I'd like a VK2 if I could find one at the right price.

John