What if you could get a velomobile cheap? would you get one and to motor it?

[autobo7]

This is a petition to asking a major US bike companies to make an economy Velomobile. Thought there might be some interest here.

http://chn.ge/1gC273p

 

[battery]

thats a nice looking coffin.

 

[autobo7]

They are more visible than you would think, and its not designed to be a safety structure just a wind and weather shield. You can pedal one of these easily as fast as a motor bike with minimal effort. I would like to test out the fuel economy of a bike engine with and with out the shell to have some empirical data to show how sweet they are

 

[grinningremlin]

I'd be all over it, if it weren't for these problems: Velomobiles shouldn't be sourced to a company like Schwinn, they are cheapo crap now, considering the speeds you can hit with a full-round fairing, roads (most roads) aren't set up for bikes, let alone trikes with fairings.People here (USA) for the most part, are fat and lazy, so there wouldn't be enough projected sales to even start.The safety issues that the Nader-Raiders would bring up would ramp up the testing costs, and there goes the affordability, and would probably end up classing them as some form of scooter so the government could get it's cut.If you really want to try one, get a LWB recumbent, a full front fairing and a body sock, that's about as affordable as it gets, a minimum of $1500-$2100.
Here's some good "get ya started" info.
http://www.recumbents.com/wisil/whatsup.htm

 

[autobo7]

Ok so point for point sir!

Velomobiles shouldn't be sourced to a company like Schwinn, they are cheapo crap now

I agree, but the is what we want a bunch of crap ones being produced cheap so that publicity will build. Once there are more crappy ones maybe they will make more that are of quality production but still less that 5k-10k! Just Imagine if right now there was only 3 or 4 bicycle manufactures in the USA charging 5k-10k per bike! You wouldn't ever see them and you would think people using them are nuts!

considering the speeds you can hit with a full-round fairing,

True, but you cant do that with a motored bike either(legally at least *wink *wink). With a full fairing you can do 20 -25 easily and faster if you are in good shape.

roads (most roads) aren't set up for bikes, let alone trikes with fairings.

Again same with a motored bike but that hasen't stopped me yet and I also guess you too

People here (USA) for the most part, are fat and lazy, so there wouldn't be enough projected sales to even start

That might be true in some places but in others you see a road bikes a couple times a day! If you could go road bike speed with cruiser effort more pople would get in shape anyway.

The safety issues that the Nader-Raiders would bring up would ramp up the testing costs, and there goes the affordability, and would probably end up classing them as some form of scooter so the government could get it's cut.

You might be right on this one, but they haven't got us or the road bikes yet so only time will tell

a minimum of $1500-$2100.

No way dude! I can buy a road bike a walmart for under 200 bucks(a crappy one but still) and a kayak at bass pro for 300 then some body can do both together for around 500

Your move

 

[grinningremlin]

I'm not against your petition, I just don't think it stands a snowballs chance.
Most people buy bikes like they do new years eve resolutions, that's why there are so many crap bikes out there now, you don't want something that will go 55mph built cheaply.So building, say a $1000 velo cheaply, a few would be bought, a few would be in wrecks, most would sit in a garage/storage unit.Trikes are half again as wide as a bike, riding the shoulder isn't an option in MANY places.US roads are set up for cars/trucks.People are not going to change until gas is up over $5 a gal, then most will find some other "no effort" form of transport, at least in the US, most have been brainwashed into the buying the most perceived comfort, least perceived effort.You can MAYBE build a two wheeled velo for $800-$900 if you did a coroplast or foam body, but no way a decent fiberglassed one.Dig this site, this is the most economical LWB you can DIY-https://sites.google.com/site/recycledrecumbents/home, and your bottom line is still $400.Good luck on the venture, but don't get your hopes up.Here's a pic of my semi-velo, here's a rough rundown:
Bike-$360 (craigslist steal, it's a $1500 bike)
Fairing-$250 (the cheapest one you can buy)
Wood fenders-$250 (not necessary, but very sexy)
Motor kit-$650
That's $1510 cheaping out wherever I could.A trike would add $1000.Just saying.If you get any action please post it here, like I said I'd be all over it.

 

[autobo7]

Sorry, don't mistake my love for lively debate for being upset. I have been thinking about building one from scratch either with corrugated plastic or tent poles and fabric(like old plane fuselage). I figure after I have the trike I could do it with maybe 200 bucks, but I am bad at cost estimation for DIY stuffs. Nice bike btw, yours?

 

[wheelbender6]

I would add a rear hub motor to a velomobile based on a tadpole trike.
You can build a velomobile body from coroplast. Some nice looking ones have been built.
http://diyvelomobile.blogspot.com/

Blue Sky Designs HPV body $400 plus shipping. I don't want the floor pan (Need ground clearance in contruction zones). I don't want the glass canopy as it would certainly fog up in my climate;
http://www.blueskydsn.com/kit_hpv.html

Here is the Flevo Roof $350. No fogging.
http://www.velocityvelos.com/collections/accessories

 

[grinningremlin]

Another point to think on, if the body is to be rigid, it may be impossible to retrofit a motor if MAB wasn't thought of during blueprint conception.Just a thought.There was a neat recumbent motorcycle way back called the "Bicar" semi-caged motorcycle, that had training wheels on arms that would come down when the vehicle went under a certain speed, for footless stops.

 

[Loose Nut]

I see these on the bike lanes here in Holland about once a week. They are cool, they look to me like the old belly tanker salt flats racers. They are fast and quiet, but a really worry about how hard they are to see by a car. If you do get hit by a car, you are not going to roll across the hood and windshield like in a regular bike, you are going under the car. Bad. Bad. Bad.