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

[grinningremlin]

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.

The neat thing about any recumbent is, they are noticed.I can't explain it, but drivers notice a recumbent much faster and longer than a DF, so I gather a velo would be that much more noticed.Most recumbent riders put poles/flags/pinwheels for extra visual.A velo wouldn't go under a car any quicker than a regular bike (measure the bottom of a bumper to where they would hit a velo), a fiberglass bubble will take the shock from the initial hit, the secondary hit to the pavement, and then in all likelihood slide in front, not under the vehicle, essentially making it a full body helmet/cage=safer.It's the width of most roads not accommodating velos and cars that is the most danger I see.

 

[wheelbender6]

Attaching a simple bicycle flag is a good idea for riding a velomobile in traffic.

 

[Zvelo]

I’ve got a CCM Evox 120 for 60$.

 

[peterbmetcalf]

Here in Berkeley, CA motorists give extra space to third wheelers. And with a flag or two, trikes are easy to see.

 

[wheelbender6]

Here in Berkeley, CA motorists give extra space to third wheelers. And with a flag or two, trikes are easy to see.

Not so much, in Texas

 

[travelr53]

You can convert an alternator into a very powerful motor. Three wheels, one rear.

 

[ghz24]

Not so much, in Texas

As I remember Texas they had very wide paved shoulders and the local custom was for a slower car to use that shoulder to allow followers to pass even on a two lane road regardless of oncoming traffic. Very strange to a yankee.
I've entertained the idea of a velo but Illinois is far behind in bike lane adoption.
Plus there are bottle necks with 45+ mph speed limits.