Velomobile - full speed (Velomobil in voller Fahrt)

[durdee11]

does it get hot inside the shell of one these things during summer rides?

[Anoukkop]

Cute film! Fine Velomobile! I'm lovin' it!! :-)

[Kopeke88]

awesome intro :D ( i want one) :(

[hoodedwonder]

Recumbent bikes are not ideal for going up hills, you have to get speed up and maintain that speed. Large hills would be a killer. But they're far better at comfort and less wind resistance than a normal diamond frame

[Gr1mm1g3r]

@hoodedwonder actually its easier to do uphill on a revcumbant specially a trike...granted ypu slow down a lot.. but even if you shifted all the way to easiest to pedal(granny gear) you dont have to shift position..dont have to throw your weight,,, i've climbed hills that my racing buddies staggered and walked (8 grade)

[ansjol]

What about uphill?

[Pl4rk]

why is it "faster" than other bikes? i mean, you still need to push really hard if you are in a higher gear

[tehbunny019]

because the better aero means you're moving less air.

[experimental0000]

I do agree that $20,000 is ridiculous heck even half that is silly. I know alot of work goes into these but for 20 grand I'd rather buy a car if I have to spend that much to get around. now if it was $2,000 instead it'd be more reachable and competitive to the higher end uprights and some unbodied recumbents

[shorerydr10]

nah i would buy it if if were like 5 grand...

[fightTHEpower08]

what is your experience riding this everyday and in your country (traffic/low ground clearence/maneuverability etc) . what speeds DO YOU achieve and what do YOU call a workout. laugh all you want at my bike, but you cant laugh at what i can do with it.

[lsmike]

I'm not laughing at your bike, it's a very nice bike. I'm smelling the testosterone from half a world away though. LOL!

[fightTHEpower08]

hey just flicked thru some websites and a few vids. didnt bother to look at how low that thing really is. yeah i know, soon as you hit 40km/h wind resistance is huge. makes a lot of sense why fast on the flats and downhills. but they are rubbish at uphill climbs, too heavy and cant apply your bodyweight into the strokes of crank. its pretty phenominal for what it can do. i just think $20,000 dollars and up is pretty ridiculous (im aware of y its so expensive). as a communter a small car is bettr

[fightTHEpower08]

i reckon id love to crack at one of these things just for sheer speed. but it just isnt practical or feasible. i still like my bike for what it can do. light, cambers a lot and is fast enough. im not a testorone head, im more of a thrill junky that enjoys a good work ethic. kudos to making a velomobile work for you.

[lsmike]

I don't have a velomobile myself, although it would probably work rather well for my commute. I ride a recumbent Challenge Fujin SLII which is probably worth about the same as your bike, and a fixed wheel Langster upright bike. I like pretty much any kind of bike, particularly when used well.

[fightTHEpower08]

whats it feel like riding horizontal? seen a few round my area. weird at first? i didnt think recumberants got too expensive, are they popular? never seen one at a specialist bike shop ever.

[lsmike]

It's just a bicycle really. Looks weird, but otherwise is much the same as more conventional bikes. Just like them, it has strengths and weaknesses. Strengths are it's comfort, speed, and safety, whilst weaknesses are that it's not as good for filtering as my fixed wheel, and it's not as quick to get on and off.

[CKYPNKSKTR]

you wife and sister are both well used bikes

[fightTHEpower08]

wow near 70 years of engineering failure. clap clap. its utilises wide gearing and aerodynamics to achieve 50-60km/h in a straight line. wow straightline with little input or breaking a sweat. wow little input. ok, which country do you live in. because already i can confirm exactly where this thing would be useless, Australia. the roads can be barely handle our cars at 70km/h. still this thing is fast on the flat. i dont see hills and all this data is for time trials/speed records.

[lsmike]

LOL, I don't see fightTHEpower08 in the Tour listings.

[KrunchyJD]

@fightTHEpower08 They make Velomobiles in Australia, look up Avatar Supervelo. They are made in the mornington Perninsula near Melbourne. Why would it be useless in Australia?

I agree though with other people their price is off putting.

[fightTHEpower08]

i mean being upright. how can you peddle horizontal motion uphill and be fast? generate less force and power at 90 degrees

[fightTHEpower08]

note all figures are averages not maximums

[fightTHEpower08]

steep uphill = 15/20kmh

progressive uphill = 25/30kmh

[fightTHEpower08]

What useless piece of crap is this? an answer to the worlds fastest billy cart or a rip from a jet powered land speed recording breaking car? this design is good for one thing, a straight line (aeros and tight wheelbase) useless for manouvring or as a zippy and quirky racer. it achieves SHIT!

[lsmike]

You must be a tub of lard, fightthepower, with no idea of what sort of speeds and distances a normal human can easily achieve.

[fightTHEpower08]

i hold two regional records (6km to 8km) at school level racing for cross country from two years ago. Ive swam since i was several months old and still do. I started cycling when i was 13 and have competed in triathlons since i was 15. i chose these sports and disciplines becuase i love them and do them for myself. You wuld have no idea what pain, dedication and determination is! im on a whole different playing field to you. This thing is for yuppies!! ill take my R700 Cannondale

[fightTHEpower08]

light aluminium grade frame with carbon forks and hourglass rear seat stays (frame has a lifetime guarentee, handmande too) over this thing any day. you know why? because this is what cycling is all about, no limitations, just being in the pure element. Tub of lard? do the penrith triathlon in australia (1km swim, 30km cycle, 10km run) and beat 1hr 50 mins. one awesome experience ill carry with me for the rest of my life.

[lsmike]

LOL, and yet IME it's the haters who aren't the doers. Anyone who can do, respects. Riding in a velomobile you'll be both faster and more comfortable.

[fightTHEpower08]

look pal. from an engineering stand point this is nothing new. refabricating a sitting bicycle with a shell. if you dont know how to cycle on the roads, where when how you SHOULDNT BE RIDING. The very people that choose to go for a VELOMOBILE are people like you, they arent truly athletic or know what real training is. how dedicated to riding are you really? one weekend day? thats alright for exercise but dont even dare think you can understand where people like me have been.

[fightTHEpower08]

wait a minute scratch that other shit. this velomobile is ok for fitness, but if you want to learn how to truly ride and safely. join a club (especially triathlon ones) they are extremely friendly (EXTREMELY) and just do a weekend session with them riding. very knowledgable and will help your riding tremedously watever level your at and wat you want to achieve. thats how i started. use this velomobile if you want, safer over long distances if you may thing. the classic bike still the best.

[lsmike]

LOL, you have no idea really. I'm still chuckling at what you think is fast and long training, LOL!

[fightTHEpower08]

ok.

definition of fast = holding 40-45km/h for 30kms

definition of long = 100km ride (hold 30km/h)

sprint on flat = 50km/h-55

downhill = 70km/h + (gearing & size of hill)

thats my definition yours may differ or so will everyone elses. with your comments you intend to say your faster than this?

[lsmike]

Ahahahaha!

[fightTHEpower08]

what is your problem? you really cant justify yourself can you. sit on the fence and concerned solely with speed and distance. your not an athlete, very somber "ahahaha"

[lsmike]

LOL! Your R700 certainly is a very nice bike, but it simply can't come close to matching the speed and technology of a faired velomobile. You can blame the UCI for the lack of technological progress on upright bikes like yours.

[fightTHEpower08]

what are you talking about? are you referring to a velomobile with an electric motor? or just peddle power? peddle alone, you generate greater force in the direction of gravity with every turn of the crank. if its an electric motor then whats the point? id prefer a go kart running on a small motorcycle engine

[lsmike]

Who said anything about an electric motor? And what has gravity got to do with peddle [sic] power?

You're just knocking something that you don't understand, and it shows your ignorance. Stick bikes (aka ass hatchets) are not the only type of cycle, and they aren't necessarily the best, although they might be in some situations.

[fightTHEpower08]

well explain how sitting horizontal is faster then sitting vertical? what different mechanism/gearing system does this have to be faster?

[lsmike]

If you really were the athlete you claim to be, you'd know that pedalling and power delivery is not the bottleneck. It's aerodynamics, and that's where HPVs gain massively over stick bikes. At 20mph, roughly 80% of the work you're doing is pushing air out of the way.

[tomcatfranks]

Sitting horizontal is just more comfortable (there's no worry about the seat being too narrow) and lets you deliver more force with your legs than a convential bike. With a convential bike, you have to force your weight down on the pedals so you end up using more energy to get up hills, whereas in a velomobile, you just push your legs out a bit harder in a cadence that almost feels like walking, and the result is you don't have to 'huff and puff' to get up hills.

[tomcatfranks]

I've built a few velomobiles from scrap, and they take hills very well. The body helps them when going into a headwind. Some velos do have multiple gearing setups, too. I've heard of 50-something speed velomobiles, so it is true they can have alot more gears than convential bikes.

[inushomaruparty]

whats the speed? gear? and spec's?

[pseudotruth]

I like it! Strange shape though.

[sebairaf3]

how many mph?

[MewFushisDad]

Very Cool.  Great Video.