Velomobile drafting

[KrunchyJD]

Velomobiles are a great solution. They are a great machine. It is also time for elietism in terms of cycling to die a sudden death. We need to stick together as cyclists, because in my experience, here in NSW, Australia, our true enemy is car drivers, not other cyclists. I think velomobiles are great, and I also think bicycles are great. We also have peak oil on the near horizon. When are people going to live up to that reality, and promote cycling in all its forms.

[freddotu]

@KrunchyJD, I once thought that automobile drivers were an "enemy" but such is not the case. In order for cycling to be recognized, such attitudes have to be adjusted. Since I've learned to ride properly, by taking the lane, I've found that other road users are better able to deal with changing lanes and passing safely. Individuals may have personality problems that make them poor drivers, just as those same individuals can post irrational messages here, as I'm sure you've seen below.

[KrunchyJD]

@freddotu After I have been treated like crap by Australian drivers, here in Australia, and see their redneck attitude, and after I have had things thrown at me and told to get off the road, simply because I was riding my bicycle, my attitude I believe is understandable. When I see the attitude of Motorists here be reasonable I will change my mind, but until then, it wont..

Cont...

[KrunchyJD]

@KrunchyJD I am a transport cyclist by in large. I also think that people who drive unnecessarily have to take on some of the blame for the oil wars, that their behaviour creates. If they stop others from cycling (which by definition uses less oil), then they are twice as bad at least, because they are creating an even larger dependance on oil. The world is close to peak oil, and we will need now to get oil from more dangerous, hostile, and environmentally destructive places.

[freddotu]

@KrunchyJD, I can appreciate that your perspective might be a bit more severe than mine. I once thought that there was no worse place to ride than in most states in the USA, but I've learned that is not true. Certainly your experiences bear that out. There should be a catastrophic failure of petroleum based transportation systems to teach some of these drivers about alternatives.

[HelloOtter]

i would get super pissed off if i was driving and came across two stupid assholes dicking about at slow speeds side by side taking up the whole lane

[freddotu]

@HelloOtter, skilled drivers are capable of changing lanes and performing a safe pass. Unskilled drivers become "super pissed off" and endanger others. Perhaps an anger-management course would be useful, along with a driver-refresher course.

[HelloOtter]

@freddotu this maybe true - but when a motorist gets super pissed it will most likely be your life at risk, not the motorist's

[freddotu]

@HelloOtter, my experience has shown to be the opposite. I have far less trouble with motorists after taking cycling safety courses. The "pissed off" motorist is an overblown illusion. There are plenty of people willing to post inane comments on various forums, but in real life, it's far different than your imagined example.

[fairyheli2]

he told you to fuck off at 2:06

[1994xs]

wow how much cost ??

[freddotu]

@1994xs, in the USA, one can purchase an aluminum bodied velomobile for less than US$4000, and you can get more exotic models for many times that figure.

[emforty2]

most commutes are less than 20 miles

the velomobile is the perfect solution

and probably the cure for rampant obesity

but we need to get rid of cars first the scourge of society

[BeatboxKingS]

Finally!!!

People getting off their fatasses and riding some bikes

=P

Keep making videos man

[sz71ross]

imagine if he had to stop quickly..... lol and you claim motorists drive risky huh?

[lsmike]

I guess you're unaware of just how much more powerful recumbent braking is than upright braking.

[ramtes1971]

Cyclist: Compite each other as much as we enjoy.

But unite against our common enemy.

CARS: a good invention, but not used properly that is causing several problems around the world.

[KrunchyJD]

@ramtes1971 Here Here, CARS and car drivers, but in particular the aggressive ones that try to stop people riding their bikes/ trikes/ velomobiles.

[skolms]

Brilliant video. Was sweet when you passed the other guy for the first time after the downhill.

[experimental0000]

wtf was with the upright 'racing' cyclist flipping the velo off at 1:32? for the most part it seemed like 'friendly' competition but the upright guy seemed kinda like an 'elitist' i.e. type of person who suits up in everything and uses a road/race bike and acts stuck up. not all uprights are like that but some are. though probably done for air, the lid closed would be more aero :)

[freddotu]

I do close the cockpit visor when going down hill (down-bridge) for the improved aerodynamics at the higher speed. It is critical that the visor be open in warmer temperatures as it is the only airflow in the vehicle and is needed for cooling the human bean.

[101xfmrogers]

hey it's sounded like you had a electric motor when you were accelerating from the stop sign!

[freddotu]

There's plenty of chain noise and road noise in this velomobile. Under acceleration, the two chain rollers make a good bit of rumble that echoes in the body panels.

[101xfmrogers]

That's quite a fast machine! I built my own recumbent with bed frame rails and the front of a junked tricycle for elderly people. I have no welder and don't know how to use one. Because of that, the frame flexes every time I pedal or hit a bump. A a result that's robbing all my speed. I'm planning to build a simpler and stronger frame out of a basket round basket ball net support post. Someone can weld the components on it. My old recumbent weighs 60bls. I hope the new version will be lighter

[lsmike]

I'm not so sure he was flipping, rather some sort of other signal.

[shorerydr10]

@experimental0000 What the hell. Why does an 'upright' cyclist who is going fast and looks fit seem 'elitist'?

[experimental0000]

@shorerydr10 Quite a few Road Cyclists ( i.e. using road bikes with drop bars) tend to have a bad habit of acting snobby to others. Not all mind you but some. To me it looked like he was trying to show the velomobile "who's boss" and it rubs me the wrong way considering almost every vehicle driver does the same to any cyclist.

[KrunchyJD]

@experimental0000 People who ride/ drive bicycles and tricycles of all styles need to stick together. The problem for cyclists is not other cyclists, it is people in motor vehicles. There are too many cars, and too many car drivers who are aggressive to cyclists. That is my experience here in NSW, Australia, anyway. Bicycle/ Tricycle/ Velomobile riders need to stick together. Our true problem is aggressive car drivers, not other cyclists.

[experimental0000]

@KrunchyJD  agreed,

[DoYouLikeThisName]

@experimental0000 He was only pushing his shades back up his nose. lol 

[DoYouLikeThisName]

@experimental0000 He was fixing his shades.

[KrunchyJD]

My understanding, is that velomobiles are faster on the flat or downhill than uprights, but uprights are faster at going uphills. I Dont think the guy on the bike was pissed off, just competitive.

I personally think cyclists of any description need to stick together, our enemy isnt each other, its the stupid, inconsiderate motorists.

[Hvitiris]

I think that's pretty much it, some recumbents climb relatively fast but a velomobile I imagine, once aerodynamics cease to be a factor, would slow down quite a bit with the extra weight and extra wheel. But on the flat and downhill no cycle comes close, asise from a faired lowracer but I imagine they'd be quite impracitcal around town.

This is a very cool video and I agree we cyclists should all stick together regardless of our choice of bike.

[freddotu]

It does appear that many motor vehicle operators and other bicycle operators are threatened by some unknown and imagined reason.

[SCRTpilot]

@freddotu

I think it's the realisation (when people see this green way of transport) that everybody should bike instead of driving a car. And any change is counteracted and often ridiculed by (human) nature.

[crazyryan]

@SCRTpilot  yea try delvering pizzas for 5 to 7 hours a day!!!!

[withindarkness]

Man... every velo vid, and most of the recumbent vids I've seen are full of pissed off bicyclists.

They see "60km/h" and immediately start with the "mountainous terrain", etc.

Cars can't see you? Ridiculous... your not much smaller than some cars, in a solid, colored shape.

Why not go over to a Honda Civic video and tell them all about the mountain trails?

Let's see you ride your bike where I can walk, if you wanna play it that way.

It's all excuses made up to soothe easily damaged egos.

[withindarkness]

I don't yet own a recumbent or velo, BTW.

Strictly upright at the moment, and I don't get where all the velo/recumbent hate is coming from.

It seems like a lot of people are feeling threatened for whatever reason.

[dougeroonie]

@withindarkness you got it, key word is 'EGO' which is part of us, but some have it on 'overtime'. Anything different bucks the 'status quo' which the ego prefers.

Yes, you would see one zipping along, fine. Now I have seen an 'almost no drag' (barely measurable) magnetic generator powered, flashing head/tail light from the UK that would seal the deal. These velomobles are very cool.

Thanks Fred for the slick video and congrats on your 'lance' pedaling at 41mph, it's fun isn't it?

[onebrandofdemocracy]

That's nothing posers. I've managed to average 42 1/2 mph for 3 hours straight on a slight incline...pussies.

[freddotu]

That's pretty much unbelievable, so I choose to disbelieve.

[deezynar]

The results of this "contest" are exactly what is to be expected for the conditions. Do you have a video that shows you getting dusted by an upright bike on a long mountain climb? How about all the times you've been nearly ran over by a car because they didn't see you? How would you do in 105 degree heat? Each vehicle has pros and cons. If you presented it that way, I'd have no problem. You're cherry picking here though.

[freddotu]

are you threatened by this video?

I've "nearly been run over by a car" in far fewer circumstances than you might think.

I'm not trying to convert you to any specific focus, so there should be no problems other than in your alleged mind.

[miamidot]

You didn't do a complete stop at the stop sign!

[lynnakramer]

@miamidot not required by cyclists in most states; look it up.

[Mazapagon]

Added this to my list of faves. Nice!

[freddotu]

socomcorky, I'm able to maintain 20 mph on flat ground, no wind. I can hold that speed for a couple of hours, but usually don't have that far to travel and get a little worn down after a day's work. I have sprinted to nearly 30 mph to catch a light before it turned to red. I can't do that for very long!

[Dershnof]

I can maintain 25mph for about 45 minutes..and 15-20mph for a couple hours. The fastest speed and longest time I recoreded was 34mph for 7 1/2 minutes..not easy!

[socomcorky]

What kind of speed can you cruise at?

[rbrown3rd]

If I am not mistaken our little El Cheapo vidcams that we hacked deliver in Divx also.

[freddotu]

apparently that was a default sort of thing. The video is from a sony digital camera in video mode, converted to avi, then converted to divx and uploaded. Apparently YouTube thinks Divx is high quality.

[rbrown3rd]

Your video has a "watch in high quality" link under it. How did you upload to get that option?

[freddotu]

This was a test run for the extra vertical mirrors. Too far out of my field of view, so they've been removed.  The standard mirror works fine.

[rbrown3rd]

Nice video Fred. I understand what you are saying about it being nice to have a rider with you for pacing and just plain fun. Keep the videos coming. Isn't that mirror a lot of aerodynamic drag? I understand it is a necessary safety device on the road.

[freddotu]

Curiously, I have one of those types of recumbents. Mine is a Gold Rush Replica with the "body stocking" for improved aerodynamics.

I don't think this rider was a bad fellow, simply competitive. I was happy to have him there.

[MewFushisDad]

This reminds me of the cyclist who stopped by the LBS where I work with his two wheel recumbent bike with a fabric full faring that closes tight around his neck.

We were chatting away when another cyclist stopped by on his Merlin DF road bike.

The guy with the Merlin was a real snob. I talked him into doing a ride with the guy and his recumbent bike. Can we say condescending?

The guy with the recumbent handed the Merlin rider a whole big can of whoop ass....LOL

[freddotu]

I don't mind another rider wanting to draft, but I don't think there is enough of a break to make it effective for upright riders. It was fun to have someone else on the road, since I usually ride alone during my commutes.

[Superdave1051]

I love the way he went down on his drops and attempted to find a draft behind you. Great video!

[markstos]

Funny.