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A velomobile or bicycle car is a human-powered vehicle, enclosed for protection from weather and collisions.[1] They are virtually always single-passenger vehicles. They are derived from recumbent bicycles and tricycles, with the addition of a full fairing (aerodynamic shell). There are few manufacturers of velomobiles; many are homebuilt. Some models have the operator's head exposed; this has the advantage of giving the operator unobstructed vision, hearing, and some cooling, with the disadvantage of being more exposed to weather. Similar vehicles that are not human-powered are instead called microcars.
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History
Before World War I Charles Mochet built a small 4 wheeled bike-car for his son. Mochet built many models of small cars called "Velocar". Some models had two seats, most were pedal powered but as the years went by, many were fitted with small engines.[2]
In Sweden a design called Fantom was sold as blueprints and became very popular, over 100,000 copies of the blueprints were sold, but few were actually completed. In the 1980s Fantomen was rediscovered by Carl-Georg Rasmussen who built a redesigned version called Leitra. The downfall of the bicycle car came when economy improved and people chose motorised transport.
Recently, some velomobiles have been converted to provide electric-assist. Electric assist means that a small battery operated electric propulsion system is provided to assist the driver's leg muscle effort. Most Electric-assist propulsion motors are of the inwheel design, such as the Heinzman electric motor or the Bionx. While an electric-assist unit does add extra weight to the velomobile, it is somewhat offset by the flexibility it also provides, especially during hill climbs. The Leitra is currently the commercial velomobile in production for the longest period of time — since 1983. Other manufacturers include Cab-bike, Velomobiel.nl bluevelo and Alleweder, the go-one (Germany), go-one.us and Flevobike (makers of the Versatile).
All current velomobiles are produced in low volume. The only attempt at a mass-produced velomobile which was in the mid eighties flopped. This was the Sinclair C5. The C5 was a delta trike (one front, two rear wheels) with electric assist designed to be massed produced and sold for a low price. The C5 was poorly designed; it was heavy, had only one gear and had no adjustment for the distance between the pedals and the seat which is important to get a comfortable pedaling position.
Additionally in the 1970's the PPV or People powered vehicle was produced. It was a two seat, "Sociable" tandem with a steel sub frame and molded plastic body. It was actually well designed, and relatively light, though weighing over 100 lbs,(a recently restored version weighs 131 lbs) but had flaws in the execution that doomed it as a practical, every day vehicle. Positive features such as easily adjustable and comfortable seats, independent pedaling for both passenger and driver, adequate cargo space and relatively good weather protection could not overcome the negative features such as a complex, heavy and badly spaced 3 speed gear box, ineffective brakes, and pedals that slid on sleeve bearings on steel shafts which made it difficult to use as an everyday vehicle.
Characteristics
A practical velomobile has many competing requirements. It should have as many of the following characteristics as possible.
- Light weight.
- Good visibility for the operator (clear front vision is especially important, but a 360 degree view is also desirable).
- Adjustable seating.
- good manuverability(steering, braking).
- Good roll stability (steering, braking and adverse camber).
- Safety in collision and over bad roads.
- Good ventilation, including a windscreen defroster. This should be adjustable for more cooling in warmer weather.
- Many gears; a vehicle that is heavier but more aerodynamic than a bicycle needs a wider gearing range than a bicycle.
- Good aerodynamics - which confers an increase in maximum speed for a given level of effort, or reduced effort on level ground or against headwinds.
- Low rolling resistance - primarily dependent upon the tyre choice.
- Enclosed wheels, aerospoked wheels, or wheel discs.
- Single-sided wheel mounts - to facilitate puncture repair, inner-tube and tyre changes.
- Good suspension.
- Reliable operation.
- Highly efficient transmission.
- Low maintenance, by virtue of fully enclosed transmission components, such as chainwheel, chain & gears.
- Strength: wheels, brakes, transmission, need to be more robust than on a lightweight bicycle.
- Efficient brakes: An unbraked velomobile with good aerodynamics can rapidly reach dangerous speeds in a descent. Some velomobile pilots have adopted the use of drogue parachutes as used by runners during training. These parachutes need to be stabilised (unlike the ones in the video) to avoid tangling and offer greatly increased drag (page 13) on long steep descents in a bid to avoid brake-fade caused by overheating brakes, an alternative is to remove wheel fairings(if fitted) and take periodic stops to allow the brakes to cool. It is best to use two smaller parachutes than one large, because of the sudden deceleration upon deployment.
- Parking brake - essential to prevent the velomobile rolling away.
- Cargo capacity suitable for everyday shopping.
- Low noise, for both the comfort of the operator and safety in traffic.
- Multiple tracks (tricycle or quadracycle design) for safety and practicality in slippery weather.
- Easy entry and exit.
- Good lighting system. Because of the higher speeds attainable, more powerful headlights are required.
- Good all-round visibility to others. Velomobiles are unusual and much lower than conventional cycles. In contrast with a cyclist on a bicycle, the velomobile offers few recognisable visual clues offered to other roads users by virtue of easily recognisable pedaling movements. Pedal reflectors (currently mandatory in the UK), if fitted cannot be seen. Therefore velomobiles intended for road use need additional visibility aids. A low, small and relatively fast moving velomobile, may be mistaken by an inattentive driver for a much larger car at a much greater distance (totalled Quest velomobile). It is recommended that extensive use is made of front, side and rear running lights, preferably strobes, even in daylight; fluorescent colours; retroreflective decals and tyres with reflective side-walls.
- Dual audible warning devices: a pedestrian-friendly bicycle bell and a very loud horn for motor vehicles and inattentive pedestrians on cycle paths with personal stereos.
- Safety flag for visibility in traffic. The flag increases drag, but announces the presence of the velomobile to drivers who cannot see it directly. If possible, it is best for the flag to be mounted towards the front of the velomobile.
- Low price - currently hindered by the low-volume of sales and manufacture.
DIY velomobiles
With a growing DIY-community and an increasing interest in environmentally friendly "green energy", some hobbyists have endeavored to build their own velomobiles from kits, sourced components, or from scratch. [4] When compared to similar sized commercial velomobiles, the DIY velomobiles tend to be cheaper. [5]
See also
References
- ^ Frederik Van De Walle. The Velomobile as a Vehicle for more Sustainable Transportation ISSN 1651-0194, Retrieved on 2007-11-23.
- ^ The Real History of the Recumbent Bicycle Retrieved on 2008-03-26.
- ^ Sherwood Stranieri (2008-03-11). "An Awfully Tempting Velomobile". Using Bicycles.
- ^ Building a velomobile DIY, description with usable designs
- ^ DIY velomobiles cheaper than commercial ones
External links
- Velomobile Comparison Tables
- Open Source Velomobile Development Project from the IHPVA
- Building a velomobile DIY, description with usable designs
- KV4 (Alleweder) velomobile kit. The aluminium KV4 is an updated version of the proven Alleweder design. Download the KV4 velobile construction manual. Not available in the US. However, the similar ready-built Flevobike Alleweder (FAW+)is available in the US. Kits are available for importation into in the US.
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Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 29 September 2008, at 21:30.
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