Car Alternative?
I want to like these, but I think they're hard to justify versus a really good touring bicycle, scooter, used subcompact gasoline car, or Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) e.g. GEM
http://www.polaris.com/en-us/gem-electr ... rview.aspx
Being practical, those seem cheaper, just as capable, and less likely to attract unwanted attention.
http://www.polaris.com/en-us/gem-electr ... rview.aspx
Being practical, those seem cheaper, just as capable, and less likely to attract unwanted attention.
I don't really understand the pricing on these. I assume a decent recumbent bike can be had for less than $2k. The components for making an electric bike are less than $1k. Do a couple of carbon body panels and a plexi-glass window really cost nearly $4,500 to produce?
This article is a nice overview of the potential. 100+ mile range on electric only at 40mph. Though illegal in most places.
This article is a nice overview of the potential. 100+ mile range on electric only at 40mph. Though illegal in most places.
I don't think these are a good idea. Although I do need more data on the cost of the electricity and the maximum potential speeds, plus practical information on usage / storage on a daily basis.
I felt the article was understating the capabilities of push-bikes. 10-25km (6.2-15m/h) is exceedingly slow. Unfit people on mountain bikes cruise around at ~13m/h (17km/h) averaged to 11mph with starts and stops, which gets you 5.5m (8.2km) in 30 minutes. 30 Minutes is a nice short journey - anything further than that regularly warrants moving closer.
On a road bike I cruise 17m/h (27.3km/h) which gives me ~7 miles range in that 30 min commute window. Amusingly, since I live in the city centre, I can reach everywhere within 20 minutes.
Electric bikes are locked at 15m/h in the UK, this is a legal requirement. I don't think electric-assisted bikes have this requirement. I'd like to try a Velemobile to see how it helps at higher speeds.
Overall I don't see them being practical given their low height - you'll get killed on most days by other road users and you'll be scrapping along the floor in any journey that consists of using roads or cycle paths. I don't regularly commute along F1 circuits. I also think storage is an issue - there is a regular white van service that removes all bikes of value that are not tied down with D-locks proportional to the value of the bike.
I felt the article was understating the capabilities of push-bikes. 10-25km (6.2-15m/h) is exceedingly slow. Unfit people on mountain bikes cruise around at ~13m/h (17km/h) averaged to 11mph with starts and stops, which gets you 5.5m (8.2km) in 30 minutes. 30 Minutes is a nice short journey - anything further than that regularly warrants moving closer.
On a road bike I cruise 17m/h (27.3km/h) which gives me ~7 miles range in that 30 min commute window. Amusingly, since I live in the city centre, I can reach everywhere within 20 minutes.
Electric bikes are locked at 15m/h in the UK, this is a legal requirement. I don't think electric-assisted bikes have this requirement. I'd like to try a Velemobile to see how it helps at higher speeds.
Overall I don't see them being practical given their low height - you'll get killed on most days by other road users and you'll be scrapping along the floor in any journey that consists of using roads or cycle paths. I don't regularly commute along F1 circuits. I also think storage is an issue - there is a regular white van service that removes all bikes of value that are not tied down with D-locks proportional to the value of the bike.
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I looked at the carbon tub and that's a pretty elaborate (and awesome) design.
I was part of the Human Powered Vehicle team when I was in engineering school. Most of the time we spent on it was biomechanics and getting the molds and lay-up process for the carbon fairings right.
There is a lot of expensive material and resin that goes into those. It's more than twice the price of fiberglass, and requires more expensive curing/molding processes to get right.
It's hard to tell because he covers most of the carbon in padding, but his quality looks VERY nice to me. Better than we did.
Our vehicle was that low, and there's no way I'd want to ride that thing, especially faired, in traffic.
I was part of the Human Powered Vehicle team when I was in engineering school. Most of the time we spent on it was biomechanics and getting the molds and lay-up process for the carbon fairings right.
There is a lot of expensive material and resin that goes into those. It's more than twice the price of fiberglass, and requires more expensive curing/molding processes to get right.
It's hard to tell because he covers most of the carbon in padding, but his quality looks VERY nice to me. Better than we did.
Our vehicle was that low, and there's no way I'd want to ride that thing, especially faired, in traffic.
I live in a large city so that would not be a good idea, there are recumbent cyclists but they are pretty crazy
I think it you are in the market for something like that, you would fair better with the following:
1. Bicycle
2. Moped e.g. Vespa
3. Spare change / Top-up card for public transport
I use 1,3, and a car but make most use of the bicycle and Shanks pony
I think it you are in the market for something like that, you would fair better with the following:
1. Bicycle
2. Moped e.g. Vespa
3. Spare change / Top-up card for public transport
I use 1,3, and a car but make most use of the bicycle and Shanks pony
There is a guy who commutes on a low two-wheeled recumbent through our neighborhood. The bike has a hard-shell storage area on the back so it looks a little more like a car or motorcycle than a bike. He has a big flag - bigger than the example in the photo below - which helps with visibility. I followed him for a while to see how he handled city traffic. He wobbled a lot. I suspect more than necessary. And he took the entire lane. Drivers seemed to be a little more respectful than they would have been with regular bikes.
Adding a big flag would diminish the aerodynamics but would raise visibility significantly.
Adding a big flag would diminish the aerodynamics but would raise visibility significantly.