A real-life pod racer, but with pedals: Ars checks out a velomobile
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Good news! Looks like a different company took over Schlumpf Drive in April 2024. Can’t post the link here for Spam protection, but search for Kwiggle Bike GmbH or Drive-Mobility[dot]com/en
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I have but it's a traffic light instead of a stop sign that I have a great view of from my porch. The majority of bicyclists do not obey the lights. Jumping off the road to the pedestrian crossing and going through that section (while the pedestrian light is "don't cross") seems to be the most favored method of avoiding stopping at all costs. But as I see it, they'll only kill/injure themselves, the cars will be fine.
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I think close to parity for following laws for bicycles doesn't look good for cars. There is no formal training or certification for cyclists, so would it be any surprise that they are less likely to follow laws? For example it is personally even difficult to find out when and where you are allowed to ride on sidewalks and it changes on a town to town basis around here.
Whereas for cars you are usually required to take specific training, required to have a license, and laws are typically uniform across towns/states, yet people still don't follow them at similar rates.
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Velomobiles originated just after WWI, frequently as tandems so blind war veterans could get around and remained common as cheap transport until the 50s.
Modern trike based Velomobiles took off after the 80s. The main on the road issue of hills can be addressed by using a triple crank for lower gearing or adding an e-assist motor. The issue I've seen in the real world is parking, since a Velomobile won't fit a bike rack. Around 10 years ago I was commuting by bike and there was one Velomobile that had to park on the entrance area instead of the rack by the door. Since cargo bikes and trikes also need a flat parking space this is a design issue to consider.
As an aside a poster on theautopian.com called Toecutter has built his own electric assist velomobile.
Modern trike based Velomobiles took off after the 80s. The main on the road issue of hills can be addressed by using a triple crank for lower gearing or adding an e-assist motor. The issue I've seen in the real world is parking, since a Velomobile won't fit a bike rack. Around 10 years ago I was commuting by bike and there was one Velomobile that had to park on the entrance area instead of the rack by the door. Since cargo bikes and trikes also need a flat parking space this is a design issue to consider.
As an aside a poster on theautopian.com called Toecutter has built his own electric assist velomobile.
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People regularly hit over 70 km/h / 45 MPH downhill on normal diamond frame bicycles. I hit over 33 MPH / 53 km/h on my work commute this morning on a slow commuter bicycle, and I probably wasn't even pedaling. I certainly wasn't trying to go fast. You just have to learn to manage risk, because it's never going to be as safe in a crash (to the user) as the smallest, lightest car. It's a lot safer for those outside of it, though.
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Have you done this in a systematized manner, rather than just "I see this lots"? Because you are absolutely going to get confirmation and selection biases based on observations.
Also, are the lights weight-activated, timed, or camera-based? Would you, if you came to a complete stop at a light that just never seemed to change even if nobody else was there, keep waiting, or would you consider that there might be something wrong with the light?
Actual academic study of this - free from personal bias - shows either similar rates of traffic infraction, or worse rates for drivers.
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I can't argue against what you say happens next to your porch of course (unless you happen to be my neighbor
). However, I believe your observations are anecdotal and cannot be applied to general groups. Perhaps the bicycling culture in your region is particularly egregious. Perhaps your observations are biased. We may never know. In the meantime I will trust what little data is out there.Yes, this is a really important point that in my opinion has a profound impact on the burden of responsibility.
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On topic (sorry guys), as a life long "upright" bicyclist I'm just blown away by the efficiency of velomobiles, even if it all makes sense on paper. The efficiency of upright bicycling is so deeply embedded in my body and brain that it's almost hard to come to terms with these numbers. It's really impressive.
What I'd love to see in my utopian vision of the world is medium to long range bike commuter highways where there's a fast lane for velomobiles and speed phantoms, and a slow lane for everyone else. It doesn't even really have to be painted, it could even work as an unwritten rule. Then people could commute long distance at high speeds using nothing but their own power, without having to worry about cars and without having to adjust to slower traffic all the time. At the speeds these things can reach we might need more stringent safety measures though to make sure no one gets hit at 60mph...
What I'd love to see in my utopian vision of the world is medium to long range bike commuter highways where there's a fast lane for velomobiles and speed phantoms, and a slow lane for everyone else. It doesn't even really have to be painted, it could even work as an unwritten rule. Then people could commute long distance at high speeds using nothing but their own power, without having to worry about cars and without having to adjust to slower traffic all the time. At the speeds these things can reach we might need more stringent safety measures though to make sure no one gets hit at 60mph...
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Front impact -> Dead
Small overlap -> Obliterated
Side impact -> Fucking annihilated
Oblique impact -> Damn....
I think that should summarize the testing results for most entrants.
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Maybe not the best vélomobile advocacy videos when the guy is going 20 km/h over the posted speed limit quite a few times. But certainly impressive...
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My observations are absolutely anecdotal. I've personally witnessed 3 car-bike accidents. And all 3 were 100% the bicyclist's fault. I know there are responsible bicyclists out there, I do see them. Maybe my area does have a terrible bike culture (college town) but if you cross in the pedestrian walk, unless I'm badly misinformed, you are expected to obey the walk/don't walk lights and if in the road the traffic lights.I can't argue against what you say happens next to your porch of course (unless you happen to be my neighbor
Yes, this is a really important point that in my opinion has a profound impact on the burden of responsibility.
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The Velomobile is a fantastic idea that is likely not for me. For me, a big part of the pleasure of cycling is experiencing the outdoors; the rushing wind, the sights, the sounds, the smells. I have my bike set up for an upright riding posture and I take it easy. I don't care if I'm being inefficient. I'm enjoying myself.
Close me into a shell and a big part of why cycling is enjoyable disappears. That open air feeling is sacrificed on the altar of practicality, likely for the sake of commuting or something? If I wanted to be enclosed in a box I'd drive a car.
Close me into a shell and a big part of why cycling is enjoyable disappears. That open air feeling is sacrificed on the altar of practicality, likely for the sake of commuting or something? If I wanted to be enclosed in a box I'd drive a car.
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Sad to hear about the Schlumpf drive company. I wonder if Florian can take back his designs if the company has stopped using them and find someone else interested. I've done the around 100k miles on my mountain drive equipped trike since the late 90s. I saw a few years ago that Florian was now producing some amazing kinetic art, but sadly it is a long way outside my budget.
My only real complaint the times i've ridden a fully faired machine is the extra noise, but even just riding a standard tadpole trike (mine is an original Australian Greenspeed) the aerodynamics are as good or better than a tucked up road bike with dramatically more comfort. Interestingly because the panniers fill in some of the gap behind the seat and don't really stick out wider than my elbows, I am pretty sure I carry normal luggage more or less free aerodynamically - my acceleration is worse, but once I get to cruising speed the actual speed is pretty similar on the flat.
Back in the day I did the ambassador thing here in the UK for Greenspeed, letting people have test rides on my trike, glad to hear such schemes are still going on.
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In my state I don’t need to come to a complete stop at stop signs or red lights. I need to yield to the right-of-way and if it’s clear I can proceed. The laws for automobiles aren’t always the same for laws for bicycles.
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That's the thing about anecdote - it really doesn't tell you anything. For instance, I've been involved in one (very, very, minor) car/bike accident. I was on the bike, and I'm comfortable saying it was 100% the car driver's fault because I was on the sidewalk at the time. Does that mean anything relevant to policy? No.
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In my state, Michigan, they are required to stop at stop signs and red lights. Maybe half of them actually have lights. Can't even remember the last time I saw a bicyclist use hand/arm signals. Maybe they all moved here from your state?
From the state website:
- Bicyclists are required to slow down and come to a complete stop at stop signs and traffic devices signaling red.
- Some traffic signals only work when they detect a vehicle at the intersection. Dead red laws that allow cyclists to proceed through a red light, after they are stopped at an intersection for a complete light cycle and/or when there are malfunctioning signals.
- At night, a bicycle must be equipped with a front white light visible from 500 feet away and a rear red reflector visible from 100 to 600 feet away. Additionally, a rear red lamp, visible from 500 feet, may be used.
- Bicyclists must use hand/arm signals when turning and stopping.
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I know it might be antithetic, but I'm wondering whether anyone has started creating e-velomobiles... seems to me like that would be a solution to the uphill issue; I know I sure wouldn't want to ride one of these on the switch from down/flat to uphill in traffic, just because I'd be switching rapidly from ~40km/h to 5km/h while the traffic is still moving at 50 or 60 (or more realistically, a mix of 60 and 80). To someone going 80, I'd be switching from an object that can't hop sideways out of their way and is going half their speed, to something that is effectively stationary and can't hop sideways out of their way, in pretty short order.
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My view is this: cyclists and drivers bend and break the law frequently, but typically in different ways. Most times it happens so often they probably don't even think about it. In general though cyclists have far more skin in the game than drivers. When a cyclist makes a mistake, they will typically suffer consequences greater than any fine would produce. When a driver makes a mistake, it is usually someone else paying the price. Many of the times I see cyclists bend the rules it is because the rules or environment were not created with cyclists in mind. One good example is a T-intersection with a cycle path. There is often no good reason for a cyclist to be forced to stop for traffic that will never turn into their lane. If the cycle lane was a car lane, there would be no light for that lane, but because the city couldn't be bothered to properly provision for cyclists, they are forced to stop for no reason.
In general, driving is a socially acceptable means of imposing negative consequences on the people around you for the sake of personal convenience. Even if you eliminate the pollution aspect. There is noise, risks to public safety, loss of public space (e.g. car parking), and even just increasing traffic congestion for other drivers. These are all negative consequences that most drivers don't even think about and expect everyone else to pick up the tab on because that's what everyone else does (or are forced to do).
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The best setup I can see for this is for a rear hub motor with a relatively high torque gearing. This is pretty mechanically simple. (just need a battery, a hub wheel, controller, and battery. However with European regulations, the 250KW assist limit generally would push the system to a more complex , shared drivetrain configuration. Since most of these velomobiles seem to be EU imports, I don't see it being a huge thing.
Your best bet would be to buy an plain one and add an aftermarket hub motor. (At least in North America). Since the higher power limit (750Watt in the US) allows for more torque. Even then You would have to be very careful not to overheat your motor on a long climb. There is also the issue where adding the motor will probably add some extra drag to the overall system, reducing speed on the flat. How acceptable that is really depends on your environment.
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Interesting thing here is that since wind resistance isn't that big a thing on a velomobile, assuming you've got momentum, a battery assist could probably be fairly low power on the climb, and the added mass would only affect acceleration, not traveling energy, on the flat.
So what you'd probably want, in order to stay within the torque/power limits in the EU, is a maximum torque differential (because as you say, if it's not for the EU, it's likely fully in the DIY realm) that's low enough to prevent overheating. So unlike an e-bike where the battery can be used as an accel assist, in this configuration it would be more to flatten out the decel curve on hills.
Of course, such a system could then also be relatively easily tweaked aftermarket to supply more torque and provide an accel kick too. But it's the deceleration that's a safety hazard, and today's battery tech could help mitigate that hazard.
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Keith Tanner
Ars Tribunus Militum
I have been enjoying the comments from velonauts and have done some very interesting reading on both velomobiles and recumbent bike design thanks to this article. I'd love to try one someday.
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Can Confirm. I ride one of these things in Los Angeles.
I rode a Canondale recumbent through Hollywood and in the Valley during rush hour, and at times people would get too close for comfort, and that's on a bike that has my head only a foot lower than a regular bike - I'm eye level with regular cars.
I got a Velomobile for an ultra long commute and electrified it so I could go up mountains (not hills, mountains), and people give me a ton of space in this thing! Even though I'm lower to the ground, and eye level with the super fancy hyper cars that zip around town.
Best bike rides I've ever had regarding personal safety and people interactions.
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Feels like the extra shielding makes it harder for drivers to estimate your mass, and they subconsciously view you as more of a threat for damage to their vehicle. You should try to paint it with a "Mad Max" theme for some extra safety.
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I've added a Bafang BBSHD to mine, and I use it for climbing the mountain to get home after my rides.
I initially bought the bike for a commute that was going to be 60 miles round trip, as there's a protected bike path for the majority of the route, as well as it was cheaper than buying an electric car - the commute by car was $100 a week in gas!
So I bought it, modded it, then the pandemic happened, and my job became work from home. No more commute!
I still ride it around town, they're much bigger on the inside than you'd think.
I can fit 3 bags of groceries in the back.
Cheaper than a car, no registration, and much more fun.
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Just to focus on this one, specifically. A law mandating the use of hand/arm signals seems like a good idea on the surface, but it's deeply problematic for a cyclist. If somebody does something stupid - overtaking me and then doing an immediate turn, cutting me off, for example - I'm not going to take my right hand off the brake to signal that I'm stopping. I'm going to squeeze those brake levers like my life depends on it, because it pretty much does. Under a law like that, I've immediately broken the law, despite my action being the safest/best/least bad option in the circumstances.
Turning is also problematic; if I need to move over to the right (equivalent to the left in the USA) to make a right turn, I'm doing a head check to make sure it's safe to do so. I am not taking one of my hands off the handlebars to signal what I'm doing while I'm in a position that compromises my ability to keep the bike moving in a straight line - even if the law says that I'm supposed to. (On a side note, this scenario is one I generally try to avoid. Fortunately, it's legal for a cyclist to do a hook turn at all intersections in Victoria, so it's relatively rare that this situation crops up.)
In other words: it's not good enough to point at the law and say "They're breaking the law!" You need to understand why the law is being broken, which then informs whether or not the law should be changed to reflect practical reality, or if the individual should be charged with breaking the law.
I'm not saying that all law breaking by cyclists is justified. Only that enough of it is that my first reaction - as a cyclist - upon seeing somebody else complaining about law breaking cyclists is to wonder what the specific circumstances and reasons are. (And, still speaking as a cyclist, there are times when I'll look out the window when I'm driving and shake my head at the idiocy of some other cyclists. We're not all innocent in this, and I'm not saying that we are.)
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How much storage are you looking for?
I have a Quest XS, which is built for "short" people.
Being that it is built in the Netherlands, short means "under 6 foot tall"
With it, I can fit 3 bags of groceries in the back.
Other people have posted on recumbent forums of putting storage in the nose area, and they pack enough food and gear for weekend camping trips.
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How many of those drivers were speeding shortly before getting to the light?
I'd imagine that, as a first order approximation, 0% of the drives in the US get completed without breaking the speed limit at some point. The issue is not that one side or another is more indifferent to traffic laws. It's that the different technologies drivers and cyclists are using leave them very sensitive to different classes of traffic laws.
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It is hot in there in summer.
Some of us add cooling ducts and the take other steps to help with cooling.
I'm in shorts and a T-shirt down to 40F outdoor temps, as long as I'm hustling along.
Then eventually, when you have zero body fat, it's cold when you step out even at 90F ambient temps.
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Speaking with about 20,000 miles of enclosed bike riding, a velomobile feels more like a sports car in its handling than a bicycle.The Velomobile is a fantastic idea that is likely not for me. For me, a big part of the pleasure of cycling is experiencing the outdoors; the rushing wind, the sights, the sounds, the smells. I have my bike set up for an upright riding posture and I take it easy. I don't care if I'm being inefficient. I'm enjoying myself.
Close me into a shell and a big part of why cycling is enjoyable disappears. That open air feeling is sacrificed on the altar of practicality, likely for the sake of commuting or something? If I wanted to be enclosed in a box I'd drive a car.
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I most emphatically am not saying drivers don't also do illegal, dangerous stuff in intersections. They do, way too often, and it clearly creates a very real threat to pedestrians and other motorists when they do. But I never see drivers blow through a light after the traffic column has stopped (most likely because they generally can't - if the car in front of them is obeying the light or stop sign, they pretty much have to follow to suit), and I do see it, not infrequently, with bicyclists. It creates a hazard with any bicycle, but particularly so for recumbents.
(And this is not about me wanting bicycles off the street. I don't feel that way at all. I am merely reporting what I observe, and why it concerns me.)
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That might be regional.
I live in Detroit, and it's common for cars to blow through red lights for quite some time after the change to red.
Usually they are lucky and survive, sometimes they don't.
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They are OK, stable due to 3 wheels.
Living in town, a 35 MPH crosswind isn't a problem.
I've not been in rural areas under the same conditions.
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Building a DIY-velomobile from scratch, looks a lot easier than done. First, you need to build a proper plug (positive model) to build the molds. The velomobile body requires at least three molds (left side, right side, bottom) and a at least an other three or four molds for the wheel wells. Its a considerable amount of skill, time and money involved to build a functioning velomobile.
Take a look at the images of "The Milan Story" to get a rough idea how to build a velo from scratch: miwik.de/?p=5603
Velomobile.NL also documented the design of their "Snoek" model in their blog: velomobiel.wordpress.com/snoek
It really depends on the velomobile model and your vehicle speed. They are fairly light vehicles with a huge side profile, so any cross wind, or the strong wind gusts from oncoming trucks, are pretty noticeable. In the more stable models, its just an "oops", but the less stable models can get blown across half the lane before you catch them.
The Milan SL, Milan GT and the new Bülk are known to be fairly stable in crosswinds. They do "sail" in cross winds! Its pretty amazing riding more or less effortless at 60-70km/h on a flat street in a steady 30km/h cross wind.
Even as a novice on my fourth day ride with my Milan GT, it was totally ok travelling at 50-55km/h in a 35km/h cross wind with occasional strong 50-60km/h gusts. It didn't feel comfortable going 70km/h at the time, though. Now, 25,000km later, I only skip the few days in the storm season (late Autumn till Spring) when there are winds stronger than 60-70km/h (mostly due to the dead tree branches on the streets).
The DF (the orange-green velomobile in the article) is less stable. I've never tried one, though.
The older Quest and Quest XS models are known to be pretty bad in that regard. Their round nose section induces uplift in strong side winds, resulting in reduced grip at the front wheels. So while you get blown all over the place, steering and braking are compromised. That unfortunate behaviour is greatly reduced by taping a "Stormstrip" (a strip of triangle shaped tape) lengthwise over the nose to break the wind flow, though. Haven't tried these models either.
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True.
But that first video is one of the best examples how fast these things can go on fairly gentle 1-2% slopes and how little they slow down on the next 1-2% incline...
Judging by the sun light and the empty streets, the guy rode his Milan fairly early in the morning (6 or 7 AM?), most likely on a Sunday. Otherwise there would be traffic and he would have bin overtaken by dozens of cars. No matter his speed.
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Very much enjoyed the article and the comments.
I bought a Flevobike Racer and Velomobiel Quest (#41) in 1999 and sold the Quest in 2009. For context: I live in The Netherlands. Both are Dutch designed/build bikes. The Flevobike is a unique two-wheel recumbent with front-wheel-drive and center-steering from the hips. Hands are only required to brake and shift gears. It is very fast and relaxed to ride once you master it.
The Quest was an absolute blast to ride. So fast and comfortable, and so much fun. It rides like a cart. Mine was white and felt snug like the gliders I flew back then. I cruised at around 50kmh. I originally bought the bikes to commute from Amsterdam into the polder but when I changed jobs my daily drive with the Quest was from Amsterdam west through the city center to my job at Science Park in the east. I felt like a movie star with tourists making pictures while waiting for traffic lights.
To respond to some comments.
A 'safety flag' does absolutely nothing for visibility. Drivers do not take your speed into account and simply don't look far enough to see you coming. Make eye-contact.
Climbing a hill - or a bridge - is only an issue due to the extra weight, not due to not being able to stand on the pedals. With pedal clips - mandatory in a velomobile - one can deliver more power than by standing on the pedals.
Electric assist is moot as - at least in Europe - it is only allowed up to 25kmh. This means you'll hardly be able to use it but still carry the extra weight. Not to mention that owners are above average fond of the human power aspect.
Wind from most directions makes a velomobile go faster due to the wing-shaped profile. The speed of the velomobile shifts the actual wind into a relative wind which results in forward 'lift' much like on a windsurfer.
Most - all? - velomobiles have holes in the floor for the heels. This gives plenty of ventilation although I can imagine less so with a full cover.
While the fuselage is thin, some parts are really strong. The bulb at the top for example acts as a rollbar.
A velomobile is hardly a replacement for a bike or a car. It is hard to park or store, it is no fun riding with other cyclists - unless with other velonauts (shameless stolen from another post in this thread): search images for 'velomobiel oliebollentocht' - and you cannot transport your family. I had to sell my Quest when I moved and lacked storage. Still have the Flevobike.
I bought a Flevobike Racer and Velomobiel Quest (#41) in 1999 and sold the Quest in 2009. For context: I live in The Netherlands. Both are Dutch designed/build bikes. The Flevobike is a unique two-wheel recumbent with front-wheel-drive and center-steering from the hips. Hands are only required to brake and shift gears. It is very fast and relaxed to ride once you master it.
The Quest was an absolute blast to ride. So fast and comfortable, and so much fun. It rides like a cart. Mine was white and felt snug like the gliders I flew back then. I cruised at around 50kmh. I originally bought the bikes to commute from Amsterdam into the polder but when I changed jobs my daily drive with the Quest was from Amsterdam west through the city center to my job at Science Park in the east. I felt like a movie star with tourists making pictures while waiting for traffic lights.
To respond to some comments.
A 'safety flag' does absolutely nothing for visibility. Drivers do not take your speed into account and simply don't look far enough to see you coming. Make eye-contact.
Climbing a hill - or a bridge - is only an issue due to the extra weight, not due to not being able to stand on the pedals. With pedal clips - mandatory in a velomobile - one can deliver more power than by standing on the pedals.
Electric assist is moot as - at least in Europe - it is only allowed up to 25kmh. This means you'll hardly be able to use it but still carry the extra weight. Not to mention that owners are above average fond of the human power aspect.
Wind from most directions makes a velomobile go faster due to the wing-shaped profile. The speed of the velomobile shifts the actual wind into a relative wind which results in forward 'lift' much like on a windsurfer.
Most - all? - velomobiles have holes in the floor for the heels. This gives plenty of ventilation although I can imagine less so with a full cover.
While the fuselage is thin, some parts are really strong. The bulb at the top for example acts as a rollbar.
A velomobile is hardly a replacement for a bike or a car. It is hard to park or store, it is no fun riding with other cyclists - unless with other velonauts (shameless stolen from another post in this thread): search images for 'velomobiel oliebollentocht' - and you cannot transport your family. I had to sell my Quest when I moved and lacked storage. Still have the Flevobike.
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Nah, that's being too conservative.
You have to replace both front wheels with pedal assist hub motors. Dual 750 W motors! Sure, you'll be adding a lot of weight for the two batteries, but you won't have to worry about hills anymore. Could even route the throttle controls to each steering arm for when you're too tired to pedal anymore.
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Left arm is used for all signals on a bike (at least in North America, might be different in right-hand-drive countries, but this law you're commenting on is from Michigan). And signals aren't required in emergencies (do you see anybody in cars hitting the turn signal before swerving around an obstacle in the road or hitting the hazard lights before slamming on the brakes?). Signals are for advance warning to let people know what you are planning to do soon so they can prepare for your actions.
You do the head check, then you signal, then you check again, then you move. Same as in a car: you signal before you move, not after you start to move. Are you really travelling so fast without paying attention to where you are that you can't spare an extra second or two to signal ahead of time? "Oh shit, that's my turn, sorry!" doesn't really cut it.
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I'm pretty sure for cycles you can you what ever hand you want. Left arm is for cars (assuming your arm isn't long enough to pass through the passenger window. However most drivers I know don't encounter them enough for hand signals to be effective. You can try it out with your friends (who don't cycle), randomly ask them to identify a stop hand signal. If they take longer then 3 secs to figure it out consider it a failure (in real life, if other drivers take longer than 3 secs to identify what you mean, then it is too late to matter). I have seen cases where a turn signal is misinterpreted as an invitation to pass for potentially serious consequences and I don't see anyone faulting the driver for failure to heed the hand signal. I have a hard enough time for drivers to see me on the road at all, expecting them to see me pointing my hand and understand what I mean is a bit of a joke. We barely expect drivers to use their turn indicators properly.
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