Velomobile Insurance

With the approaching chill in the air in St Louis, and the short daylight hours, I am opting in to get roadside assistance for my commute. Having removed the back tire I've decided thats its not something I really want to undertake by the side of the road in the snow and after dark. About the only game in town is from Better World Club. After a couple of discussions with Kelly at Better World I got the premium service which means that they pay for the tow for a hundred miles. I can use the tow service four times a year. I know that a tow in St Louis (on a flat bed) costs a minimum of $100 so assuming within the year I'll need one...it will pay for itself.

My dealings with Better World Club so far have been fantastic and the piece of mind is worth it. Their site is http://www.betterworldclub.com. If you're interested in signing up or looking for more info, give Kelly a call at: 866-732-1427 and tell them a velomobile owner sent you.

Battery Analyzer

Not knowing how the batteries will really respond to the cold and the fact that I am using reclycled batteries, I am getting two analyzers to put inline between the packs and the motor. The units are from Batteryspace.com

More Visibility

I've also decided that driving a white vehicle around in the snow isn't the greatest idea. There are lights on the vehicle but the headlight just isn't bright enough. I wired an additional bike light to the front and used the 12v (according to Aerorider, its left over for just such a purpose) to run a light outside. Attached with a suction cup to the front should give me enough forward visibility.
I ordered some high intensity strobes from Lightman (http://www.lightmanstrobes.com/). These things are bight and the suction cups they come with hold very well. I initially got one with thinking I could put it on the top and two red ones for the back.

Chili Cookoff

The bike attended its first public event. A chili cookoff (who cares that it was almost 100 degrees out). The bike was very popular and though they didn't allow us to give rides (doing so may have helped our standing with the judges) there were tons of questions. We ended up hooking a power inverter to the batteries and powering some small fans for the booth.

Battery Life

The moral of the story is don't discharge gel acid batteries all the way. I was aware that this was a big no-no but I ended up accomplishing it three times. The batteries weren't completely dead but they were pretty close. So this weekend, I put the batteries on a tester and they failed at the 60% rate. Roast three if not
all six batteries.

Thats neither good nor bad I guess, the NiCad packs are almost ready and they will replace the gel acid ones. More power, less weight and they don't really mind getting cold so we'll be set for winter.

Not even duct tape works

Got the chain guard lined up correctly, and discovered that I am unable to shift out of first gear. Actually I can shift but nothing happens. A quick look and I discovered that the cable clamp has come off of the derauler. Have to make a trip to the bike shop to get a new one.

Duct Tape & Cable Ties

Don't leave home without them.

About half way to work this morning, I witnessed a disturbing "CLUNK" and then started spinning freely. My first thought was that since it happened with a little
bit of resitance, that the axel had broken AGAIN. I pulled into an unsuspecting neighborhood driveway to investigate. I couldn't find anything but the chain had come off. I got the chain back on and continued about 20' when the same thing happens. I motor into a school parking lot and after a little investigation and cursing determine that the chain guard has come loose from whatever held it in place and was riding the chain up to the sprocket and then forcing it off the chain ring.

A cable tie and a little duct tape allowed me to reattach the guard and I kept going.

There was a little more noise coming from the chain than usual which I can adjust tomorrow.

New NiCad Battery Packs

I thought I would post a picture of the new battery packs being built for the bike.

We are recycling old NiCad batteries that are past their suggested life cycle (of two years). A "pack" is built up to be 40 volts at 1.2 Ah. Each pack weighs in at a little under four pounds and measures 6.75" x 2" x 3.5". The packs are then wired together into a "bundle" of three packs to yield 40volts at 3.9Ah. We will be using four bundles per side for 15+Ah. The other side gets the same treatment so we're looking at about 31Ahs of drivetime. The theory right now is that one amp is worth about four minutes at full power. So that means 124 minutes of drive time...without pedaling.

There are more variables in this that you could throw a stick at so we'll wait until the rollout to be sure but its a place to start.

Velomobile Top Ten

I don't mean to steal...but its such a great top ten that it warrants repeating. I believe its from Bryan Ball who runs a fantastic site at: http://www.bentrideronline.com

Top Ten Reasons Why You Must Buy A Velomobile
10. Any day you get out for a ride is better than any day you don't.
9. If your imagination is good enough, any straight stretch of road can be Battle Mountain.
8. Use that five minutes you usually use to check the Weather Channel to catch a few more winks.
7. Like to ride naked? Go right ahead!
6. You'll FINALLY have room for all your bike stickers!
5. Bewildering traffic cops is fun!
4 A lot of fun to stick the word "velomobile" into 1980's Brat Pack movie references...:: "Dong, where is my velomobile?" ::
3. Perfect solution for your neighbor who acts all self-righteous just because he drives a Prius.
2. I know that "Raining Cats and Dogs" is just a figure of speech and frogs rarely fall from the sky, but you can never be too safe.
1. I really can't emphasize the naked thing enough...

St Louis = 5th worst roads in the country

I forget where I read this, but St Louis is suppose to hold the honor of having some of the worst roads in the country. I guess the bumping around while trying to dodge the potholes finally took its tole. I was headed down Ballas Rd. and the right brake failed after the cat fight in the car...not a sound I wanted to hear during the first trip home after the motor repairs.

Upon investigation I discovered that the bolt holding the rotor had worked its way out and was rubbing on the rotor itself. This would account for the massive battery drain I have been experiencing. The bolt head had worn enough that none of the tools I had onboard would fit...stranded once again.

After checking at the residence I was sitting in front of for a part (didn't have the right one either), a car pulls up and two guys get out to talk about the bike...I'm pretty sure they didn't know I was broken down. They drove back home and got some tools and came back and we were able to make the quick repair. Not knowing if I had somehow damaged the brake...they followed me most of the way home just to be sure I didn't have any more problems. They even contributed to the list of growing tools that I carry on the bike by giving me the driver and some bits to fix the bolt if it ever happens again...clearly above the what they needed to do and demonstrates that people are happy to help. In the ensuing frustrating, I neglected to get their names but in case they ever read this...thanks again!

Hey gas is $2.60/gallon

Lets just pull up to the pump and fill 'er up. A coworker was commenting that it cost him $50 to fill up his SUV...he does that twice a week...

Commute for the SUV = $100/week
Commute for the HPV = $.05/week

Motor Fixed

The part finally arrived and cleared customs...good thing it was under warranty, price of part was $360. Need to drill the holes larger to attach it to the frame but got it all wired up and I'm happy to say that we're back on the road!!

Once around the parking lot

Ride home sporting that new logo

Motor Trouble

A followup to a prior post. When the tire wore down the motor cable, it apparently shorted out the motors controller box. The motor manufacturer has sent a replacement controller which should be arriving beginning of next week.

Need for Speed

So my top speed has been 36mph...the air molecules must have been far enough apart...nice gradual downhill run...no traffic...no bumps...

On an fast commute home...I can make an average of 26mph, the typical commute seems to be about 21mph. Now before I get arrested, the law does state that its a top speed of 20mph unassisted by human power. To get these speeds, you will need to use full power and pretty much count on hitting the pedals the entire distance.

Looking to take it easy you'll average 16mph as long as the hills aren't very mighty

Singing in the Rain

So what happens in the rain?

One of my big reasons for getting a fully enclosed velo was those afternoon pop-up thunderstorms that are so frequent in St Louis. There are three removable windows on the Aerorider, the literature you read on the bike says that its possible to ride with them popped open.

While I think this is possible, the mechanism that holds the windows to the frame I don't believe lends itself to this very well. In my opinion...the windows are on and shut, or they are sitting at home. It is possible to carry the top window with you in the velo but the curve on the side windows and their size make it impossible to carry them as well. I have solved this problem by
fabricating my own rollable windows. I obtained the same clear vinyl that is used for Jeep windows and a little velcro and have been working out the kinks. It at least allows me to ride without the fear of getting caught without the windows.

Learning Curve

So...its been a couple of months...logged several hundred miles on the Aerorider...

Yes, I still like it. I've survived the 108degree heat index days. Throw some ice in the camel back and head out.

I've started writing a user guide for the velo. I've had two mechanical problems to date.

The first was a failure of the front axle. The aerorider uses two chains and they join on two sprockets in about the middle of the vehicle. One of the sprockets unthreaded itself and in doing so, stripped the threads and detached from the axel. This required getting a new axel from Aerorider. It arrived quickly but the process of getting the old one off and the new one on took several days. There are two access holes in the bottom of the vehicle but the frame was built
around the axel and apparently nobody has had to remove one yet. The bottom line was the axel had to be cut while in the bike (no small feat) to get it removed. The main replacement bolt was then found to be to long and had to be cut down before it would fit.

The other failure was cable related. There is a cable from the battery to the motor which I'm assuming was held to the inside of the frame by a clamp. The clamp (probably just held on with epoxy) came loose and unknown to the pilot, allowed the cable to rub against the back tire. I don't know how long it took but I got about half-way home and discovered I was trying to pedal this 300lb paper weight up the hill. Don't try this at home. I'm going to replace the damaged wire tonight and should be back on the road tomorrow.

Either way, the moral of the story...check under the hood at least every couple of days.

First Impressions

The workmanship on the velo, as I believe most are, is top notch. I attribute this to the hand construction and values of a smaller run business. The vehicle is completely enclosed and is very
well thought out.

I didn't know what to expect in terms of airflow. There are two electic fans that scoop from under the front, all three windows remove. There is room to store the top window in the vehicle while your driving but the side windows would need to be left behind. There is also a scoop on each side panel that provides a suprising amount of air when you get up to cruising speed.

I have never ridden a trike so I'm sure that some of what I'm experiencing is trike related. The brake steer is pretty severe. This could be a newbies overstearing but we'll see how it goes with
more practice.

There is also a fair amount of chain noise within the bike but I think its amplified. While its possible to hear someone talking to you outside its probably because of the side air scoops. So the windows fit pretty well.

First Commute Home

To say that the vehicle gets stares is an understatement. I was stopped four times on the way home and chatted with curious passer-bys. I got a couple high fives, and thumbs-up from some local squad cars which was reassuring.

It looked like rain so I put the side windows on but left the top off. I also left the fans off as I was curious how it would be without them...turns out it was hot! Make a note to use the fans. About half way home, it started to rain. The wiper did its job, I don't know that I would want to drive it in a heavy downpour but it looks to do fine in anything but a torrent.

I also stopped to put the top window in. It was almost 90 degrees out so I turned on the fans and it cooled things off to an acceptible level.

I have about 14miles to go and have some pretty good hills to go up. I tended to pedal to get started, shifting and about halfway through an intersection I would hit the warp drive to get the rest of the way through the intersection. Once through, I would hit the pedals again. This combination of pedals/motor took me the way home. I'm not sure how to read the battery life indicator but I think I was pretty much out of juice by the time I got home.

Not crazy about the range I got, but I was using the lights, fan, turn-signals, and I had to honk the horn at the hitch-hikers on the side of the road asking for a lift. (Sorry folks, only room for one).

I would highly recommend upgrading the batteries. A co-worker and I are building nickle-cad packs to replace the standard gel-acid ones. They'll use the same charger but will give me a range of 40-50 miles compared to the 20 of the gel-acids.

Sure we know he's crazy

Have you ever piloted a velomobile out of dry dock?

One quick tour around the parking lot.

One quick tour around the parking lot.

The Unwrapping

After a two day stay in customs at the St Louis airport, the vehicle finally arrived. Needless to say, the process of uncrating the bike had a 'few' onlookers. I was fortunate enough to have a co-worker pick up the crate at the aerorider company and re-ship it. His comment about the crate was that it would never had made the trip. He added some plywood to the crate and wrapped the bike in several pounds of bubble wrap. It arrived undamaged except for a broken piece on the
windshield wiper. A little duct-tape fixed that so the wiper worked and it was out of the box onto the road.

The only documentation sent was the standard manufacturer stuff. This was a little dissapointing as it took a little deduction to figure out what the buttons did, we still have a mystery switch that doesn't appear to do anything???

I left the bike at work the first night. It was probably a good thing as we got some pretty significant rain during the commute and I'm not sure that it would have floated home very well.

Aerorider Bound for St Louis

Its hard to believe but after almost four months...my aerorider is ready to ship. I have nothing but good things to say about the Aerorider company and they have gone to great efforts to make the purchase process as smooth as possible. The bike was going to ship earlier but they had a quality problem with the front windshield and had the manufacturer fly another one out to them. A friend of mine will journey to pick up the bike and help get it shipped. We have chosen UPS as the shipping agent and they have been great help getting information about customs, etc. We'll keep posting the progress... Sure it looks like a crate of bubble wrap...but there's a velomobile under there somewhere.

Watch that paint job

After the paint...

First look at the vehicle

The first look at the bike

The decision to buy a velomobile

So why does somebody want one of these things?

- The main reason I wanted one was to be able to bike to work in any weather. It doesn't generally get super cold in St Louis, nor do we get massive amounts of snow during the winter. The weather is usually just bad enough that a commute on a bike is a death wish.

- With a velomobile, not only do you get protection from the elements, but you get another wheel on the ground. Those icy patches that would bring down a bike are hardly noticed on a trike.

- I also had the idea to sell advertising space on the side of it. Buying one is not a cheap undertaking and the next step for me is to get a return on investment. At some point, I'll quit
the ads and probably repaint the bike but for the first year at least...its a mobile billboard.

If you own a non-aerorider velomobile

...please post a reply...

Aerorider Owners

If you own an aerorider, please post a reply

What is a velomobile?

I've heard many different definitions and I'm sure someone will have issues with any I post but a velomobile is essentially a two or three wheeled vehicle, self powered and/or assisted that provides some type of protection from the elements and affords at least a minor amount of
aerodynamics.