Sunday, February 11

Velo Mobile


Today I met up with Mitch
Schultz
who is the first velomobile owner in Portland. So what is a velomobile,
and how is it different from what we drive everyday?
"A velomobile is a fully enclosed recumbent (usually a trike) that is
designed for use in all weather. Despite their sleek looks, they are not racing
machines. They are quite fast on level ground and some velomobiles have won
in European HPV races but most designs put a premium on practicality."


The Go-One is built in Germany and comes fully assembled. This fascinating vehicle has most of the advantages of a car, while holding on to most of the advantages of a bicycle. I like what the marketing folks say on their website.
"What other vehicle can you "recharge" with an energy drink and
a powerbar." (Of course in Portaland, we use pastries)

Mitch can ride this to Hillsboro everyday without contributing to the traffic
and pollution of others on Hwy 26, yet he stays comfortably enclosed within the
carbon fiber shell. The velomobile weighs in at only 40kg. (75lbs.) which is amazing
for such a trike. It sports a headlight, turn signals, and a lithium-ion power-assist.
While the $11,000 price may be out of the range of many cyclists. The cost is
comparable to a small car, and the maintanance is dramatically lower. Since most
of the gearing is enclosed, and of course the engine is biological. So for people
who do travel long distances without the choice of waiting until dry weather,
a vehicle like this does have it's usefullness.

2 comments:

westwind said...

I saw this vehicle at the ride, and was so delighted to be able to get the details about it here! Thanks for a great story, and a great blog :)

Anonymous said...

Awesome that you got some info on this bike. I have seen it on several bike event rides and wondered about how much ti weighed and who the gentlemen that owned it was.
11k does seem awfully high. I wonder about the motor...is it an assist type unit like a Stump Monkey?