/r/velomobile

Photograph via snooOG

A velomobile, or bicycle car, is a human-powered vehicle (HPV) enclosed for aerodynamic advantage and protection from weather and collisions. They are the most efficient vehicles ever invented.

What is a velomobile?

A velomobile, or bicycle car, is a human-powered vehicle (HPV) enclosed for aerodynamic advantage and protection from weather and collisions. Essentially a recumbent trike with a shell. The aerodynamics makes them significantly faster and more power efficient than regular bikes.

Some main advantages of a velomobile over a regular bicycle:

  • Speed
  • Comfort
  • Weather protection
  • Luggage

A healthy person is able to comfortably cruise at about 35-40km/h (22-25mph) in a standard velomobile.

Velomobiles hold the HPV record for highest speed achieved (144km/h, 89mph), longest distance traveled in one hour (92km, 57 miles) and in 24 hours (1219km at 51km/h or 757.5 miles at 31.5mph).

Related subreddits:

External resources:

/r/velomobile

2,528 Subscribers

2

What happend to the Qlio

Anyone, any idea what happened to the Qlio Velomobile. It looked nice and also quiet affordable. But didnt hear anything anymore for maybe 2 years.

Anyone updates?

0 Comments
2024/10/31
22:01 UTC

17

FF For Sale-Phoenix Area

Selling my 4 year old DF. I bought a month or so ago, by my shoulders are too wide.

Will sell or (possibly) trade for a Strada, Alpha, WAW or Mango. 5k cash price.

Contact Tim for more details.

5 Comments
2024/10/30
01:05 UTC

0

Fireproof eBike battery, for safer battery repairs!

0 Comments
2024/10/23
15:14 UTC

1

Interested in a Quatrevelo

Hi all,

First post here. I am interested in buying my first Velomobile. The Quatrevelo is the model I'd be looking at getting as it seems to offer everything I'd like to have in a Velomobile.

I live in Australia and as I understand it right now the Quatrevelo isn't being made. Are there any second hand Quatrevelo listed for sale anywhere that can ship to Australia?

Any information that can be provided is greatly appreciated.

11 Comments
2024/10/13
03:07 UTC

2

Elf Bike Spare Parts

I have an old Elf bike that my ex bought (with my money) that is just sitting around. It’s been collecting dust for about 10 years now. He stripped the wiring from it before he gave it back to me so that I couldn’t do anything with it. I really need to get it out of storage and I feel terrible just throwing it away. Is there a market for used Elf parts? I’m sure the recumbent bike portion works as a recumbent bike still. I’m just not sure how to go about selling any of it or even what it’s worth. And I honestly don’t want to put too much effort into it because the whole thing is bad vibes and bad memories. Anyone have any advice?

1 Comment
2024/10/10
16:30 UTC

6

F1 Style AWD 4 Wheeled Velomobile

Couldn't it potentially be the fastest cornering vehicle due to the power to weight and aerodynamics alone?

4x4 quadricycles exist but none are aero and super low to the ground like velomobiles
ailerons on splitters for the front and rear wheels could be used to generate downforce, could possibly be actuated with paddle levers behind the steering wheel.

If it worked well enough , I think it would change the world of racing if enough people got behind it.
just imagine seeing the tiniest craft thats human powered turning faster than any vehicle should be able to.

Insane amount of research and development would be needed, but for some nutjobs one off...

11 Comments
2024/09/28
13:24 UTC

4

Fireproof Comparison: the Gouach Repairable Battery vs Bosch Powerpack

Hey guys! We're engineers/designers from France, and we've built the Ultimate DIY Battery that you can repair and refill!

HERE IS A VIDEO OF IT TAKING FIRE! (some batteries were harmed during the shooting 🤣) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJETffg0kFc

🌱 Ride Sustainably with the World's First Repairable Battery

⚡️ Refillable in 5 minutes (just buy $150 worth of new cells every 3 years or so, when they're depleted)

😊 Be Worry-Free thanks to the Fireproof Casing! There's been waaaaaay too many lithium fires!

It's launching as a Kickstarter in September and there is an offer for early-backers here https://get.gouach.com/1 for a 25% discount on the battery!

0 Comments
2024/09/18
16:04 UTC

10

How practical is a velomobile in a city?

Hello, r/velomobile

We are two students from Eindhoven, in the Netherlands, and we are currently researching on velomobiles. We think velomobiles are an amazing way of transportation because of the health and sustainability benefits.

We were wondering how practical velomobiles actually are in busy cities. Have any of you got experience with driving velomobiles inside cities? What are the biggest impracticalities? Can you really use them as an altenative for a car? We would love to hear your stories and opinions.

15 Comments
2024/08/23
12:22 UTC

9

French company built a repairable e-bike battery compatible with 90% of bikes, so you can ride your old e-bike again!

Hey guys! We're engineers/designers from France, and we've built the Ultimate DIY Battery that you can repair and refill!

It works with 90% of the bikes/motor brands on the market, so I assumed that some people here might be interested, if they got a non-functional batteries but they still want to use their e-bike?

We believe that everybody should have control about stuff they own, and we should fight against planned obsolescence!

Here are a few videos about our founder on the battery itself, why we built it, and how to assemble it:

Here are the juicy bits: https://docs.gouach.com

We'd love some feedback from the e-bike DIY builder community

Oh, and it's launching as a Kickstarter in September and there is an offer for early-backers here https://get.gouach.com/1 for a 25% discount on the battery!

(EDIT: You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter to get the latest news!)

0 Comments
2024/08/22
23:19 UTC

2

If I get a velo, how would I get repairs done? Would I have to do them all by myself?

Suppose I have a velomobile and for some reason I cant ride it anymore until it gets repaired. I would have to

  1. Magically find a way to move that thing >100km all the way to the velomobile shop, and I can't think of any way to achieve this.
  2. Then id have to travel all the way back home, thats a €25 and 2.5 hours train ride.
  3. And another day id have to travel to the shop again (€25, 2.5h) and then id have to ride back home (4-5 hours)

Thats an extreme amount of trouble for getting a repair done, so there has got to be another way right?

So I'd probably have to DIY it alot, unless? Could regular bike shops help me with a velomobile?

How do you guys get repairs done if therr is no shop nearby?

9 Comments
2024/08/18
22:55 UTC

10

Can a velomobile be as practical as a 45kph moped for long distance travel? NL

I live in NL - one of the the flattest countries. One of my friends lives 50km away and in order to visit him I would have the choise between velomobile, 45kph moped, 45kph ebike. I also want to travel really long distances, for example in the neighbouring country Germany.

I cannot do a test ride, because I'd have to travel 125km for that first. Since I don't have a velomobile, traveling 125km to the velomobile shop would be difficult.

I don't mind pedaling a bit but I want a reliable vehicle that gets me to B at reasonable speed even if I'm sick or tired. I don't mind sweating but I want the option to not sweat if I need to be somewhere without smelling badly.

And realistically how fast will a velomobile go on the flat? How much does speed still vary because of wind?

More of a side question but would it be possible to get a 45kph motorized velomobile and have it registered/insured as a moped or something like that? Because it would be much more fuel/energy efficient and have incredible range.

36 Comments
2024/08/18
10:19 UTC

1

Possible to convert city bike into something between normal bike and velomobile? Upright velomobile or would that be a bad thing?

I want a velomobile, but not really. I should mention this: I've never tried one before.

I have already 3 bikes that I don't want to get rid of and the house has no space for another vehicle.

But I really want to be faster and more efficient. I frequently cycle >30 km on a single day on my ebike, but it won't go faster than 32kph and the range lacks. I have a road bike too but meh, the range and speed isnt really better than on my ebike

So it got me wondering. Would it be possible to modify one of my bikes so that it will be partly a velomobile? I've never seen an upright velomobile before but I think that would be a nice invention too.

Can a regular upright bike be partly or fully enclosed to be much more aero, more aero than a road bike?

Since I don't really have space and money to get a velomobile as a 4th vehicle, I'm considering to modify one of my bikes and make it a little bit like a velomobile. Is this even possible?

Or do you guys think I really should get a velomobile anyway? Problem is the nearest place that has velomobiles is 127km away from my house and.. I don't have a velomobile so traveling 127km will be hard for me. I'd love to do a test ride, but its so so far away..

8 Comments
2024/08/15
22:37 UTC

11

this is the best tilting trike ive seen. What do you think? What's your opinion on tilting e-trikes?

15 Comments
2024/08/09
18:07 UTC

8

DIY front suspension

These go kart/atv suspension kits are cheap and theres a few sizing options. Would they work?

How do they compare to mcpearsons struts when Handing topspeed/cornering, comfort and durability?

7 Comments
2024/08/08
14:48 UTC

11

Building a velomobile

Hi , I am new here and I had this idea for years. Thing is I'm a designer (hobby) . I designed several things but I'm trying to build a velomobile. I have a few advantages : both my father and brother are helping me , my father is a mechanical engineer and my brother has experience with bicycle repairs and molds , computers etc. I on the other hand studied art , have some experience with sculpture and molds etc. I want to mention that I am willing to spend time and money to learn. My idea is to build a velomobile for mild climates something that you would use on the beach and on plane terrain not in the mountains or hills. I will make compromises on both design and performance in order to achieve this dream. Of course my dream is to build the best one but I want to be realistic so with that said my main question is what should I use for the chassis aluminium alloy, steel,a combination of both? I'm aware that welding is ideal but what are other options for building a sturdy chassis? Thanks!

5 Comments
2024/08/02
08:03 UTC

2

Best way to locate and purchase a PEBL 1.0 bike

I understand these haven't been manufactured for a number of years and while the 2.0 bike looks to be promising, it appears to be a ways off. I wasn't sure if there is a owners group, list, etc. where I could make a post offering to purchase an PEBL bike?

5 Comments
2024/07/29
14:26 UTC

7

Looking to buy a velomobile

Hi there! I'm an adult living in the US who's wanting to transition from walking everywhere (I live in a small Northeast USA town) to 'velomobiling' everywhere. Are there any velomobiles available online that are similar to the fabled better.bike PEBL 2.0? (ie: has good cargo space, has a canopy, electric assist, et cetera)

5 Comments
2024/07/09
20:52 UTC

1

Velomobile For Sale?

Where does one find a used Velomobile for sale? It’s something I have considered over the years.

17 Comments
2024/06/21
05:00 UTC

3

Velomobile grand challenge anyone?

Does anybody else have this idea of a cross country race (across Canada or something) similar to the solar car races they have in Australia? 5 or 6 teams competing who can go the fastest & win a cash prize. I just know that these vehicles can go faster than 35 mph. If regular bikes can go 65+ without the shell, there is no reason why they can't be modified to go faster WITH a shell. That's just my two cents. What do YOU think? Thanks.

11 Comments
2024/06/20
04:34 UTC

2 Comments
2024/06/16
01:27 UTC

3

Vision USA (1974)

Killing time on YouTube I came across this:

https://youtu.be/waM2gg4imtY

I know it's technically a velocar rather than Velomobile, but then what is Quatrevelo?

It has a few distinct features:

  • Leavers rather than circular motion pedals.

  • A round steering wheel like that of a car

  • Gear shifter also similar to that one of a car

I like all these features, as I think that the best way to get people interested in the subject is to make it as familiar as possible to things that are already commonplace, cars in this case.

12 Comments
2024/06/13
14:50 UTC

5

Adventures of a velomobile

I have a cheap 360° camera installed on my Carbon Waw. I edit the cool stuff and post it in small clips on YouTube (no shorts). Enjoy episode 4: https://youtu.be/IBNkriw1VtI?si=JhTUg5DsHw614_A7

2 Comments
2024/05/17
16:16 UTC

10

Enclosed models of velomobiles that don’t look like a coffin?

I’m looking for velomobile models that are not low and don’t look like a coffin/space shuttle, but more resemble a car, have a steering wheel, can accommodate two people, can be fully closed, and are suitable for winter. Speed is not important to me (20-25 km/h is ok).

The only such model I have found that can supposedly be ordered on the EU market is PEBL, but I have read that a lot of customers were financially deceived, so PEBL is not an option. Is there something similar?

19 Comments
2024/05/07
17:44 UTC

4

Anybody familiar with Northern Light Motors?

Anybody have any details on these and any idea what it takes to get one imported to the US?

https://www.northernlightmotors.com/northern-light-motors-faq

7 Comments
2024/04/13
17:12 UTC

6

Help getting my velomobile home

I have bought a Velomobile in Oregon. I live on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. I wanted to ride it home but recently ruptured my Achilles and cannot ride it home. I could pay to have it shipped but... f&%k trucks too. Does anyone want to do me a solid this summer and babysit it or ride it across North America for me?

7 Comments
2024/03/13
06:55 UTC

23

DF for sale: €6600

5 Comments
2024/03/03
14:46 UTC

6

Parts stores for DIY velomobile

I'm currently desining and planning to make a carbon monocoque velomobile in the summer.

I'm having some trouble finding stores which can sell things like:
- tanksteering assembly
- backwheel swingarm (Might do DIY, or some random mtb swingarm)
- frontwheel damper + attachment assembly

Currently found some stores for velomobile specific parts as:
- https://store.bicycle-evolution.com/velomobile/
- https://shop.ginkgo-veloteile.de/en/Velomobile-technology/
- https://t-cycle.com/

Would love to hear where other people have bought parts for their DIY velomobile.

3 Comments
2024/03/02
22:30 UTC

13

Diy velomobile?

I was wondering if there are any open source guides, for how to build your own velomobile? Any thoughts ot tips?

9 Comments
2024/02/27
08:33 UTC

5

Velomobile Research/Insight

Hello everyone!

I am a college student studying Industrial Design, and I am currently working on a project to design a velomobile, and I was wanting to get insight/feedback from the velomobile community!

I have conducted research on pain points/opportunities and I am trying to come up with a potential solution the list of problems I have discovered. If you have more, please feel free to add! I am not trying to make out velomobiles as something bad or inconvenient, I personally enjoy them and would ride in one over any other type of bike

Comfort Issues:
Neck Pain/Neck strain from swinging motion when riding
Back Pain from sliding down/Seat position
Discomfort/inconvenient getting into/out of Velomobile
Sweating when manhole cover/Racing Hood is attached - smell
Rain can ricochet from the ground inside velomobile, making lower body wet
Visibility Issues:
When its raining, Have to lift visor to see/perspiration- rain can get into gap
Certain racing hoods have blind spots
Lower to ground, low visibility for cars
Visor/Glasses tend to get fogged up due to warm air rising up from below the velomobile
Additional Issues
Going uphill- no airflow to go through velomobile
Going downhill- very aerodynamic, hitting breaks creates heat due to drum brakes- can lose brakes
Doing maintenance on velomobile
Awkward layout/inconvenient luggage space
Inconvenient applying Manhole Cover and Racing Hood

One possible solution I considered was utilizing a fabric outer shell/frame using a light, airy, water resistant fabric that would be stretched on a inner frame, to define the shape. I was also considering adding a zipper to be able to remove the fabric for cleaning/maintenance/getting into a velomobile much easier, and make the velomobile cheaper overall.

I am not saying my idea is the end all be all, or if its the perfect idea. I was wanting insight and criticism to further strengthen/develop my concept or find a better solution. Youre insight would be incredibly appreciated!

5 Comments
2024/02/16
22:03 UTC

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