[Bent] Riding when it's cold

[JOHN TETZ]

Jules wrote;

>Actually, you don't really need a velo to stay comfortable when it's 
cold. 
........Jules I fully understand your point of view. I too have gone thru the various stages starting with open vehicles with some kind of nose fairing to fully shelled streamliners. Yes it can be dine but this is akin to enthusiasts or fringe. If we are trying to generate a practical all season alternate transportation vehicle for average folks a bit more is needed and I feel a trike based  Velomobile fits the requirements. 

The shell of course extends the riding season for the entire year and can provide some aerodynamic advantages.  I use one layer of socks, fleece  pants,  light long johns, a light jacket, sweater, glove liners (gloves at 20 degrees), a skull cap (I'm bald) and a helmet. Certainly not overdressed with many layers of bulky clothing. 

But the most important feature of a trike based VM is is no need to balance. Balance may appear to be no big deal but after running a VM for 4 years I feel this to be number one on my list. If I run a VM for several weeks and then get on a two wheeler I wiggle a bit for the first half hour or so until my muscle memory takes over. Its not much but it’s there all the time. 

As a transportation vehicle your coming into many intersections, your looking  for traffic, paying attention to the pot holes etc and you see a car coming. In a two wheeled vehicle you have to un-clip at least one pedal to quickly get a foot down. Often I unclip one foot before the intersection - hopefully it’s the correct foot _ I have rolled a streamliner more than once.  The tension is high. .In a VM you simply put on the brakes and come to a stop. You can spend more of your time and energy sizing up the intersection situation. No tension - relaxed.  On take off you simply push on the pedals, no tension from a slow speed  wobble as you get up to speed. You can even be in the wrong gear.  

This situation will occur over and over and over.  And it happens in mall parking lot intersections and when a car is backing out of a parking spot. I have had to jamb on the brakes a few times. No big deal in a VM. I never realized this until I ran my VM . It surprised me as to how important this simple thing could be. 

I run at night quite a bit and have gone down because of black ice in a two wheeled vehicle . No such problem in a  VM. Again much more relaxed. Having to get the feet down does not make a viable alternate transportation vehicle. 

Just about every time I go up town someone stops to ask about my VM. The public sees the trike and realize no need to balance. They also say they like my little car. The connection to car is good because car equals transportation.  Bike equals recreation - sport - toy,  and stops a critical change in consciousness.  

I also feel VMs work better in suburbia. VMs are a bit wider than a two wheeler. Parking and security in cities would be more difficult. And because Suburbia is far from being green it needs help. Running a 3,000 pound vehicle for a typical 2 to 5 miles for shopping is not environmentally intelligent. 

The thing is we have the technology right now - we don’t have to wait for things like battery improvements and better electric vehicles - we have the vehicle - and the much needed exercise could lower heath care costs.  
I live in a town of 20,000. I am the only one riding just about every day to shop and run various errands. If 1 % were to ride that 200 people would be enough to convince the local government to start putting in bike lanes, and for car drivers to be accustomed to HPVs.  If 10% were to ride this would be enough to help the struggling environment. Who knows what else this could lead to. 

I have been waiting for 25 years for an appropriate change in activity. I wonder if I will live long enough to see thousands of VMs darting around communities. 

John Tetz 







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