[Bent] Riding when it's cold

[Old Pokey]

John,

I think that 90 percent of my car rides are less than 10 miles each way, so
you hit a nerve.

You mention your VM being more stable on ice because 3 wheels.  Would the
three wheels also prevent lift off during a cross wind?

OP

On Sun, Feb 14, 2010 at 8:17 PM, JOHN TETZ <jgtetz at msn.com> wrote:

>  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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