Відео

@@kathymcanany7800 ❤️❤️♥️ and it looks great!

@@m.r.659 that’s the hope with the current shipment. The summer shipment is a theory at this point. I have no idea what will happen with the tariff threats, but I won’t be surprised if they get slapped on the EU next. At that point it will likely kill my fledgling business. So much for tariffs helping American businesses.

@@DavidLong-i9k a shell on trike, or the shell as the frame? Unless you have some awfully light material, it’s likely your shell will be pretty heavy, even as a shell on trike with a very low infill percentage. As monocoque I would strongly advise against that. The drivetrain puts a lot of stress on the shell.

@@ray076NL felt good inside the velo. Only cold when I got to my destination and had to get out. Pity you eventually have to get out.

@@mnveloguy pitty the ones still going strong on a grandma bicycle, they are the real baddies. brrrrr. nice thing is its always nice and sunny with those temps.

@@mrsjohnson1743 a distracted driver won’t see anything no matter what the size. That’s why I choose my routes wisely and take streets with lower speed limits and ride defensively just as I would with a car. I’ve only once been hit while riding velomobile and that driver frankly would have hit a school bus. I walked away from that accident with a bit of whiplash, the same injury I would hav head in a car. I’ve put 14,000 miles in a velomobile over the last two years and find drivers slow and pay more attention to me riding velomobile than they do if I’m riding a normal bike or driving a car. Because of that, I feel safer in a velomobile than I do in a car. Whether or not you find that convincing is up to you to decide.

@ I guess I prefer something more between me and a motor vehicle. I wish it didn’t have to be that way.

@ there’s a lot more between you and the other vehicle with a velomobile than with a bike. Unfortunately there is no vehicle that will 100% protect you in all situations, including massive vehicles like Hummers.

@@chaircamvideos I periodically wipe the windows so I can see out. The visor I just open a bit and see out underneath. It’s sufficient for safety. When it’s 40F inside and you are pedaling hard, you don’t need much clothing. I know of riders who bundle up even less than I do!

@@mnveloguy 40F is still too cold for me to be comfortable! I suppose being enclosed within the velomobile takes any wind-chill effect out of the equation and pedalling is heating your body.

@ correct. No windchill makes a huge difference. The fact that it was 50 degrees warmer inside the velomobile shows how much your body heats the space. Even when I ride the trainer in the basement with the door closed I can tell a difference in temperature and humidity after the ride.

@@GregCantori thanks 👍🏻

@@coolstuffbydwightstreet it only sounds cold because it’s so hot where you are 😂

@@steveborn3455 not with a 3D printer. That would be a whole different machine. There are companies that make wraps and I think you can even get custom ones. Automotive vinyl is what you’re looking for.

@: Sorry about not making myself clear. I understand that wraps and decals are made by another type of machine. I was just suggesting another way to pimp out a velomobile. It might be another opportunity for an enterprising dealer down the road.

@ oh I see what you are saying. One of the German dealers offers this option.

@@tomchandler8824 the 3D listed ones are only available in black. They are printed with carbon infused PETG. I think black is about the only color you can get that in. They can be painted though. I use standard PETG for the stuff I print and that I can get in different colors.

@@mnveloguy Thanks, they looked gold on the web site for some reason. Black makes a lot more sense.

@@tomchandler8824 camera did some weird coloring when I took photos.

@@avelina6303 thanks. I’ll fix that.

looks like I should have typed store instead of shop. Duh. You'd think I would know my own website addresses.

@@jeremyyork3538 thanks for watching. I think it’s partly because people don’t know they exist, partly people don’t recognize the value in comparison to the price, and partly that not everyone is open to bucking the popular choice of an upright bike. I don’t mind being the odd one out. I’ll take the comfort and efficiency of a velomobile any day over another type of bike.

@@mnveloguy Yes, that makes sense to me, thanks. The idea of being different just doesn't suit many people - they'd rather just 'blend in' with the crowd. I'm like you, I don't mind being different. The only downside is the extra attention a velomobile gets but this is not a problem for me most of the time. On a positive note, an encounter with (or even just a sighting of) a velomobile brings joy and smiles to members of the public who've never seen one before. Most assume it's electric and not pedal powered and strangely enough, some seem less impressed when they discover this! I have a feeling that velomobiles will remain a fairly niche option for most. Having ridden in a group of roadies quite often, I learned that most riders didn't like it and only a few on them were interested enough to ask me questions about it. I surmised that this attitude was down to group think/behaviour because some roadies were prepared to show more interest when they weren't with the club. I wish you well with your dealership.

@ thanks for the well wishes. I agree group think is a big part of it. I’ve done some large organized rides here in Minnesota with a friend of mine. We rode with the front group this last time. I thought certainly at least one of them would be interested in Velomobiles enough to come for a test ride, but no. Not a single one. A lot of people just aren’t willing to try something new. So that is something to work with when we discuss marketing. How to make something different feel comfortable, attractive, and mainstream. Velomobiles offer so much happiness and utility. We just have to keep working to emphasize this.

@@mnveloguy Thanks. I was pleased to hear that you too have experienced the typical roadie mentality and for this reason, I'd be tempted to focus elsewhere. Roadies are roadies because of the group mentality and velonauts tend to be individuals. I think there are many commuters who'd benefit immensely from using a velomobile. In your shoes, I'd put together a video extolling these benefits and send the video to all your local businesses (initially) and then further afield if you get a positive response. Having just read your article in Velomobile World (very impressive), I'm sure your own story will echo well with others. However, one of the most poignant comments in the article you wrote was the increasing tendency for motorists being distracted - more often than not by using their mobile phone. You can turn your velo into a beacon of light but if the motorist isn't looking, you've no chance. What can we do about that Ben?

@ I think talking to the younger people you know, especially teenagers just learning to drive, is the best way to encourage people to be aware when driving. I talk a lot to my students about my experience riding, especially when there is a close call. Because they know and respect me, they listen to what I say. I think if all of us as cyclists did this we could really help to improve the driving situation. The other possibility is to push the government to enact strict laws disabling use of cellphones when driving so that they can only be used in an emergency or by passengers. How this would be implemented is a good question, but it may be the only other way to combat the problem.

@@peterwilliamson4296 yes. It recruits a different set of muscles that make quite a difference in climbing.

@@woodworks2123 I did install assist. I don’t really like being restricted by the range of batteries. I’m not very good at remembering to charge things either. Assist also has legal cutoff limits and even though assist in a velomobile is legal, police officers don’t always know the laws. The first thing they ask when they stop me is if I have assist. Now that I ride Velomobiles fully human powered I can keep the stop very short because I have no assist. I also just enjoy riding fully under human power. There’s a certain extra feeling of joy I get when I arrive at my destination knowing that I got there entirely under my own power through the efficiency of aerodynamics. The other reason I abandoned the homemade one is because I never was able to get the steering geometry just right. There was a dangerous speed wobbled that developed above 20mph. After awhile the process of eliminating problems becomes so overwhelming that it’s no longer fun. After a year and a half of development and continually having to redesign and invest money in the project, I realized it was time to buy a professionally designed velomobile so I could spend my time riding instead of fixing.

@@RobertJackWill yes. That’s normal. The mic for this camera is essentially mounted on the shell so it’s picking up the road vibrations and all the sounds bouncing around in the carbon shell. Noise is the trade off for the efficiency and light weight of a velomobile. Usually it’s around 70db inside a velomobile when pedaling. There is actually very minimal drivetrain friction, especially in the velomobile I’m riding. I have this one dialed in pretty perfectly.

@@mobilemiall not much to draft off of on a velomobile. The whole point is the shell streamlines the air to almost completely eliminate turbulence behind the velomobile. That means there’s not anything to really draft off of. Plus these things are so aero they cut through the air and headwinds as if there’s nothing there. A client of mine earlier today was out in high winds and commented on how easy it was to ride into the wind compared to the road bike he used to ride. Said it was as if there was no wind at all. That matches my experience. I have a hard time figuring out which direction the wind is coming from when I ride.

@@mnveloguy How about a crosswind? I would think that the side forces on the shell would be substantial.

@ I’ve ridden in 45+mph wind gusts. Little push to the side and then it corrects itself. I’ve only once been hit by a crosswind that nearly posed a problem. That crosswind would have taken me down on any other bike and was pushing the other vehicles on the road around too. I was able to correct before I hit the curb.

@@maraorem3347 I never made it beyond 86 miles with a bent 2-wheeler, so respect. The efficiency of a velomobile makes it much easier to put a lot of miles in. I don’t think I could make it this far with any other type of bike. I don’t have enough training time to build up the needed fitness.

@@philiprayner actually, it is comfortable enough to sleep in. I took a nap under a bridge waiting out a deluge earlier in the summer. When I woke up the rain had stopped and all the other cyclists were gone. Clipped my feet back into the pedals and headed out. Passed several of the cyclists a few minutes down the trail.

@@DemiGod.. correct. They are far more efficient overall than you think. You need to try one out. I think you’ll be shocked.

​@@mnveloguy where in Minnesota can that be done?

South side of Minneapolis at Northland Velo. I'm the largest US dealer for velomobiles offering test rides, sales, and service. Send me a message info@northlandvelo.com and I'll help you get a ride set up.

@@mnveloguy do you have any thing with electric assistance?

@ I personally don’t, but some models can have e-assist added. It’s helpful in hilly areas, but on flat routes like this assist does not have much value because it is so easy to cruise at or above the legal limit for assist. Then assist is just extra weight slowing you down because the motor has to cut out.

@@alisonleach1552 time to find a dealer and place an order!

@@twilwel yes. If I permanently mount this hotspot, I will do the same with my cameras. I agree it is great for visibility.

@@BruceBright-e9b great! I look forward to helping you find your dream velomobile 😊

@@chaircamvideos all of the writing on the velomobiel is reflective and there are additional reflective stickers too along with the red sticker on the back of the tail. Night visibility is actually better than day visibility in my opinion.

Straylight of the lamp in the hotspot shines on the front of the velomobile. Traffic from the side can actually see a large part of the velomobile!

@twilwel @mnveloguy thanks for the explainations

@@jeremyyork3538 a flashing and solid forward and a flashing and solid rear works well for me and is what I have in this video. At night I turn off the rear flasher because I think it’s too blindly bright. The IQ-XL works well in this new hotspot because of how the cutoff pattern is set. It’s actually less blinding for oncoming drivers than the IQ-X in the original hotspot. I only activate the high beam when there are no oncoming cars. It’s really not needed for general night riding in my option. Thanks for watching.

@@mnveloguy You make some very good points, thank you.

Me too. Very powerful and great wide beam pattern. I and one in my first MK1 and sold it with the bike. Ended up having big regrets about that!

@@johannesobernoeder1156 I showed the factory installed hotspot which uses the standard IQ-X headlight. I assumed anyone that has a factory installed hotspot knows the headlight is an IQ-X, which is why I didn’t mention it. The only place you can get the smaller hotspot is Velomobile World or through a Velomobile World Dealer.

@@enricio thanks for watching. Be sure to watch for the exciting second episode!

@mnveloguy I will. When is it online? 🤔

@ hopefully later this week. I’ve been gone because of the holidays. I still Need to export the 3D video, edit it, and add commentary. It is one of my projects for this week along with a bunch of other urgent things.

@mnveloguy I will follow you. 😎

@@megazine the Alpha 7.2 and Snoek are completely different designs by different designers. The Alpha 7.2 hasn’t been updated in a long time. It has largely been replaced by the Alpha 9 Series (A9.2, M9, W9, W9s.) The Alpha 9 Series has fully enclosed wheel wells. The A9.2 and M9 have only a slightly larger turning circle than the A7.2. The W9 and W9s which are designed for shorter riders have quite large turning circles, among the largest of any model in the market. The enclosed front wheels improve handling in wind and aerodynamic efficiency over the A7.2. Since the advent of the Alpha 9 series, orders for the A7.2 have dropped to at most a handful per year.

@@jeremyyork3538 it is debatable in some areas of the US. Some state laws define a bicycle as having two or three wheels. Likely police would not take issue with it, but it’s possible in an accident insurance could use it as a way to get out of a claim. Right now it’s somewhat of a moot point though. The Quatrevelo is out of production for the next two years at least. Thanks for watching and I’m glad you found the video informative.

@@mnveloguy Thank you for that, much appreciated.

@@jonathonalsop2120 thanks for watching!

@@jeffrey5961 thanks

@@robmoery4964 depends on the bank. I think some would be willing to. Best way to find out is to contact some banks.

@@aliensporebomb my favorite local route. Riding along the bluffs is a lot of fun in a velomobile, especially in warmer weather when you can really fly on the rollers. I had one ride last summer where I averaged over 30mph on Auto Club Rd.

@@mobilemiall that was my original plan, but timeframe is what it is. It’s flat, minus that one little climb into St. Paul, so it’s not actually THAT bad. I plan to organize a larger group ride on that route this coming summer. One day up, one day back.

@@micha-g2u thanks for watching and be sure to keep an eye out for episode 2, likely coming after the holiday break. We still have to get back home!

@@igorilyasov2057 good to know. I’ll keep that in mind for the future.

@@jeffrey5961 yes. Ideal. I am working on plans for a velomobile gathering to ride to Duluth and back this coming summer.

@@jeffrey5961 😂 exactly!

You can fit wider tires on the velomobile I ride. Up to 40mm in front and 35mm in the rear. I sometimes use wider tires with tread in winter, but the rolling resistance is a lot higher (meaning more energy needed to go fast.) For 170 mile ride, I want every advantage I can get. Easier to just dodge the potholes. I've got suspension on all 3 wheels anyway. I just don't like rough pavement because it doesn't roll nice and costs speed. And plus, they could spend some of those tax dollars and repave it.

@@rayschubert2717 thanks for watching. I’m using a 360 camera to film. I like to pan the camera a bit so people can see a variety of what’s around me. To me it feels more immersive and sometimes the faces I make while riding are…amusing. Usually the camera would be aimed back at me while I’m talking while riding, but this time there was that little issue of the tape.

@@smirkinatu5512 thank you for having the patience to watch the whole thing. I tried to find some interesting things to say, but a 170 mile ride in Minnesota is not quite the same as 170 miles along a beautiful river in the Alps.

@@destineestolp I own two Velomobiles and then have a few in stock at my dealership for immediate purchase. Thanks for watching. Sorry to hear you also have so many close calls. People are just not watching and in too much of a hurry.

@mnveloguy Yeah, but at least it gives me content to post 🤣🤣 I was looking into getting a velomobile. What's the starting price? I would love to make some content with one! I do affiliate marketing for ebike companies right now.

@ used you can find $4-6000. New starts at $7500-12,500. Worth every penny. I don’t really use a car any more and I can ride all winter without getting cold.

@mnveloguy Yeah, I don't think I will be getting one soon. I ride my ebikes all winter. I got a windshield with a roof and side curtains for my AWD ebike. I will probably be getting a couple more in the spring 🤣🤣 I'm kind of obsessed, and I'm on my 7th ebike right now.

@ I’m on my 9th velomobile. Made the initial investment Rand now I sell off my used one to pay for the next new one.

@@sebastiandomagala9233 yep. Until there are major fines for endangering the life of others on the road, drivers will continue to do this.

@mnveloguy Even harsh sanctions won't change much. They don't expect to get caught at all, so the fines are irrelevant. All you can do is keep the one person that you caught from further driving. I live in Germany, and fines are ridiculously low. A mishap like shown wouldn't even get finde at all.

@ I didn’t bother to submit this to the police. They don’t do anything here either. I figure it is more effective to post it on social media with an appeal to people to give themselves more time so they don’t have to rush places. Had the driver not been in such a hurry, they would not have forced a pass at an intersection where it was quite dangerous. I tour in Germany every summer. I’m always shocked by how little room German drivers leave when they pass. I’m surprised there are not more head-on collisions. In Austria it’s not so bad, but in Germany to me as an Ausländer it seems like a lot of drivers think they are driving on a race car circuit. That’s why I try and use bike path when I tour there. I’m not in a hurry and would rather not ride with traffic.

@@mnveloguy It's not because of being in a hurry. It's more like being in constant race mode. Just as you described Germany (which is truels problematic tbh). I am not too sure what the exact matter is, I am not a psychologist. But from my experience behind a steering wheel the speed of a car is considered a universe-wide constant that may under no circumstance be interrupted. Or something like that. Can also be a case of mental inertia. Or both of that. Drivers are way too insulated from the surrounding. They can no longer really estimate their speed. Building residential roads (and other roads with a limit )straight and wide doesn't help. Too many problems to count them all.

@ I have noticed in some areas of Germany they now have obstacles in the residential roads to try and slow drivers. Roads with curves help too. To me it seems people feel they have to rush to accomplish as much as possible. I think it is a mentality that we always must achieve more than other people or our lives have not been worthwhile. At least that is the mentality in city areas in the USA. So people try to make up extra time when they are driving. But they also do not realize the impact their driving has an show dangerous it is, just like you say. That is why I try to make these videos to help at least a few more drivers understand a perspective that is different from theirs.