Stopped by the cops while riding my Quest XS velomobile
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- Опубліковано 6 жов 2024
- Sorry - no footage of the actual police stop, but I do detail the experience here with a touring of my lighting. Yes, my blinkers are on the weak side. I'm seriously looking at upgrading to Kellermann Atto lights.
Cop: where are your turn signals?
You: when was the last time you pulled someone over for not using a turn signal?
Exactly 😂
You know you’re in trouble when the first thing out of the cops mouth is I am not sure…
That’s not enforcing the law if they don’t know then it’s harassment.
Beautiful machine.
I love these bikes! I ride a Cannondale Synapse Carbon 5 and it's my baby but this is just as beautiful of a machine!
Check out the Bülk MK1, Urban, and 4More. They take the concept to the next level. Several videos on my channel about them. Velomobiles are an absolute blast to ride.
Turn signals should be placed directly on the back of the vehicle. They would be more visible.
I’ve long since made a video about upgrading these turn signals. Check my channel for electrical upgrade videos. This bike also is no longer on the road after being hit by a car that blew through a stop sign at full speed because the driver was very distracted and don’t realize they were crossing an intersection.
I like the wood-finish! Nice velomobile!
Agree
Check the cedar waw playlist for more videos about the wood velo.
I’m sorry …… but I can’t see it , they’re very small , install a bigger one 🚲, nice ride
@@jimydoolittle3129 if you check the other videos on my channel, you would know 1. I added excellent and very bright Kellermann lights and 2. I don’t even drive this velomobile anymore. I now ride a Bülk MK1 and a Bülk Urban. I’ll also add that video does not do a good job picking up the intensity of light. The installed lights had served two previous owners just fine for 10 years.
Is it possible to upgrade the indicators to bigger lights? I think we say the they're clearly visible because 1) we know it has indicators, 2) we know they're small and 3) we know where to look. Someone who has never seen a velombile also needs to be able clearly see them and understand that it's an indicator.
Check my channel. I have a video series about the upgrade I did. I installed super bright Kellermann Atto indicators front and rear. Pretty big upgrade in visibility. On my commuting velomobile I have some LED strips that I use in front and some larger indicators in the rear that I suspect were all made in China. They are more visible than the silly single leds that came with the Quest.
I had the same concern. It’s asking a lot of fellow, often distracted drivers to see a small flashing dot with a much more prominent and bright, large flashing dot on a strange looking vehicle. Something similar to a motorcycle turn signal would be more visible.
@@ducati135 see my other videos. I installed Kellermann Attos which are motorcycle blinkers.
Lol..while I was riding my DF yesterday afternoon at the capital park like I like to do, ( I live in west Sacramento / yolo co, across the river from Sacramento downtown..anyway, while riding around the park a couple of CHP guys on walking patrol flagged me down and advised me to watch out for pedestrians..which I always do.. but they wanted to know what kind of recumbent bike that it was..so they got a kick outta it..and I see the bike cops around from chp and sacto pd downtown so they mostly know me an wave..lol..I've only been yelled at once by a yolo co sheriff when I moved out of a bike lane because of debris...
Beautiful video! Great story too.
Turn signals are a warning. They should be brighter than any other operating light in daylight. A suggestion: Replace those limited turn lights with brighter lights and wire the center blinker into the turn signals so it dims or goes off when turning. Given your disadvantages in traffic you want positive communication with drivers so they know exactly what you are doing.
Check my other channel videos. I have a video detailing the lighting changes I made to this bike. This bike is also no longer on the road as we were hit by a driver in March who was distracted and didn’t see two clearly posted stop signs or the 8.5 ft long brightly colored velomobile with bright flashing lights in the intersection.
@@mnveloguy Glad you've fixed it. Just a point as to how important lighting is, keep in mind that cars hit cars all the time. These little pedal cars aren't going to grab the attention of a distracted driver. But great lighting will surely help. It will also be a factor when the cop is giving out the ticket.
@@jjwalter5897 I have several videos about lighting upgrades. My video “how to Americanize a velomobile” is about the lighting I run on all of my Velomobiles.
@@mnveloguy People are strange. They don't always see motorcycles either. Hell, some don't see dump trucks.
@@markluxton3402 "don't see" is a euphamism for "I was busy looking at my phone instead of the road." It's a ridiculous answer used by people who have never been taught to take responsibility for their negligence.
For the algorithm 👍.
Since when does a bicycle require turn signals
It doesn’t. I had my race hood on and couldn’t extend my arm to signal. That plus a velomobile shape making people think it’s some sort of car is probably what made him say that.
His cycle kind of needs the lights, as his hand signals would be awkward and not very visible to car/truck drivers. To signal stopping he would need to be near dragging his hand on the ground.
Arms
I’m 6’4” and weigh about 200 lbs is the bulk to small for me it seems a little snug for you. I am currently ridding a HP Velotechnik 26 scorpion here in Az. We are blessed with about 430 miles of paved bike paths with about 300 ft. elevation over all.
In theory you might fit, but I think you’d find it quite snug. I would advise a test ride before ordering a Bülk. Other options that would provide much more space would be the M9, A9 (guaranteed fit), or Milan GT. The GT would probably be the closest from a speed perspective and have a lot of the same great features as the Bülk. The A9 and M9 are still very fast bikes that handle exceptionally in the wind, are designed for taller riders, and have excellent cargo capacity. Feel free to drop me a line through my ambassador page if you’d like more info www.velomobileworld.com/ambassadors/ben-parke/
I just checked with Velomobile World. They said in theory it’s possible you could fit. If you contact them, they will send you a link to take measurements to see if you would at least theoretically fit. Then from there we can discuss options for a test ride if you want to pursue that.
I'm exactly your size, 6'4" 205 lbs, with an EU size 50 shoe. The Bülk is a perfect fit for me, I do run 140mm cranks and you'll probably need the highest kneebumps Velomobile World has available. Jan (Velomobile World) knows where to find me, so just measure yourself and get those measurements to Jan. If you ask him to include me in the e-mail conversation we can compare size, and maybe do a video call or something to look at some specific details of how I sit etcetera.
Looks fantastic-what colours are the paint ?
How fast does it go ?
It's not paint. That's Avery vinyl wrap with a metallic blue bottom and metallic silver top. In a future update I'll talk about what the current and future color scheme are. The vinyl wrap is no longer there due to an accident back in May.
Your turn signals are not realistic or safe.
Video does not adequately capture the brightness of lights. They are not as dim as they appear here. If you check my channel more closely, you’ll see I did replace them with different turn signals.
@@mnveloguy Good idea.
Muscle powered like a bicycle, you do not need to have turn signals and it is not your duty to prove your legalitiy. In germ-any we call this "Beweislastumkehr". The cop has to prove you are guilty, not you having to prove you are innocent. If it was so we would put everyone in jail till he can prove he is innocent. This cop clearly made up his own laws on the fly, just to harras you. I experienced the same, the cop said I had to prove my bike was my own, directly in front of my house. I gave him the serial number and told him to prove I had stolen it, or to arrest me so I can get a lawyer involved. 1312
@@ElmarDylong the policeman was probably curious and just looking for an excuse. I’ve been stopped some other times where the officer made up even sillier reasons. The worst was when they followed me at night in the dark for several kilometers through a dark industrial area. That was very unnerving.
@@mnveloguy that's how it feels like being preyed upon...
I have been on bikes my whole life and yes the set up you have is legal. But very questionable as far as safety history es your looking for an accident I got ess you never been hospitalized once you are you'll learn
Have you ever ridden a velomobile are know anyone that has? I put around 7,000 miles a year in a velomobile. I have a lot of clients that do the same. None of us are looking for an accident. We all know to ride defensively just like any other cyclist. We all run bright flashing lights front and rear. We choose our routes carefully, we watch our mirrors, and we choose bright colors for our Velomobiles. I understand the temptation when you see something new like this is tk assume it is unsafe, but I can assure you it is anything but that. Drivers slow when they see a velomobile. They’re curious what it is. People have their phones out taking pictures and video of it. I get way more respect from drivers than I ever did with a bike and much more than I do with a car. In fact, I’ve been hit 5 times as the driver of a car, so I’m not very convinced cars are safe. A friend of mine was killed in a head-on car collision. She was the backseat passenger, where supposedly you are the safest. I’ll take my chances any day in a brightly colored refrigerator sized object and enjoy knowing I’m getting good exercise and also not polluting the environment by driving a car.
Not a bike; a trike.
Actually not either. It’s a velomobile. Bike is often used though as a catch-all for anything human powered.
@@mnveloguy And ATV owners also mistakenly call their 3 and 4 wheelers "bikes".
Your Velomobile is most definitely a tricycle ;-) lol
Does it have a tiny permanent magnet alternator to charge the battery while on the go? Solar panel to charge maybe?
@@markluxton3402 the battery I have for my lights has more than enough life for many hours of riding. I don't have e-assist. No need for a solar panel in my case.
@@mnveloguy I was thinking of long trips, and of course having to remember to charge up. Independence too, if the grid is down.
@@markluxton3402 there are a small number of people experimenting with solar panels, but it’s not something I have a need for. When I tour I have access every night to an outlet to charge. I’ve never encountered a situation when the power grid was out and I needed to charge a battery.