Where do you get a velomobile??? [Archive]

No Exit

09-21-05, 11:51 PM

I saw a picture of one of these things and have been fascinated ever since. I WANT ONE!!! Problem is, they dont seem to be widely available in the US. The aerorider and go-one look really sweet!!!

Anyone know how you get one of these things? Do I have to go to the country of origin and hunt one down and find a way to ship it back?

jeff-o

09-22-05, 08:04 AM

Usually you can order it online and they ship it to you.

And check this one out: http://www.go-one.de/ukindex.shtml

Arnold Layne

09-22-05, 04:06 PM

This guy (http://www.velomobileusa.com/) makes Alleweders in Texas.

tchazzard

10-03-05, 12:53 PM

jeff-o

10-04-05, 07:29 AM

Check out www.velomobiling.net and www.velomobiles.net which have lots of information on velomobiles. Basically you can buy an Alleweder from David in Texas or order one of the various models in Europe and arrange to have it shipped stateside.

I ordered my Mango from the velomobiel.nl and used Menlo shipping to have it shipped to my house in Maine. You can read all about this on www.hazbro.com/mango.

Similarly, I have ordered a Quest, slightly longer/faster version of the Mango. It will be built next summer.

Enjoy!

Question: How do you convince your wife/sig. other (if you have one) to let you buy these things? Is it just a question of having enough money kicking around to afford them, or is there more to it? I really want one, but I don't think I'd ever be able to convince my wife unless we won the lottery or something...

tchazzard

10-04-05, 08:02 AM

I commute to/from work via bike. I run errands using the bike. I explained to her that I would not have to purchase a health club pass, would stay in great shape, be safer, happier, and do nice things for the environment.

She loves to cycle so I purchase spiffs for the tandem once in a while (like Rotor Cranks this past spring). Your mileage may vary.

jeff-o

10-04-05, 08:39 AM

Ha, well, my wife says that I can do all that stuff on a regular bike... which is true. It's what helped me convince her to let me buy my $800 (CDN) Trek 7500fx. But to convince her to spend thousands on what she views as one of the most rediculous things she's ever seen on three wheels..... that's a bit harder. I suppose it might help if she were as avid a cyclist as I am.

I'm working on convincing her to let me get a simple recumbent trike, hopefully that will happen next year.

Oh, and as for velos... Exactly how good are they in wet, windy, rainy snowy and cold weather? All-weather capability is probably my strongest argument for getting a velomobile, but if it can't handle everything that mother nature throws at me (within reason, of course) then my argument goes out the window.

mchell

10-04-05, 01:45 PM

Jeff-o. Put it in perspective. Around here, lots of people spend $7-$8K Cdn or more on snowmobiles, a hefty trail fee and lots of insurance, not to mention the gas and perhaps a trailer to get around to distant trails. Some families own two; his and hers. Last year, they got maybe 2-3 months of suitable, snowy riding conditions. The year before, barely a month! My wife and I figure we get 6-7 months of good cycling weather in this same area, so spending big bucks for a high end recumbent tandem, (Rans Screamer) and riding 74-100 km each week, makes perfect sense. It's a lot more comfortable than our DF Trek tandem and a lot more fun. As I've pointed out, it is a lot cheaper than a snowmobile that sits unused in the garage for 8-9 months of the year. Just my two cents worth.

jeff-o

10-04-05, 02:45 PM

good point mchell, I may end up using it. But I think she would say, "we can't afford a snowmobile either."

I have her half-convinced anyway. We'll probably be selling one of our cars in the spring, and getting a scooter. The reasons we'll be getting a scooter instead of a trike or velomobile are as such:

- my wife doesn't like to ride a bike... she has never tried a recumbent, however.
- because of our height differences, we cannot share a bike, trike or velo. at least, not easily.
- the scooter is faster for in-city driving. since it's replacing a car, it should go as fast as a car.
- did I mention that my wife doesn't like to ride?

Eh, it's a tricky situation. Mostly it comes down to money, and the fact that we have more important things to spend it on (a new house+renovations for it). If only velomobiles were available for under $2000...

tchazzard

10-06-05, 11:49 AM

I ride the Mango year round here in southern Maine. It is a head out design, but other than in really heavy rain, I barely get wet, other than my head and shoulders. The wheels are isolated from the rider so there is no chance of water getting in from the road. And they otherwise do fine in wind (unless really gusty aka over 40mph) and in snow unless it is more than 2 inches or so. I refrain from driving the Mango on really snowy days due more to the fear of having a car slide into me than the ability to pedal it thorugh the snow.

You can read all about my adventures in my blog which is linked off http://www.hazbro.com/mango

deadancer3

12-20-05, 10:06 AM

Try this website for US info:

http://www.velomobiling.net

dick

tchazzard

12-29-05, 05:38 PM

Hi; Just wanted to pass on the news that there is currently a Velomobiel.nl Quest for sale here in the US. Information can be seen at:

www.velomobiles.net (http://www.velomobiles.net/wildfire/quest/questforsale.htm)

The Quest is by far the fastest and most popular velomobile in production today. It is slightly bigger than my Mango and a tad faster.

Enjoy!

counterpoint

01-17-06, 11:30 PM

About the wife thing: maybe that's why men flock to fundamentalist churches - because the pastors tell'm that it's the man who makes the decision in the house, damn it!
Not my piece of cake. My best suggestion would be to list/promise/make sacrifices with other purchases and count those real savings toward the purchase price.
Your problem may be deeer, though - perhaps your wife is mainly embarrassed that you'd want to draw that much attention to you.
A friend owned an Allewedder (and a garage filled with weird bikes, including the 7 person "conference bike". He always draws a crowd, some of which openly ridicule him. Know what you're getting yourself into.

World Tour

01-19-06, 04:03 PM

Are there any two-wheeled aero type recumbents?

jeff-o

01-20-06, 06:04 AM

Are there any two-wheeled aero type recumbents?

Yes, but they're rather impractical for commuting because of all the starting and stopping. You'd need to lower a landing gear at each red light!

mchell

01-30-06, 01:05 PM

I was intrigued by the post above on the go-one3 so I made a wee inquiry. Here's what I learned from Stephen Mosca. The taxes are enough to scare me away, and I can't believe the company suggests that the maximum speed for the trike is only 16 km/hr.

Mike

Hi Mike and Pam:

Here is some info for you. LEt me know if you have any questions...

Stephen MOsca

From: mike and pam chellew <mchellew@ptbo.igs.net>
To: mosca_usa@msn.com
Subject: go-one
Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 15:10:09 -0500

I would be interested to know more about the availability of a go-one "kit" to a Canadian buyer and what the price would be in Canadian dollars.

Thanks for your help,

Mike Chellew

?

jeff-o

01-30-06, 01:13 PM

Yeah, there will be a 13% import duty, plus about $1000 in shipping, in addition to the kit price that's advertised on the website. I once emailed go-one and asked if they'd be interested in my helping them find a North American manufacturer/contractor to serve this market. They said they had no plans at this time to expand across the ocean. Oh well.

Dr.Deltron

03-03-06, 03:57 PM

I'm working on convincing her to let me get a simple recumbent trike, hopefully that will happen next year.
.

Get a Greenspeed TANDEM! She'll love it!

Dr.D

LandLuger

03-04-06, 09:23 AM

Get a Greenspeed TANDEM! She'll love it!

Dr.D

One could just buy a velo for what that thing costs!

jeff-o

03-06-06, 05:54 AM

Well good news I suppose, as long as we can afford it, it looks like both me AND my wife might be getting trikes. Hopefully, sometime in the summer...

Dr.Deltron

03-12-06, 12:25 PM

One could just buy a velo for what that thing costs!
Maybe so, but I can take the whole famn damily on the GTT. I "captain", the wife as "stoker", the 5 year old on the rack/seat and the 3 year old twins in the Burley trailer. Sure it's 15 feet long, but what would a velo that can do that cost? :rolleyes:
Solo ride? I take the GTX, of course!
:) Dr.D