Commuting - Finally sprung for a Velomobile

I finally decided to bite the bullet and order a Velomobile for my daily commuting.

I originally looked at the Go-One 3 (http://www.go-one.de/ukindex.shtml), but decided against it due to its price and my fear about heat build up in the summer and condensation during rain and snow..

The next model I looked at was the Versatile (http://www.flevobike.nl/indexmodellen.html). This is a very nice design, is expected to cost around 5,000 Euros, and will be a great commuting Velomobile. The only hitch is that they are still almost a year from production.

So my eyes next turned to the Mango (http://www.velomobiel.nl/). This Velomobile is very similar to the Versatile and will be a mere 4,000 Euros with the SRAM drive option. This is a lot of money for a "bike", but the cost will be more than offset by not using my car and/or selling the darn thing.

I am trying to work out the shipping from the Netherlands to Maine. The Mango should be here by August....I can hardly wait.

For more information on Velomobiles, cruise over to the North American Velomobilist web site:

http://home.gwi.net/velomobile/

Enjoy!

Please keep you posted. I'm really interested to hear how this works out for everyday utility use.

Thanks,
Dave

Looks great. Let us know how it is when you get it :)

Fascinating, that thing looks like a heap of fun.

I doubt if you'll have to worry about cars passing you really fast. Every driver will pull up beside you to take a closer look. Maybe you should dress like a space alien. :D

Yep. Ride around with antenaes on your head :=)

I definitely plan on posting notes about the pros and cons. Likewise, I will try to post experiences of other Velomobile owners as I collect them. I hope to get contact information for the first owners of the Go-One 3's which are due to arrive in the US late in March.

Until then, enjoy and keep the rubber side down.

Bryan Ball, editor of Bentrideronline.com, recently posted this news"

The first Go-One Velomobile is on a ship headed to the USA as I type. It is scheduled for debut in San Jose, California on March 27th. Much fanfare is expected including national media coverage. Sometime, somehow we will be reviewing this streamlined trike in 'BentRider. www.go-one.biz

Yes, there have been several news stories on the pending arrival of the first Go-One 3. I just pray the Go-One 3 lives up to its expectations. It would go a long ways towards helping promote alternative forms of transportation. These things will garner a lot more attention than your average bicycle.

With two Velomobiles here in Biddeford, Maine, we will have the most per capita for some time to come. :)

tc,

Looks pretty cool. I'd like to demo one of these someday. How do you plan to secure it when parked?

What type of speed improvements can you expect with a Velomobile over a standard upright bike?

Can I ride it?

Please?

I don't think I'd fit in one of those.:D

Full faired recumbent trike, cool. No worries about falls in the winter. Looking at the photos I think I would add Turn signals to the rear.

I have inside parking, so security not an issue. As far as speed improvements, these beasts are aerodynamic, yet heavy. So should be much faster on the flats and downhills.

A person I know just got back from the Netherlands, where he had a chance to try out many different Velomobiles. He also stopped by Germany and tried out a Go-One 3. He was not very impressed with the Go-One 3. He said it was very flashy, but it was noisey inside, the canopy was hard to see through and the drive train is exposed to the elements (most Velomobiles enclose the drive train to lower maintenance). The bottom line is that the designers of the Go-One 3 are not cyclist. Sexy yes, functionality no.

Stay tuned for updates on my Velomobile. It is order number NR 32. I am trying to pull the manufacture date in.

How fast is this thing relative to a bicycle?

Did you view the video clip of Rob English's Mango racing at the 2002 Human Powered Speed Challenge in Nevada? He was cooking at over 60 miles per hour in that little pod when he crashed (not that there was any equipment or design deficiency - he was not seriously injured.) I can't seem to locate the video clips of the speed runs now but they were awesome. Is your Mango the same? Three wheels or two?

(Oops, just read Warren Beauchamp's report that indicates Rob's Mango suffered high speed instablity due to its short length and lack of trail. I take it this is not the same Mango.)

Crash video here: http://www.easyracers.com/multimedia.htm

No, the Mango I am purchasing is an enclosed tad pole trike. The specs for this velomobile can be found at:

http://www.velomobiel.nl/

Enjoy!

looking through the website, i noticed that 1 of the 2 dealers in Germany is about 35km from Munich, so i might make a ride out there some time to have a look.

definitely keep us updated on how you like it.

so is there any way to carry passengers? (either kids or adults) and how much luggage can you take? or are they easy to outfit with a trailer? in the future, i would think one of my main needs if i want to stay carless would be to transport stuff and to transport others that either cannot (small kids) or aren't interested in pedalling everywhere (say wife or girlfriend in crappy weather or going somewhere "nice")...

Hi; I know there are two person enclosed bikes, but they are not optimal (due to weight etc) for your normal single person commutes. I know the Go-One 3 will have an optional trailer for hauling stuff and all the VMs typically have enough onboard room for most daily errands. And any cleaver person ought to be able to add a hitch for one of the many trailers designed for kids.