Alt Bike Culture - Fiberglass Bicycle (Open Letter)

Unfortunately, that's not all.

He's taking his hobby and trying to convince us that it's something that it is not: worth something. If it was just ''Hey, look at the crazy bikes I made" I would have said 'nice job, buddy' but it's not like that. Trying to pass off those wrecks as salable and practical is insulting especially when talking about using the thing as a battering ram to slam into cars or "I could've used my brakes, but hey, what are bumpers for?".

Good Afternoon,

Sorry about the delay in posting a reply. Last night, my Grandmother fell down and broke her hip. She's in the hospital, she's 93 years old. Good thing she had one of those medic alert pendants, she pressed the button and the Ambulance was there in minutes.

That aside, I keep hearing that I did crappy paint jobs. Maybe I did, but I was trying to save weight, and the Bondo can add up to a few pounds.

I'm trying to build Utility bikes. The carrying capacity is my main goal. Crash protection is a worthy side benefit of the fiberglass and Kevlar plating.

Speed performance: I haven't timed a downhill run in years. But when I did, I extrapolated a drag coeffecient of .38 , compared to .51 for an unfaired bike.

Coasting downhill in excess of the speed I can pedal means my feet can't keep up with the pedals, so I might as well coast. I never got around to getting an oversize chainring. Although on the gravitybike.com website, they have a solution: just take the chainring off and install something to kneel on. I think someone's been saying "it looks dangerous" and has been scaring people off.
I put more layers of fiberglass and more blocks of styro-foam into my fairings than anyone else.

This site:
http://www.whatisafairing.com

mentions that a fairing is mainly for protection, and speed is not necessarily the designers goal.

I hope to "sow the seed" and give other builders a chance to build a better faired bike than I have built.
If you think you can build a fairing, and give it a better paint job than I have done, you better get building so you can prove it. You know, you can criticize all you want, and I've read the comments, but I (we) still need to see photographic proof that you can do better.

Here's a photo of the Jersey City MC Police squad:
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/hotbike/00000013-3.jpg
Taken on April 15, 2000.

Custom glassing on a 1991 Isuzu Impulse RS.
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w53/hollowgrind/Car.jpg
There's your proof.

As for putting a useless fairing on a utility bicycle, I'm not interested.

Dude, dude, dude... as long as he keeps getting a rise out of you, this thread will continue. Hilariously. You didn't consider, or give any credence to my earlier post, which if you had—you'd likely be laughing your butt off right now. I sure am.

I hope to "sow the seed" and give other builders a chance to build a better faired bike than I have built.
If you think you can build a fairing, and give it a better paint job than I have done, you better get building so you can prove it. You know, you can criticize all you want, and I've read the comments, but I (we) still need to see photographic proof that you can do better.


plan, design, model, build, add accessorys, ride (avatar). Deep green herringbone/gold material -no paint necessary.

Do I win another beer?

countersTrike

And an excellent example of what good planning, design and glassing really are. Nice work.

Fitting- 4" off ground, 96" long, 34" wide, 56" high- fiberglass/kevlar, Lexan, carbon fiber, mylar, styrofoam, alloys, aluminum, rubber/kevlar tires.........and more.

countersTrike (make that 2 beers!)

Fitting- 4" off ground, 96" long, 34" wide, 56" high- fiberglass/kevlar, Lexan, carbon fiber, mylar, styrofoam, alloys, aluminum, rubber/kevlar tires.........and more.

countersTrike (make that 2 beers!)

Wow! That's cool!

You know what that would look good in front of? A craftsman style bungalow! It has the right colors and that organic look!

Fitting- 4" off ground, 96" long, 34" wide, 56" high- fiberglass/kevlar, Lexan, carbon fiber, mylar, styrofoam, alloys, aluminum, rubber/kevlar tires.........and more.

countersTrike (make that 2 beers!)

Oh, that is NICE!

East Hill

Fitting- 4" off ground, 96" long, 34" wide, 56" high- fiberglass/kevlar, Lexan, carbon fiber, mylar, styrofoam, alloys, aluminum, rubber/kevlar tires.........and more.

countersTrike (make that 2 beers!)

With proper painting I think that Oscar Meyer would love to sponsor it. ;) Looks slick.

Fitting- 4" off ground, 96" long, 34" wide, 56" high- fiberglass/kevlar, Lexan, carbon fiber, mylar, styrofoam, alloys, aluminum, rubber/kevlar tires.........and more.

countersTrike (make that 2 beers!)

What trike is underneath all that?

Fitting- 4" off ground, 96" long, 34" wide, 56" high- fiberglass/kevlar, Lexan, carbon fiber, mylar, styrofoam, alloys, aluminum, rubber/kevlar tires.........and more.

countersTrike (make that 2 beers!)

Oh yes, - now that is a lovely piece of work :)

What trike is underneath all that?

It was an inexpensive EZ Tad, seat too wide (now Optima hard shell), then almost everything mechanical had to be upgraded; including molding in the top. Thanks for the compliments. If I painted it; I could no longer say I was going green!

The photo is how it was in 2004- and still is inside; yellow/silver/black..

countersTrike

Hotbike, how's your grandmother doing?

East Hill

Hotbike, how's your grandmother doing?

East Hill

She's still in the hospital. She's in ICU, and they had to put her on oxygen. They are also giving her morphine to ease the pain. My grandfather died in November, they were married for 69 years.

She's still in the hospital. She's in ICU, and they had to put her on oxygen. They are also giving her morphine to ease the pain. My grandfather died in November, they were married for 69 years.

I am sorry to hear of both those things...

I'll think good thoughts for your grandmother.

East Hill

oh... i have some experience with the Grav bikes, and there kinda different then what your aiming at (never built, only raced with). There for going down hills... fast... like really fast... like "I might get a speeding ticket" fast. look similar, really different purpose.

oh... i have some experience with the Grav bikes, and there kinda different then what your aiming at (never built, only raced with). There for going down hills... fast... like really fast... like "I might get a speeding ticket" fast. look similar, really different purpose.

Yeah, well, I never put any big chainrings on my bikes, I was testing them to the limit coasting downhills.
You can't keep your legs moving to keep up with the pedals.
I was trying to develop an electric bike. Finally I got a Giant Lafree Sport, which has chain-drive.
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/hotbike/photo013.jpg

Although I tested the faired bikes against unfaired bikes, there may be some argument that the faired bikes went downhill faster because they are heavier.
I believe a faired bike can go fastest if the road is straight and the hill is long. Here on Long Island, the biggest hills are 300 feet high.
I took a bike on a train to New Jersey once, and it was going really fast downhills there.

That is a really nice bike, - what's its range Hotbike?

How is your Grandmother doing - any improvement with her hip?

That is a really nice bike, - what's its range Hotbike?

How is your Grandmother doing - any improvement with her hip?

The e-bike has a range of about 16 miles. Fairly decent, but it only has lead/acid batteries. The stated rider weight limit is 170 pounds and I weigh around 270. But the good thing with an electric bike is it will only trip a circuit-breaker; whereas a petrol moped would blow it's piston rings.

Grandma is hanging in there. I should've mentioned my Grandfather was into bicycling, but he had to give it up about ten years ago on account of cataract surgery, which didn't go as planned, and left him blind in one eye. My Grandfather never drove, so his bicycle was his main way of getting around. As I said, he died in November at age 92; from inoperable colon cancer.

reading this thread made me cry

reading this thread made me cry

It's a great thread, isn't it?

East Hill

Good Afternoon,

Here's a photo of the Jersey City MC Police squad:
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/hotbike/00000013-3.jpg
Taken on April 15, 2000.

How much do those weigh without the mounts? I wish I'd had the ching for that bling!

How much do those weigh without the mounts? I wish I'd had the ching for that bling!

I really have no idea. You'd have to ask Harley Davidson.

Different parts of the country have different traditions. I'm from long Island , New York, but I joined the US Navy in 1991, and I was stationed in Florida. Mellisa was my 6th cousin, and she asked me to adopt her. In Florida, and other southern states, laws concerning the purchase of alcohol are different. A child can buy alcohol, as long as it is for the child's parents. So she had on several occasions bought beer for her foster mom's boyfriend, who was too drunk to drive, but needed more beer.

This is the Type 5 in camouflage:
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/hotbike/Type5MilitaryPoliceBike.jpg

This is a copy of the 80 dot per inch flyer advertising the Type 5 and Type 6:
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/hotbike/ColorCover.jpg

Here is the Type 6 (which I designed, and shares the front end of the Type 5):
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/hotbike/Type6Velomobile1990.jpg

Now, there is a big difference between New York and Florida. New York gets cold and such a vehicular shell can be useful fending off the wind-chill. Florida however; gets hot and humid, and a vehicle shell such as a velomobile can cause the rider to get soaked with sweat. Sweat which would usually evaporate.
That is the reason Mellisa made the Type 9 fairing design smaller.

Also, Mellisa came up with the design that allowed the fairing to be mounted on a ladies bicycle.
If you can read the diagram, the previous fairings were mounted on tubes strapped to the top tube. This would not work with a ladies bike.

It was Mellisa's idea to stop using Kevlar, and use all fiberglass. The previous fairings were made of Kevlar.



This is the one, the post that sent me over mere amusement to choking down tears of laughter.

Oh For The Love Of All That Is Decent, Stopping Digging Up This Piece Of **** Thread.