Originally Posted by
MK313
wphamilton,
Since you've actually ridden with one, do you feel that a front fairing only (I'm not interested in a wrap around fairing or anything like that) makes a differnece in winter riding comfort? In my regular commuting, I find that the downhill that starts my ride & the few short downhills on the way in to work are the coldest times on my bike & the reason that I stop riding when it hits 28 degrees. I'm assuming (incorrectly perhaps) that since this appears to be completely realted to wind chill, that having the front fairing would bring the perceived temperature closer to what I feel when riding on flat ground.
Also, have you ever ridden with a fron tfiaring only & if so, have you had any problems with stability in sidewinds?
Thanks,
I have tried it, but haven't had much luck with front fairing or windscreen only. Keep in mind that this is only from my experience and what I've been able to cobble together. Someone else or a retail setup might have better designs than I tried. I think you're right that a windscreen will cut down a lot of the wind chill, without a wrap-around. I had a couple of problems with it.
First, mounting it almost has to be on the bars/forks unless you add some pretty elaborate and solid struts from the frame to get it way out front. (the handlebars would have to turn inside the windscreen). I don't see any way around it. My problem with that is on the handlebars you get extra weight and some wind pressure affecting your steering so it can be skittish. I could also never get it really solid mounting from the bars.
My second difficulty is that you have to make the wind-screen about half again larger without some enclosure, in order to effectively block. A smaller screen doesn't really help much (the wind just whips around and hits you anyway) but a larger front seriously impacts your drag. Also the larger you make it, the more unstable it becomes in side winds.
I think the windscreen ultimately comes down to a compromise between shielding and greater drag, with a hit on stability. Recumbents can get away with it because the rider is already less vertical - less frontal area - but I'm skeptical that it will be fully satisfactory on a diamond frame unless the speeds are usually in the 16mph or under range.