Late to the thread here, but congratulations for getting past two pages of nay-sayers. I'm all in favor of the project. It totally makes sense to me.

On winter commutes I wear knit under layers. Why? To trap warm air next to my body.
I also wear a shell outer layer. Why? To keep cold dry outer air from whisking away that warm humid air.

Sounds like wp is doing the same thing- he's just putting the "clothing" on his bike instead.
And, unlike lobster claw gloves, wool tights and puffy booties, the blue faring is crazy cool looking.
Onward good man- with more pics.

Revised!
 

The flex side panels at the sides of the handlebars were just too annoying, and since they also added area (drag) to the front I just cut them off and pulled the fairing in to the head tube. Moving the whole thing up and forward also let me narrow down the front fairing. And finally I chopped some off the back since it didn't really seem to gain anything.

The difference may not be very apparent but the steering is freed up and there is better coverage with a more normal riding position. I still need to add the leg shields.

gretterbrown, Sounds like wp is doing the same thing- he's just putting the "clothing" on his bike instead. is exactly right and trying to make it more aero and less restrictive than bulky clothing and other coverings.

what, nothing to keep your feet dry???

Last step that I'll be finishing up this week: I have a curving shield on the down tube in front of the legs which pulls up to the side panels. I have to cut it off though at the top of the water bottle bracket or else I'll be scraping my toes on it. That works pretty well to keep the lower legs dry and deflects most of the spray below.

Well, there's one other thing that I might add. I can bend a rectangular piece of acrylic to make a swept-back extension above the wind screen which seemed to be effective last year.

Looks like it will keep you warm, but without fenders, you'll get a lot of road spray in the rain. Would love to see a video of the rig in action.

I still have this one I made from fiberglass but I didn't really like it. You're right and I should probably just buy a fender for the front.

I'll see if I can get a short video clip one of these evenings.

how do you get in and out of that thing?

I think you should go all in on this one and really dude it up.

I'd go for flames maybe.

boring

Well unless I can find someone with artistic talent to paint a mural or wings or something I'll have to make do with gadgets. Reflective tape on the sides and lights to start with - I have a tail light/brake light now but I've been mulling over turn signals front and back. I've also had another idea in the back of my mind for a while: a sort of visual horn that would be diffused multi-colored (non-official colors) strobe lights coming from a broad area on the sides and back possibly.

Adding Leg Sheilds
 

With the leg shields the overall shape is more or less complete. I'll be adding some vinyl to cover the gaps but that's not a priority until it gets cold. On my last couple of commutes I've been holding 21-22 mph with moderate effort so I'm on the right track here. Luckily the leg shields stiffened up the structure enough that I'm not getting the twitchy feeling I had earlier at around 35mph.

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...2&d=1316128663

Does it get a hat?

It's tempting but I'll probably put half a dome on front and stop there. I experimented once last fall with stretching a plastic sheet over the top with a little extra room to move around but that was a fail. I was cramped and with almost no air flow it got hot right away - no fun at all. You can't help but think there must be a way around that though.

:thumb:

The whole side is a door.
http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...6&d=1316374833

As an incidental benefit I get a real dashboard. It's the black part above the shiny section which is just a ventilation cover which I leave off unless it's cold & wet.

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...7&d=1316374856

simply amazing..

this keeps you out of the poolhalls doesnt it?
Im with the crowd of "yes, this is kinda goofy, but must be fun mucking around with it"

and yes, as an old motorcycle rider, stopping the cold air hitting you makes a huge diff in your comfort. Personally I could see using a bar mounted front bubble as being more convienent, but hey, you are having fun and you arent throwing puppies into a river....

I always preferred the bar-mounted windscreens on motorcycles. The problem I have with one on a bicycle is the weight on the front, and I've never been able to get any aero gain with one.

It's got that going for it, being harmless. Heck riding it I even have to be pleasant to old ladies and an example to children. People seem to expect that for some reason.

Winter? My commuter bike is rigged as shown below year round. That fairing is nice in the winter, though.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...ikes/sxp08.jpg

Awesome! I spent about a year in Cleburne in '85 (or thereabouts), nice country.

Updated
 

It's been awhile but if anyone's still curious I re-worked the front end since the other idea was problematic (and a little lopsided). The windshield is extended so that I'm fully sheltered and I've stretched some spandex across the handlebar gaps. The dashboard is rubberized with that ingenious Plastidip spray from home depot. Here's the new front:

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...8&d=1320104967

There's a small 500 lumen headlight poking out under the windshield. It's going to get a top after all, ahead of the cold weather if we ever get any, more of the spandex with a treatment I'm experimenting with.

I've been commuting with this rig since I posted the first pics. You guys would not believe the difference it makes in going faster easier, and staying warm and dry! I'm easily 3-4 mph faster at my normal (pathetic) power level, more than that when I can conjure up more effort.

Thanks! I'd love to see a pic of you riding it. I still can't quite imagine what it looks like with a pilot.

It's impossible to visualize the rider unfortunately. I'll try to get the wife out this weekend to take pictures or a video.

This is kinda awesome, but also looks like a good wind could lift you up and threow you into a river.

To tell the truth I'm a little concerned about this one and wind, since I've got it about a foot to 18 inches longer than before, and further forward, so it has more side area and the balance might be squirrely. I haven't had it in really high winds yet.

Photos in Action
 

I finally got some photos - I was curious also since I'd never seen what it looks like with a rider either. We only had enough battery for a few pictures though.

A couple of pics of actual riding,

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...6&d=1321282652
http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...5&d=1321282652

the last two after I had stopped and was standing up.

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...3&d=1321282652
http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...4&d=1321282652

mr hamilton, zee photos are not working....

Just FYI, can't see your pics.

Does that work now?