To buy or not to buy. That is the question.
 

Having nothing better to do on this balmy spring-like day in NE Tx, decided on a fairing efficiency project.

Using builders plastic, a coat hanger, and cable ties, I quickly slopped together a fairing of sorts for my TE.

Enlisting the assistance of my grandson, we set him to coasting down a 6% hill nearby.

Results: max speed with fairing, 25.5, without 24. Coast difference, 72 feet.

I'm guessing at least a 20% efficiency gain over my mess with one of those $400 custom jobs. Multiply that by 100 hills/1000 miles and maybe, just maybe, some tailwinds, plus the 1 mph flat ground/headwind gains. I'll let you do the math. Please.

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/...y/DSC00011.jpg

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It's ugly, but if it works....

I'm gonna spend the money on a nice fairing for my 'bent, but I will need to actually be able to see through it on occasion, so I want good optical quality.

LOL. Dude, have no intentions of using that rig. Just some fun and a test for efficiency.

Fairings seem like cheating.

That's not to say I wouldn't ever get one.

There's also the Coroplast(tm) route. Not as pretty as a blown Lexan fairing, but acceptable. I was able to push the V-Rex pretty fast with this one.

Got any hills around your place? How 'bout doing an efficiency run and let us know the outcome? BTW, impressive constuction job.

What? Oh, sorry I wasn't paying attention to the thread. I'm still to impressed that your grandson wanted to ride your Tour Easy.

He's still at an age where he thinks Grandpa on bike is cool. In a couple of years, he won't even want to stand beside it, and Grandpa will just be crazy.