steppebysteppe

I'm trying to make a fairing for my recumbent, you can see pics of it at www.steppebysteppe.com.au

i was planning on having it fully enclosed and made of fabric, but highly adaptable to the weather. Thus it is basically like a tent (aerodynamically shaped from all angle for wind deflection), actually using multiple tent poles as its skeleton. Its panels would all be able to be rolled/zipped up, thus on a hot day we can roll more panels up, and on a cold day we can be fully enclosed(the front portion will be see through like a windscreen).

I if i design the skelton for it and mount it to my frame(basically just eyelets/brazons) to mount custom sized tent poles, is there anywhere i can get the fabric(be great to have a waterproof breathable one!) made, and more importantly is there anyone who will sew it(cut it to size, measure the fabric needed from my CAD design etc)? or will it have to be a dodgy home job?

thanks

-roger

crackerdog

I would think that a dodger that makes canopies for boats would know how to do it.

countersTrike

VeloKit uses mainly 1/4" rods, only using 2 mounting poles and 1 adjusting rear pole. Those rods are very adequate. Tent poles seem like "overkill" on a canvas fairing! Whatever Good luck!

countersTrike

banerjek

+1 -- I have a velokit, and the rods are more than adequate. I even crashed once -- all I had to do was bend a few things back and it was practically as good as new....

banerjek

Now that I've seen this Qwike, I think you may indeed need tent poles since this thing is so big and it needs to be heavy duty. Having said that, this is going to add much more weight than you're going to want -- particularly when the fairing is off. Much better to use the space/weight for other gear IMO.

BlazingPedals

If you are planning on taking that contraption far from civilization, make sure you take a length of rope so when you're slogging through ankle-deep mud you can pull it behind you like a connestoga wagon.

countersTrike

Whoa! I replied before viewing that side-by-side. I suppose something like Northern Tools would have an RV tarp you could trim, or many an upholstery top sewing business might help.

countersTrike

steppebysteppe

yeh with the amount of weight we're carrying on it, another 5kg(was thinking tent fabric + tent poles) or so is nothing. The velokit sounds really good, but with the size of our quike,, i was just abit concerned about there being a substantial sail effect with side on wind. I was trying to make it more rounded from every angle, needs to be able to withstand(its our emergency shelter when we cant put a tent up) big winds and cold temps.... any ideas on fabric types or pole types....need to last 12 months, be useable from -50c to +50c(shade in desert) in no wind to 250km wind...

-roger

banerjek

I think you need to pack a real dome tent that is engineered to take real abuse for what you're talking about. These things can be put up in really tough conditions. Because the Qwike rides so high, I think sidewinds are an issue and that once winds hit about 60km/hr, you're at risk of flipping.

I think that any conditions that require you to take shelter should probably keep you from moving on the bike. I'd focus on having versatile clothes and just pack the tent separately.

flashman50

I was thinking of making a fabric fairing similar to the one that you have in mind, roger, but instead of using custom sized tent poles, I would use customized 1/4" allthread with nuts to secure it to the frame. There would be customized allthread running the length and the width of the recumbent bike and they would be fastened together with tie wraps and nuts at the point where the verticle and horizontal allthread lengths instersect to give it more strenghth and stability.

Flashman50

Jeff Wills

Please note that you are replying to a thread that's 6 years old.

A couple of my friends have built frames for their recumbents' body socks. They usually use kite poles and fittings, which are easier to use and lighter. The angle fittings are rubber, so things flex instead of breaking if the bike falls over.

Here's how two of them put a body sock on a Bacchetta Aero Basso SWB bike: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bacche...7603586385202/ .