First brevet of the season

First brevet of the season

I rode my first brevet last Saturday; it was a 200km ride through eastern Ontario.  The ride started at 7AM on the other side of the city so I had to drive for 45 minutes.  While driving, I encountered rain, then a snow squall that stopped just as we were getting ready to ride.  It was also windy and gusty, overall not the ideal conditions for a long ride.

I think we were 12 brave souls at the start, some old faces and several new ones.  Of course I was the only one in a velomobile, in fact the only bent this time around.  Several noticed that the new velomobile was much smaller than my previous Carbon Quest.  I decided to ride not very aggressively as it is very early in the season and I am not fully comfortable in the DF yet.  We started together and I followed the faster riders, I would pass them on straightaways and they would pass me on the hills.

Unfortunately I still have the 160mm cranks and my knees touched the top of the shell several times a minute so after several hours, the knees were sore.  I managed to finish relatively well but it was my slowest time on this course.  When my bent legs return and I have shorter cranks, I hope that I will do much better.  Generally the DF performed well, shifting was crisp, climbing works well too, the stiffness of the shell is noticeable, I climbed many of the hills using the large ring.  I have to get used to the tight space inside trying to find items like food or my cue sheet can be challenging at times.  I have to get used to the new ride.

Velomobiel

Velomobiel has decided to change the name of the Quattro to Quattrovelo to ensure the name does not infringe on the Audi trademark.  I think this was the right move for Velomobiel who would have had to face a big team of lawyers to defend their choice.  In addition, the font is similar to Audi’s Wordmark but different enough as to ensure it is also in the clear.  These issues were extensively discussed on the German forum and discussed with Velomobiel.

The molds were completed from the original plug and the first body is curing in the mold and will be painted and shipped to Dronten.  Other parts like the wheel wells, turtledeck, hood and chain guards still need to be produced but it will give Allert and Theo something to work with to install the mechanical components.

Incidentally, it appears that the staff at the Romania factory refers to the Quattrovelo as the Batmobile!

Velomobile.ca

Steve has published pictures of his Milan MX for larger riders.  The new model provides extra room for big feet and broad shoulders.  The large shoulders are accommodated with side bulges. But there is more room overall without compromising too much on aerodynamics.

Milan MX (right) with Milan GT (left) notice the shoulder buldges on the MX.

Intercitybike

The price for the new hood for the DF appears to have been set at €650.  No mention of the delivery timeframe.

Short pants coming soon?  It looks like Daniel’s latest project is the design of short or every day wheel pants.  He claims that he can ride at 50km/h on 105W and 80km/h at 300W and somewhere around 550W to get to 100km/h

DF with wheel pants could travel at 80 km/h average for one hour.  This would set a world record. is faster than the standard production by 15 to 20km/h.

Unfortunately Daniel does not like the look of the everyday pants, but they are a bit slower than the racing version.

Velotilt

The first prototype of the Tourtop was modified using foam to change the shape.  The shape raised slightly should improve aerodynamics.