velomobile
Sign in to saveA velomobile (), velomobiel, velo, or bicycle car is a human-powered vehicle (HPV) enclosed for aerodynamic advantage and/or protection from weather and collisions. Velomobiles are similar to recumbent bicycles, pedal go-karts and tricycles, but with a full fairing (aerodynamic or weather protective shell) and are not to be confused with purpose-built mobiles for speed records. Fully faired vehicles with two wheels are generally called Streamliners and have set many speed and distance records.
Key facts
- Machine.name
- Velomobile
- Machine.image
- Red 3-wheel Velomobile.jpg
- Machine.caption
- Three-wheeled velomobile
- Machine.classification
- Vehicle
- Machine.application
- Transportation
- Machine.fuel_source
- Human power, Electricity
- Machine.wheels
- 3–4
- Machine.components
- Wheels, Seat, Handlebar, Fairing, Chain, Derailleur
- Machine.invented
- 1930s
- Machine.examples
- Velocar, Fantom, Leitra, Waw, People Powered Vehicle, , QuattroVelo, Sinclair C5, Frikar
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
13 sectionsContents
- History
- Modern/contemporary velomobiles
- World records
- Comparison to other cycle types
- Aerodynamic fairing
- Weather protection
- Wheel configurations
- Electric assisted velomobiles
- DIY (do it yourself) velomobiles
- Velomobile and recumbent Internet communities
- See also
- References
- External links
A velomobile (), velomobiel, velo, or bicycle car is a human-powered vehicle (HPV) enclosed for aerodynamic advantage and/or protection from weather and collisions. Velomobiles are similar to recumbent bicycles, pedal go-karts and tricycles, but with a full fairing (aerodynamic or weather protective shell) and are not to be confused with purpose-built mobiles for speed records. Fully faired vehicles with two wheels are generally called Streamliners and have set many speed and distance records.
Though fast in their own right, velomobiles are considered much more suitable for the street than two-wheeled streamliners. Using three or more wheels can have advantages for everyday use, including the ability to stop and start unaided, better stability, cross-wind handling, etc., though there are arguments made that the multiple track machines (three or more wheels) have aerodynamic disadvantages due to the drag of the extra wheels and the surface contact points. In practice though, velomobiles continue to be close to their two-wheel cousins in performance.