Rotovelo Roof

I came up with this design for the rotovelo roof last year when I was deciding whether or not to buy a rotovelo which came with no roof. Similarity to the current trisled version is coincidental. Tana Lee did the assembly and after a test run today, it works a treat. It's simply 2 sides and a top cut from a sheet of coroflute welded together with hot glue then tape. We secured the coroflute cap to the hatch using 4 short lengths of alloy. We bent footings for them in the vice, punched a few small bolts in it and thats it. We will glue velcroe to the front uprights so a detachable clear plastic screen can be carried/used as required. I immediately noticed the coroflute dulled the chain noise which was a nice surprise. I did try a flevobike velo roof. I found the flevo bike roof to be unstable in the wind and it involves a tricky 2 move process to enter/exit the bike. By contrast, this roof is rock solid, light as a feather and a few hours to make at under $100 NZ.

Hilly Route to Aramoana

I have decided to ride more often in the hilly areas of Dunedin. The Quest does a good job of climbing hills as long as you are not in a hurry. I have discovered that avoiding hills will limit places you can go and they are well worth the extra effort. Today's ride was along the top of the peninsula, to Aramoana, and I was able to get some nice shots of the bay along the way. People slow right down and often stop when they see the velomobile. They will often offer to take pictures of me in the Quest. The other advantage, of course in hill climbing, is hill descending! The Quest is rock solid on descents so its tempting to just tuck in and enjoy the aerodynamics of the machine.

Holland quest rider

One source of inspiration to obtain a quest was this man Wim Harwig of the Netherlands.

I think he has a great environment for riding cycles over there and some great items on his blog - http://wimharwig.com/.  Our town planners could look at their cycle ways which where possible, keep cyclists away from motorists.

Dunedin Peninsula Ride

Hi All

Had a day off today so decided to head down the Peninsula for a velomobile ride.  Geographically, Dunedin is a harbour town at the apex of 2 Peninsulas running out to the sea on either side of  the city.  Ships come and go up this passageway to visit Dunedin. The trip was glorious with sea air, aromatic lupins and great views.  Lupins have such an uplifting aroma I always find, which you can miss in a car.  I don't usually go down during weekdays as there is more traffic than in weekends.  I usually find vehicles react well to considerate velomobile riding and they give me a good reception. Back at the city later on I had the usual crowd of eager fans around the bike to talk with.  The "lecture" finale was received with disbelief as I packed a load of groceries in the quests tail.  I hope you enjoy some pics of todays ride.  

Dunedin, New Zealand - Red Quest no. 515 arrives in the country!!

Today was very exciting.........

The red Quest no. 515 was unpacked (and unmarked) at Bike Otago in Dunedin after its journey here from Velomobile nl of the Netherlands.  Inside the bike was a collection of tubes, charger, repair kit, wheel covers and a racekap, which fits me fine at 6' 2" tall.  The staff at Bike Otago were totally into prepping the velomobile and eager to discuss their thoughts on the Quests fine engineering.  It was dark when it was finally ready for a test run so I will be looking forward to a try out in the daylight.  I did have a short run and can say it was a pleasure to operate and very comfortable.  Will work on some movie footage in due course.