What the heck is a velomobile????

It's a bike....

Yes, you are likely quite curious what in the world a velomobile is. Simply put, it's a superior form of bicycle. Why superior? Because it's FAST! Well, at least when you're riding on flat or downhill. We're not going to discuss riding uphill. I won't be doing much of that on this trip; therefore, it is entirely irrelevant.

Here is a nice little video I made explaining what a velomobile is:

In essence, a velomobile is nothing more than a recumbent trike surrounded by a very aerodynamic shell made of carbon fiber, though some are fiberglass and I even built one using cedar strips and fiberglass like a canoe or kayak. That velomobile is currently under redevelopment and enhancement and will eventually by my commuting velomobile and outfitted with e-assist to help reduce how stinky and sweaty I am when I arrive at my destination. I'm sure my fellow patrons in Aldi would appreciate that.

The velomobile I'm planning to ride this trip with is a 2012 Quest XS. It was made in Netherlands, sent on to Canada where it was assembled, and then delivered to its original owner in Oregon. This is what it looked like when I bought it:

Spot, it was called. Measels? Mumps? No, just a wild color scheme.

While the spots were highly reflective and certainly aided visibility, it really wasn't to my taste. Spot came to live with me in the dead of winter. Not a time to be painting a velomobile. Also, not a great time to ride a white velomobile in a city known for its snow. I opted to vinyl wrap it with automotive vinyl. This is not an easy task with a curvy vehicle and one I would not even wish on someone I disliked as much as I dislike Donald Trump. It did look good though:

Regrettably I decided to go for a ride May 13th, 2022. In the course of my ride, a very inattentive driver turned into me at an intersection. The collision was low speed enough to not damage me, but it did crack the gel coat. In order to assess the damage, it was necessary to remove the vinyl wrap in that area. Turns out the metallic blue is not presently in production. Off came the vinyl and it was back to white. Meanwhile, after extensive negotiations with the driver's insurance, we finally reached a settlement allowing for a proper painting of the velomobile. Only problem, in all of the cities only one shop would consent to paint my velomobile and they were backed up until October at least.

Attractive, but still too much white and not enough high visibility color

So last weekend I obtained some glossy bright red Yacht paint that could be rolled on with a roller and repainted the Quest a much more high-viz color. While my painting skills are not the level of a pro and we shall not discuss just how difficult it is to keep dust out of fresh paint, I will say that it is sufficient and probably won't adversely impact my aerodynamics too much.

This is its good side. Well, at least the least awful side in the family room where the painting party took place

I encountered some issues during the course of painting that have set back the paint cure time a wee bit. Namely, I finished the second coat at the wee hour of 2am Wednesday with the hope of having the paint cured for some weekend shakedown rides (paint needs 3 days to cure before riding supposedly.) I knew that was a bad idea at the time. The next morning when I had better lighting, I saw just how many spots I had missed. I ended up having to do a third coat which was finished early this afternoon. With proper lighting, I managed to not miss any spots. While it is not the most perfect finish ever, I do think it is an improvement on the red spots and certainly more visible than the previous incarnations. I have named it "Roadrunner", a suggestion from my dad. I have some reflective decals that I will add this weekend that I think will very much enhance the vehicle further.

So, freshly painted, and no doubt that much faster simply because we all know red is the fastest color, I now have a somewhat bigger incentive to actually make the trip this time. I mean, what could be more exciting in Lake Wobegon than seeing one of those flashy bicycle car thingies go flying through town at some ridiculous speed? Who knows, I could end up being the front page of the Herald Star!

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Scott AndersonRoadrunner? Thanks, dad, but there are no roadrunners in MN. How about Peregrine? That’s the fastest bird you’ve got over there.
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1 year ago

Ben ParkeTo Scott AndersonAh, but then I can’t justify putting a reflective decal of Wile E Coyote doing a face plant with a taunting roadrunner looking on on my bike. It’s all about the decals, man.
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1 year ago