What do I do with to much time on my hands ???

[Frito Bandito]

That is great to hear Bill. I bet it is going to be a blast.

 

[Velocivixen]

You could spend all of your spare time on internet bike forums debating the ins & outs of the rabbit hole minutiae. Or you could just carry on the way you’re going.

 

[Bryan H]

All is well. I have been out riding 40-50 miles mostly at night 1-2 times per week in a 6.3 mile loop close to home. Sustainable with effort (say 50 miles) flat land speed seems to be 23-24 mph in cool still air at a 150 bpm heartrate (my power pedals do not work with the fairing but that should be about 150 watts for my 64 year old body). The bike is more stable and predictable with the fairing than without. That is in part because of the six 1/4" diameter bungee chords that run from the back of the fairing to the seat at the chest region ( I attach my flexible fairing extensions to them). Sort of like a Viscoset effect inhibiting front wheel flop. There is a performance sweet spot when headed directly into a modest to strong headwind where the fairing improves bike speed by 5-10% over other wind angles. I was riding 160 bpm heartrate doing 21 mph into a 16 mph headwind the other night when I figured this out. I confirmed it during a slow group ride today when the group headed home into a modest headwind and my heartrate dropped as the group ostensibly maintained the same level of effort. I was not drafting in the peloton. It loves a super strong headwinds the most. The added total weight is about 13 lb which brings the bike total up to 40 lb. I don't notice that much extra effort on the overpasses around here. I have added a ~30" long 3D printed turbulence strip along the top and that reduces the effects of strong side gusts by 50-75% so that it is not a problem unless gusty winds get above 16 mph and that is only a problem if it is raining because of reduced tire grip. It is easy to get in and out of once you know the drill (way easier than a velomobile or streamliner). I am going to add a covering where my knees pop out that goes back just beyond the handlebars. In hindsight I should only have cut holes where my knees want to go and retrofitted with "knee bumps" like you see on velomobiles as that is much more efficient than a full open cockpit cut. I will model the most efficient knee bump shape. It is all fun stuff. Will ride with a faster group next weekend to get a better relative feel for the improvements. One little side effect is that your knees do not get sun burned in the hot Texas sun, as they are covered much of the time. Also the structural PLA parts do not have problems in the 90 deg F sun. It will get hotter here. PLA begins to weaken above 140 deg F. Generally it is harder to accelerate from a stop with young racers (big wattage capacity) on 17 lb bikes, but much easier to cruise at a sustained and higher speed. You can see that in Strava plots of heartrates around red light starts and stops versus open country road where poor aerodynamics restrain the DF bikes. No structural issues yet.

Bill, a friend I'm following on Strava caught you out in the wild! I am so impressed with your setup. Started looking on the forum and found this post. Would love to see this thing in person. Maybe take a ride with you if possible next time I'm down our way. I have a short video clip of you on the road if you would like me to try an post it here?

 

[Mathew Fy]

post it here?

This forum doesn’t support videos. You’ll need to post the video to YouTube or some other service and share the link.

 

[Randyc3]

Hi,
Recently finished a combination 3d printed
epoxy bonded tailbox for my V20c. On the smaller side. Next version will be a bit larger.

 

[cpml123]

Hi,
Recently finished a combination 3d printed
epoxy bonded tailbox for my V20c. On the smaller side. Next version will be a bit larger.View attachment 15794View attachment 15795View attachment 15796View attachment 15797

That looks really nice! Good job!

 

[Randyc3]

Hi,
Finished a larger Tailbox prototype. This one is a combination of 3D printed parts, epoxied fiberglass and Kevlar/Carbon. 3D printed the case to use as a mold and a storage bag for inexpensive vacuum bag. Surfaces did not come out as smooth as I hoped. The corners did not compact well either. Next time I will make the case in 2 halves and bond them together.