The Perfect Commuter Bike For The Masses?

Hey R.B.T

I suppose not many of you may have heard about an award winning, yet
controversial commuter bike design that was recently hosted on the
Bicycle Design blog. The winning concept was a recumbent bike, with a
roof on it. Proposed transmission was a belt drive and all the lights
of the bike would be powered by a solar panel on the roof!

An analysis from a human factors and cost standpoint was done here :
http://tinyurl.com/ag8sdd. Comments and thoughts are welcome here or
in the blog.

The apparent practical disadvantages are many, but the designer is
supposedly going to work towards improving the concept and bring out a
prototype. When we don't know.



BD

On Jan 25, 7:58*pm, bicycle_disciple
wrote:
Hey R.B.T

I suppose not many of you may have heard about an award winning, yet
controversial commuter bike design that was recently hosted on the
Bicycle Design blog. The winning concept was a recumbent bike, with a
roof on it. Proposed transmission was a belt drive and all the lights
of the bike would be powered by a solar panel on the roof!

An analysis from a human factors and cost standpoint was done here :http://tinyurl.com/ag8sdd. Comments and thoughts are welcome here or
in the blog.

The apparent practical disadvantages are many, but the designer is
supposedly going to work towards improving the concept and bring out a
prototype. When we don't know.


Bike design isn't what's keeping folks from cycling. However--the
design you linked to would do a great job making cycling less popular--
as it would be invariably more intimidating and expensive compared to
traditional bikes.

Right now, I can send a noob down to the LBS to pick up an Electra
Townie w/ fenders and a nice shopping basket for $600 in a friendly
light metallic blue. However--as practical as that bike is--it's not
flying off the shelf--which has very little to do with the bike's
design or affordability.

On Jan 25, 7:58*pm, bicycle_disciple
wrote:
Hey R.B.T

I suppose not many of you may have heard about an award winning, yet
controversial commuter bike design that was recently hosted on the
Bicycle Design blog. The winning concept was a recumbent bike, with a
roof on it. Proposed transmission was a belt drive and all the lights
of the bike would be powered by a solar panel on the roof!


When I commute in the winter, its an hour before sunrise. And my bike
stays in the garage overnight. Kind of hard to have working solar
powered lights with no sunlight. During the day the bike sits outside
so it could charge up a battery and power the lights on the way home,
in the dark an hour after the sun has gone down. But during the day
its 0 F outside so the battery may not take or hold much of a charge
for powering lights. Batteries stink in cold. This solar powered
light concept doesn't seem to be very well thought out.




An analysis from a human factors and cost standpoint was done here :http://tinyurl.com/ag8sdd. Comments and thoughts are welcome here or
in the blog.

The apparent practical disadvantages are many, but the designer is
supposedly going to work towards improving the concept and bring out a
prototype. When we don't know.

BD

landotter wrote:

bicycle_disciple wrote:

I suppose not many of you may have heard about an award winning, yet
controversial commuter bike design that was recently hosted on the
Bicycle Design blog. The winning concept was a recumbent bike, with a
roof on it. Proposed transmission was a belt drive and all the lights
of the bike would be powered by a solar panel on the roof!

An analysis from a human factors and cost standpoint was done here :http://tinyurl.com/ag8sdd.
Comments and thoughts are welcome here or in the blog.

The apparent practical disadvantages are many, but the designer is
supposedly going to work towards improving the concept and bring out a
prototype. When we don't know.

Bike design isn't what's keeping folks from cycling. However--the
design you linked to would do a great job making cycling less popular--
as it would be invariably more intimidating and expensive compared to
traditional bikes.

Let's not forget cumbersome, slow, heavy, difficult to work on, damage-
prone, ill-handling, treacherous in gusting winds (or amidst passing
cars and trucks), and ugly. It would introduce the new and unwelcome
element of roof fit to the already demanding number of fit issues we
face as cyclists.

The yokels who hatched this idea need to spend a month or more getting
around on a Surrey or a Rhodes Car as part of their re-education.

Right now, I can send a noob down to the LBS to pick up an Electra
Townie w/ fenders and a nice shopping basket for $600 in a friendly
light metallic blue. However--as practical as that bike is--it's not
flying off the shelf--which has very little to do with the bike's
design or affordability.

The Townie is a nice bike. I think the one-size thing it has in
common with cruisers and BSOs is a serious handicap for it. If you
wanna sell blue jeans, you have to make more than one size.

Chalo

wrote:

When I commute in the winter, its an hour before sunrise. And my bike
stays in the garage overnight. Kind of hard to have working solar
powered lights with no sunlight. During the day the bike sits outside
so it could charge up a battery and power the lights on the way home,
in the dark an hour after the sun has gone down. But during the day
its 0 F outside so the battery may not take or hold much of a charge
for powering lights. Batteries stink in cold. This solar powered
light concept doesn't seem to be very well thought out.



"But during the day
its 0 F outside so the battery may not take or hold much of a charge
for powering lights. Batteries stink in cold. This solar powered
light concept doesn't seem to be very well thought out."

Sounds more like the decision about where you live is the thing that
wasn't very well thought out.

On Jan 26, 2:38*pm, Eric Vey wrote:
wrote:
When I commute in the winter, its an hour before sunrise. *And my bike
stays in the garage overnight. *Kind of hard to have working solar
powered lights with no sunlight. *During the day the bike sits outside
so it could charge up a battery and power the lights on the way home,
in the dark an hour after the sun has gone down. *But during the day
its 0 F outside so the battery may not take or hold much of a charge
for powering lights. *Batteries stink in cold. *This solar powered
light concept doesn't seem to be very well thought out.

"But during the day
its 0 F outside so the battery may not take or hold much of a charge
for powering lights. *Batteries stink in cold. *This solar powered
light concept doesn't seem to be very well thought out."

Sounds more like the decision about where you live is the thing that
wasn't very well thought out.

If you ever bother to look at a globe you will observe the cold
climates are the rich, wealthy, industrial countries. The parts of
the world that seem to have year round agreeable weather are the
poorest, most starvation affected countries in the world. Even in the
USA with a wide swing of temperature from north to south, you will see
that the highest per capita income is in the colder parts. Not the
warmer.

wrote in message
...

This solar powered light concept doesn't seem to be very well thought out.

Reminds me of a friend discussing the practicalities of caving gear at a
camp up on a mountain plateau - "We can get some solar panels and use them
to charge the lights up overnight" :-)

russellseaton wrote:

Eric Vey wrote:

russellseaton wrote:

"But during the day
its 0 F outside so the battery may not take or hold much of a charge
for powering lights. *Batteries stink in cold. *This solar powered
light concept doesn't seem to be very well thought out."

Sounds more like the decision about where you live is the thing that
wasn't very well thought out.

If you ever bother to look at a globe you will observe the cold
climates are the rich, wealthy, industrial countries. *The parts of
the world that seem to have year round agreeable weather are the
poorest, most starvation affected countries in the world. *Even in the
USA with a wide swing of temperature from north to south, you will see
that the highest per capita income is in the colder parts. *Not the
warmer.

Monaco and the Côte d'Azur
Coastal California
Australia
Central Japan
Dubai
South Florida
Singapore
Hong Kong

Contrast:

Mongolia
Nunavut
Kyrgyzstan
North Dakota
Nebraska
Tierra del Fuego
North Korea

On Jan 26, 8:40*am, landotter wrote:
On Jan 25, 7:58*pm, bicycle_disciple
wrote:

Hey R.B.T

I suppose not many of you may have heard about an award winning, yet
controversial commuter bike design that was recently hosted on the
Bicycle Design blog. The winning concept was a recumbent bike, with a
roof on it. Proposed transmission was a belt drive and all the lights
of the bike would be powered by a solar panel on the roof!

An analysis from a human factors and cost standpoint was done here :http://tinyurl.com/ag8sdd. Comments and thoughts are welcome here or
in the blog.

The apparent practical disadvantages are many, but the designer is
supposedly going to work towards improving the concept and bring out a
prototype. When we don't know.

Bike design isn't what's keeping folks from cycling. However--the
design you linked to would do a great job making cycling less popular--
as it would be invariably more intimidating and expensive compared to
traditional bikes.

Right now, I can send a noob down to the LBS to pick up an Electra
Townie w/ fenders and a nice shopping basket for $600 in a friendly
light metallic blue. However--as practical as that bike is--it's not
flying off the shelf--which has very little to do with the bike's
design or affordability.

Give people safe(r) places to ride and more people will ride. Not only
for fun but also for transportation. A bike lane(not path) would help
immensely.

wrote:
On Jan 26, 2:38 pm, Eric Vey wrote:
wrote:
When I commute in the winter, its an hour before sunrise. And my bike
stays in the garage overnight. Kind of hard to have working solar
powered lights with no sunlight. During the day the bike sits outside
so it could charge up a battery and power the lights on the way home,
in the dark an hour after the sun has gone down. But during the day
its 0 F outside so the battery may not take or hold much of a charge
for powering lights. Batteries stink in cold. This solar powered
light concept doesn't seem to be very well thought out.
"But during the day
its 0 F outside so the battery may not take or hold much of a charge
for powering lights. Batteries stink in cold. This solar powered
light concept doesn't seem to be very well thought out."

Sounds more like the decision about where you live is the thing that
wasn't very well thought out.

If you ever bother to look at a globe you will observe the cold
climates are the rich, wealthy, industrial countries. The parts of
the world that seem to have year round agreeable weather are the
poorest, most starvation affected countries in the world. Even in the
USA with a wide swing of temperature from north to south, you will see
that the highest per capita income is in the colder parts. Not the
warmer.

Since they have all that extra per capita income, $15 a gallon fuel oil
when it gets to that, won't hurt a bit, will it?