Fairings

On Mon, 01 Mar 2004 22:36:31 -0800, LioNiNoiL at NetScApE_DoT_NeT
wrote:


In a word, no; but it's your decision whether a little extra speed on a
level or downhill road is worth the cost and weight of a fairing.

Grin, with my fitness level, every extra tenth of a kilometer
per hour is a hard fought gain . . .

As per my previous reply to Mike, the fairing is on the bike
and I "think" I'm going to enjoy it.

Thanks for the feedback . . .

On Tue, 02 Mar 2004 12:46:05 GMT, "Jon Meinecke"
wrote:

A front fairing may help keep the rider warmer and drier.
A cyclist enjoying riding longer and more often could easily
drop the weight of a windscreen in body mass. %^)

Grin . . . in that case I think I could install a dozen plus
windscreens and still come out ahead. I have a few (read many)
..lbs of excess baggage to drop before starting to worry about
equipment weight.

Was yakking with the LBS owner Saturday regarding tires and if
anything was better than what I had on the bike now. We bantered about
harder and narrower tires being more efficient speed wise but possibly
less stable on loose surfaces and the durability and reliability of
various types of tires. After 10 minutes I recalled a phrase I'd read
in here and decided to use it to end the conversation . . .
"I'd best get the engine in tune first . . . " I thought he was going
to **** himself laughing.

Anyways, the fairing is on the bike and early indications are
as you say . . . it may be enough to get me out on the road more.

Thanks for the feedback Jon . . .

On Wed, 03 Mar 2004 00:17:18 GMT, Aisle five for laundry supplies
wrote:

Probably won't use it much during the summer,
just save it for next winter, but I rationalized its purchase by
considering it as a tool. If I could just figure it as a toy, it would
extend a normal riding season by several weeks on either end.

I'm curious to see once the warmer weather gets here, how it
affects my riding. I don't like the heat and enjoy the air blowing
over me. Like you, it may come off for the warmer weather. However, I
did (or thought I did), notice a diiference riding in the wind today.
Time will tell.

And like you say, if it extends the riding season a few weeks
in the spring and fall it'll be worth it.

Thanks for the feedback . . .

On 2 Mar 2004 13:26:50 -0800, (Jeff Wills) wrote:

In a word, yes. It'll pay off in spades if you run into headwinds,
but there'll always be a benefit. I disagree with the people who say
there's no benefit at slower speed- it's just that the benefit is
comparitively tiny. For the majority of people, they won't notice the
difference carrying the extra weight up the hill, either. Go back
down the hill and you'll be thankful you had the fairing.

Bought and installed a fairing this weekend, and given the
stiff winds we had today out of the east, it did "seem" to make a
difference. Kind of early in the season to judge how much of a
difference it made, but it certainly seemed to help.

IMO, fairings on the Easy Racer-style bikes "make" the bike.

Grin, it certainly gives the bike a sharp look. Felt like a
bit of a dweeb the first few runs up and down the neighbourhood
streets, but once I got it positioned properly, it certainly looked
and felt like a different bike.

Thanks for the feedback Jeff . . .

On Tue, 09 Mar 2004 22:19:08 -0700, "David.K"
wrote:

I ride a faired Tour Easy to work almost every day, rain or shine, summer
and winter.

A question David . . . does the faring make pedalling warmer
in the summer? It was great today in the cool weather, I can see the
positive advantage there, but I'm curious to see what it's like in the
heat of summer.

It's been my experience that a head wind slows you down a lot.
My df buddies ride quite a bit faster than I do in a headwind. But with a
tailwind or crosswind the effect is anything from nil to a positive boost
with a boost almost always being the case.

I'm not professing to be an expert David, but I almost felt
the opposite today. Strong winds out of the east and I seemed to be
able to maintain my pace with very little extra effort. And as for
diamond frame buddies, hell, given my present state of fitness, I
think the old lady down the street could beat me riding her
grand-daughter's tricycle. Grin.

Fairings also offer a good bit of protection during the rain.

They're calling for rain most of the week here in Ontario. I'm
looking forward to taking a wet ride over the next few days to see
what it's like.

Thanks for the response David . . .

On Wed, 10 Mar 2004 14:36:44 GMT, Mike Euritt
wrote:

and indeed when we stopped, I was amazed at how strong the wind was. My theory
is that being sheltered from the wind spared me from the morale killing effect
of the wind, and I just used more effort than I otherwise would have needed.

That thought of yours was running through my head during
tonights' ride. It is indeed a strange sensation being sheltered, then
taking a break and seeing just how strong the headwind is.

In other times on different bents, with and with out fairings, if I feel the
wind on my chest, even with the extreme riding position of the Corsa, I slow
down, with the fairing protecting me I just don't notice it and loose very
little if any speed.... mind games...

Grin, mind games or not, it seemed to work for me tonight.

Thanks for the feedback Mike . . .

On Wed, 10 Mar 2004 22:48:33 -0600, "Bill Anton"
wrote:

On the down side, those nylon nuts and bolts can be a pain, always loosening
up and falling out on the road. My solution (and a good one, it turns out)
was to liberally coat the bolts with clear silicone RTV.

Your advice is duly noted Bill. A trip to the hardware store
Monday morning is on my to-do list.

Thanks for the advice . . .