More questions about winter triking

Nobody said anything in the Winter Triking thread about fairings. Do they
make a big difference in keeping the cold away?

Jeff

Jeff Grippe wrote:
Nobody said anything in the Winter Triking thread about fairings. Do they
make a big difference in keeping the cold away?

tail fairings, not much ;-)

nose fairings they'll directly reduce windchill to any parts they block
direct airflow to.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Jeff Grippe wrote:
Nobody said anything in the Winter Triking thread about fairings. Do they
make a big difference in keeping the cold away?

Jeff


I haven't used my nose fairing on the trike in cold weather but I can
tell you that on my uprights with handlebar bags on cold days I find
myself subconsciously trying to crawl into that sheltered spot under the
top flap. So there is some truth to this, that a front fairing can cut
out wind chill to some extent. How much and is it worthwhile is to be
considered.
So if your front fairing is big enough, which may bring the fairing into
impractical dimensions, you won't have worry about windchill. You might
if the weather includes more than just cold consider windscreen wipers.
Front fairings are an artform for bikes and trikes and can cause a lot
of trouble but can also be very worthwhile. Cons are difficulties in
mounting, disruption of headlights and vision, hazards in sidewinds and
traffic, cooling/heat loss issues, scratching or shattering of the
fairing material, weight, local vehicle legalities, cost. Pros are
aerodynamics, shelter from the elements, a framework for the fairing
that you can (or must) hang other things off, individuality of your
pedal steed.
Want to investigate this further? Try the WISIL site. There may be
something here but your own circumstances may not suit going to this
trouble.

My other consideration (which is a big one because of the big $$$'s or
whatever your local currency may be) is to get a "Pedal Car" which is fully
enclosed, lighted, and heated.

My ride to the train station is mostly flat and I do have a parking space. I
don't mind the extra work for something that would obviously be quite heavy.

Anyone that can point me to web site for such a thing would be appreciated.

Jeff
"DD" wrote in message
...
Jeff Grippe wrote:
Nobody said anything in the Winter Triking thread about fairings. Do they
make a big difference in keeping the cold away?

Jeff
I haven't used my nose fairing on the trike in cold weather but I can tell
you that on my uprights with handlebar bags on cold days I find myself
subconsciously trying to crawl into that sheltered spot under the top
flap. So there is some truth to this, that a front fairing can cut out
wind chill to some extent. How much and is it worthwhile is to be
considered.
So if your front fairing is big enough, which may bring the fairing into
impractical dimensions, you won't have worry about windchill. You might if
the weather includes more than just cold consider windscreen wipers. Front
fairings are an artform for bikes and trikes and can cause a lot of
trouble but can also be very worthwhile. Cons are difficulties in
mounting, disruption of headlights and vision, hazards in sidewinds and
traffic, cooling/heat loss issues, scratching or shattering of the fairing
material, weight, local vehicle legalities, cost. Pros are aerodynamics,
shelter from the elements, a framework for the fairing that you can (or
must) hang other things off, individuality of your pedal steed.
Want to investigate this further? Try the WISIL site. There may be
something here but your own circumstances may not suit going to this
trouble.

Jeff Grippe wrote:
My other consideration (which is a big one because of the big $$$'s or
whatever your local currency may be) is to get a "Pedal Car" which is fully
enclosed, lighted, and heated.

My ride to the train station is mostly flat and I do have a parking space. I
don't mind the extra work for something that would obviously be quite heavy.

Google "velomobile". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velomobile has links
to many popular models.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

A fairing's effectiveness has a lot to do with size, shape and how
close it is to the rider.
http://bikesmithdesign.com/2WD_Trike/Fairing.html allows me to ride
with just a cotton turtleneck and a light wool sweater at +5F. The
fairing is a 15 year old SuperZipper Experimenter Kit bubble and some
6mm Corroplast.

I pefer this to a full velomobile, as I'm a sweaty guy and need airflow
on my body.

That's pretty impressive. Have you ever looked at the Tricruiser? If you
wouldn't mind taking a look at www.americruiser.com I'd be curious to know
what type of fairing might work that give good winter protection.

Thanks,
Jeff
wrote in message
oups.com...
A fairing's effectiveness has a lot to do with size, shape and how
close it is to the rider.
http://bikesmithdesign.com/2WD_Trike/Fairing.html allows me to ride
with just a cotton turtleneck and a light wool sweater at +5F. The
fairing is a 15 year old SuperZipper Experimenter Kit bubble and some
6mm Corroplast.

I pefer this to a full velomobile, as I'm a sweaty guy and need airflow
on my body.

"Jeff Grippe" wrote in message
...
Nobody said anything in the Winter Triking thread about fairings. Do they
make a big difference in keeping the cold away?

Jeff


I ride a GRR with a super zzipper fairing. I don't much like the fairing
when it gets really cold. When the fairing is properly installed on the GRR
(according to the manufacturer) it will direct the all of the air that would
be distributed to your legs, arms, and torso to the bridge of your nose,
your eyes, your forehead and the top of your head. I get a headache in the
first few miles with that set up, so I most often ride naked (that's
recumbent speak for riding without a fairing) on those really cold days.



Actually I think those really cold days were the reason God invented Saabs
with heated leather seats.

skip wrote:
When the fairing is properly installed on the GRR
(according to the manufacturer) it will direct the all of the air that would
be distributed to your legs, arms, and torso to the bridge of your nose,
your eyes, your forehead and the top of your head.

I have a little lip added to my fairing that directs air upward. I
also use a visor on my helmet, with a partial clear face shield. I
look under the clear shield, amd over the lip on the fairing. I get no
direct wind on my face unless there is a strong crosswind. I ride with
nothing directly in front of my eyes at temps well below 0F. This is
necessary because at those temps your breath will frost up anything you
are trying to see through.

http://mnhpva.org/MNbikes/pix/MarkWinter.jpg is a lousy shot of the
shield on the helmet, and the lip on the fairing. As I sit much lower
on the trike, the lip is now only a couple of inches high.

$kip wrote:
...
Actually I think those really cold days were the reason God invented Saabs
with heated leather seats.

Strike 1: Since SAAB is an acronym for Svenska Aeroplan AB, it should
always be in capital letters. However, the company (the automotive
division is now part of General Motors Corporation) incorrectly uses
"Saab".

Strike 2: The new SAAB cars have the ignition switch on the steering
column, instead of on the console by the parking brake where it
belongs.

Strike 3: There is no longer a SAAB dealership in Perrysville, Indiana
[1] (starting point of the Perrysville - Turkey Run - Perrysville
bicycle route, an excellent recumbent bicycle ride).

[1] Population ca. 500.
--
Tom Sherman - Fox River Valley

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