Chalo said:
bowlofsalad said:
Plenty of velomobiles can be called practical. The only thing that can really be argued about their impracticality is their cost.
I'm not sure you've thought this through. Here are some more issues that cause you not to see very many of these things.
storage
fragility
parking
locking
servicing
just getting in and out of them
By the time you effectively address all the shortcomings of a velomobile, what you have is a car. And if you go the other way and strip away its worst liabilities, what you have left is a bicycle. The street just isn't a friendly place for a $10,000 Chinese lantern on wheels.
The same words can be said concerning any bicycle or ebike. Everything, every design or style has it's weaknesses and strengths. You often have a strangely negative bias towards things, bearings, water bikes, velomobiles and so on. I have thought at great length on the pros and cons of velomobiles. If they had a cost of 500 dollars for a full suspension trike, hardshell with decent rear view, I'd have one now without a doubt.
Putting a lock on it, no problem, lots of options, the lock wasn't invented yesterday. I don't really understand why you brought that up. Are you saying that cars and bicycles are naturally and magically better or easier at locking? Or perhaps that they don't need locks? You don't understand or know of a way to lock a velomobile, that's fine, but think about it before you talk about it. There are plenty of options.
Fragility, have you ever seen what happens to the body panels of some automobiles today if you bump them? What is your point? It's a bicycle with a shell, not a rally car. Want it more durable? Find a velomobile made of a more durable material. Nobody is testing motorcycles or bicycles for their crash rating with a semi on the highway.
Parking and storage, are you kidding?
Service, could be a little more tricky but that really depends on how things are implemented. Service may be one of the cons, but at the same time, the amount of service a velomobile would need compared to a car is like comparing the upkeep of a helmet to a jet fighter. Ever change a alternator, oil, transmission fluid or anything like that on a car? Your comparison is piss poor.
I won't address getting in them, that's hilarious to even mention.
I may have a slight bias towards velomobiles, they surely are a bit more hassle than your walmart upright mountain bike. But lets see who travels further on a given amount on energy? Efficiency is a big deal. Being able to ride in all kinds of weather and not be exhausted would surely be nice. I dunno about 10,000 dollar velomobiles, but like I said, they are too expensive today even at 2500 or 5000. The big deal about velomobiles is the cost per mile. You said that a velomobile is basically a car. I don't know if you've really spent time thinking about how much it costs to drive a car, but the cost per mile is a little harsh for cars. They say the average cost per mile to drive a car, just driving it, is 60 cents. Compare that to a velomobile ebike which will absolutely cost much less per mile, I don't know of any exact figures. But things like energy consumption being many times lower, no insurance, no fees, close to zero damage to the roads you pay for, substantially less space on the road meaning less congestion on the road and so on. I think this makes it pretty clear that comparing a car to a velomobile ebike or just a velomobile is a pretty shitty contrast.
Maybe you are just playing the troll to a velomobile fan. Maybe you are a mountain bike fan boy and feel your ego deflating at the concept of a superior option. But it's like half of your statements are utterly broken and half are something else. Velomobiles come with a tiny bit of hassle, maybe, but they are as efficient as you can get in methods of transportation in terms of cost per mile. My mind is blown by your statement. You are either painfully ignorant or just trying to cause a stir. I am almost convinced you are a troll.
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