Perhaps you like the idea of commuting by bike, but are put off by the thought of hunching over the handlebars in the wind and the rain. If so, the semi-enclosed VeMoo recumbent e-trike may be just what you’re looking for.
I still wouldn’t want to ride this in the wind and rain. That partial covering is more partial than covering.
That’s my gripe, too. I was looking forward to the PodRide but they haven’t really done much.
Maybe there’s a use for this.
But the further away we move from the simplicity of bikes, the less likely they’ll be ridden with any degree of consistency or have mass appeal.
The size, weight, difficulty maintaining, and inability to store it easily would make this a non-starter for so many people.
100% this In a lot of the US we already struggle with basic bike infrastructure, where does this oversized bike ride? Park?
Where do you ride this? It wouldn’t fit on a narrow cycleway and is too slow for the road. Seems kinda sketchy.
At least this avoids the bidet problem of many bicycles on rainy days.
Bidet problem as in water flying to your ass and crotch? Fenders already solve that problem
Fairings on trikes aren’t new, yet they’re not as bad as discussed here. Yes, you’re still exposed to the outside. But no, you’re not getting drenched in the thing. There’s quite a bit of wind protection and a reasonable amount of rain/snow protection. It’s like a pogie but for the whole body.
I’d link to my local producers of them, but they’re on vacation right now. Apparently TerraCycle (https://t-cycle.com/) has joined REI in protesting consumerism this black friday.
HOLY SHIT they have chain by the foot. I’ve never seen that before. My long ass bike needs 1.7 ish boxed chains. I wish every bike shop did this
Amazing, right? They’re a shop oriented towards trike builders. Not only do they have by-the-foot orders for a trike’s crazy long chainline, but they offer a la cart parts on their kits! Not just for repairability but also for whatever custom project you’d like to lego together. I’ve had nothing but good experiences with them. :)
https://youtu.be/a5coGX9X5lI?si=i00lKLa3W0NmGdF7
Promo video
It certainly does not look like so much money.
Damn , 175 lb?
and $13000
I’ve seen so many of these, and none of them find a place in regular commuting. Maybe if cars stopped working, there would be a use/market for this kind of thing?
I wonder if this can go through the chicanes installed on most cycling paths around here.
Unfortunately I also struggle to find where such a vehicle could comfortably ride here. My province is slowly banning electric micro vehicles because “they are too dangerous for others on bike paths and also too dangerous for themselves when mixed with car traffic”. Hell, people here call child services on parents riding cargo bikes with their kids because it’s “dangerous and irresponsible”.
I’ve been interested by a variation of these for years but realistically speaking, places to ride it are limited, and my landlords won’t let me park this in the garage instead of a car.
The whole concept of being a very small and light vehicle has unfortunately no place in current legislation where I live. It’s already difficult for plain simple bikes. Things like this are often in a “grey area” and sometimes they even end up being banned when they become popular, so getting one is kind of risky.
