@@mobilemiall not much to draft off of on a velomobile. The whole point is the shell streamlines the air to almost completely eliminate turbulence behind the velomobile. That means there’s not anything to really draft off of. Plus these things are so aero they cut through the air and headwinds as if there’s nothing there. A client of mine earlier today was out in high winds and commented on how easy it was to ride into the wind compared to the road bike he used to ride. Said it was as if there was no wind at all. That matches my experience. I have a hard time figuring out which direction the wind is coming from when I ride.

@@mnveloguy How about a crosswind? I would think that the side forces on the shell would be substantial.

@ I’ve ridden in 45+mph wind gusts. Little push to the side and then it corrects itself. I’ve only once been hit by a crosswind that nearly posed a problem. That crosswind would have taken me down on any other bike and was pushing the other vehicles on the road around too. I was able to correct before I hit the curb.

@@maraorem3347 I never made it beyond 86 miles with a bent 2-wheeler, so respect. The efficiency of a velomobile makes it much easier to put a lot of miles in. I don’t think I could make it this far with any other type of bike. I don’t have enough training time to build up the needed fitness.

@@philiprayner actually, it is comfortable enough to sleep in. I took a nap under a bridge waiting out a deluge earlier in the summer. When I woke up the rain had stopped and all the other cyclists were gone. Clipped my feet back into the pedals and headed out. Passed several of the cyclists a few minutes down the trail.

@@DemiGod.. correct. They are far more efficient overall than you think. You need to try one out. I think you’ll be shocked.

@@alisonleach1552 time to find a dealer and place an order!

@@twilwel yes. If I permanently mount this hotspot, I will do the same with my cameras. I agree it is great for visibility.

@@BruceBright-e9b great! I look forward to helping you find your dream velomobile 😊

@@chaircamvideos all of the writing on the velomobiel is reflective and there are additional reflective stickers too along with the red sticker on the back of the tail. Night visibility is actually better than day visibility in my opinion.

Straylight of the lamp in the hotspot shines on the front of the velomobile. Traffic from the side can actually see a large part of the velomobile!

@twilwel @mnveloguy thanks for the explainations

@@jeremyyork3538 a flashing and solid forward and a flashing and solid rear works well for me and is what I have in this video. At night I turn off the rear flasher because I think it’s too blindly bright. The IQ-XL works well in this new hotspot because of how the cutoff pattern is set. It’s actually less blinding for oncoming drivers than the IQ-X in the original hotspot. I only activate the high beam when there are no oncoming cars. It’s really not needed for general night riding in my option. Thanks for watching.

@@mnveloguy You make some very good points, thank you.

Me too. Very powerful and great wide beam pattern. I and one in my first MK1 and sold it with the bike. Ended up having big regrets about that!

@@johannesobernoeder1156 I showed the factory installed hotspot which uses the standard IQ-X headlight. I assumed anyone that has a factory installed hotspot knows the headlight is an IQ-X, which is why I didn’t mention it. The only place you can get the smaller hotspot is Velomobile World or through a Velomobile World Dealer.

@@enricio thanks for watching. Be sure to watch for the exciting second episode!

@mnveloguy I will. When is it online? 🤔

@ hopefully later this week. I’ve been gone because of the holidays. I still Need to export the 3D video, edit it, and add commentary. It is one of my projects for this week along with a bunch of other urgent things.

@mnveloguy I will follow you. 😎

@@megazine the Alpha 7.2 and Snoek are completely different designs by different designers. The Alpha 7.2 hasn’t been updated in a long time. It has largely been replaced by the Alpha 9 Series (A9.2, M9, W9, W9s.) The Alpha 9 Series has fully enclosed wheel wells. The A9.2 and M9 have only a slightly larger turning circle than the A7.2. The W9 and W9s which are designed for shorter riders have quite large turning circles, among the largest of any model in the market. The enclosed front wheels improve handling in wind and aerodynamic efficiency over the A7.2. Since the advent of the Alpha 9 series, orders for the A7.2 have dropped to at most a handful per year.

@@jeremyyork3538 it is debatable in some areas of the US. Some state laws define a bicycle as having two or three wheels. Likely police would not take issue with it, but it’s possible in an accident insurance could use it as a way to get out of a claim. Right now it’s somewhat of a moot point though. The Quatrevelo is out of production for the next two years at least. Thanks for watching and I’m glad you found the video informative.

@@mnveloguy Thank you for that, much appreciated.

@@jonathonalsop2120 thanks for watching!

@@joesradio bunny hop might be tough 😂 Full sus though.

@@jeffrey5961 thanks

@@robmoery4964 depends on the bank. I think some would be willing to. Best way to find out is to contact some banks.

@@aliensporebomb my favorite local route. Riding along the bluffs is a lot of fun in a velomobile, especially in warmer weather when you can really fly on the rollers. I had one ride last summer where I averaged over 30mph on Auto Club Rd.

@@mobilemiall that was my original plan, but timeframe is what it is. It’s flat, minus that one little climb into St. Paul, so it’s not actually THAT bad. I plan to organize a larger group ride on that route this coming summer. One day up, one day back.

@@micharedel9128 thanks for watching and be sure to keep an eye out for episode 2, likely coming after the holiday break. We still have to get back home!

@@igorilyasov2057 good to know. I’ll keep that in mind for the future.

@@jeffrey5961 yes. Ideal. I am working on plans for a velomobile gathering to ride to Duluth and back this coming summer.

@@jeffrey5961 😂 exactly!

You can fit wider tires on the velomobile I ride. Up to 40mm in front and 35mm in the rear. I sometimes use wider tires with tread in winter, but the rolling resistance is a lot higher (meaning more energy needed to go fast.) For 170 mile ride, I want every advantage I can get. Easier to just dodge the potholes. I've got suspension on all 3 wheels anyway. I just don't like rough pavement because it doesn't roll nice and costs speed. And plus, they could spend some of those tax dollars and repave it.

@@rayschubert2717 thanks for watching. I’m using a 360 camera to film. I like to pan the camera a bit so people can see a variety of what’s around me. To me it feels more immersive and sometimes the faces I make while riding are…amusing. Usually the camera would be aimed back at me while I’m talking while riding, but this time there was that little issue of the tape.

@@smirkinatu5512 thank you for having the patience to watch the whole thing. I tried to find some interesting things to say, but a 170 mile ride in Minnesota is not quite the same as 170 miles along a beautiful river in the Alps.

@@destineestolp I own two Velomobiles and then have a few in stock at my dealership for immediate purchase. Thanks for watching. Sorry to hear you also have so many close calls. People are just not watching and in too much of a hurry.

@mnveloguy Yeah, but at least it gives me content to post 🤣🤣 I was looking into getting a velomobile. What's the starting price? I would love to make some content with one! I do affiliate marketing for ebike companies right now.

@ used you can find $4-6000. New starts at $7500-12,500. Worth every penny. I don’t really use a car any more and I can ride all winter without getting cold.

@mnveloguy Yeah, I don't think I will be getting one soon. I ride my ebikes all winter. I got a windshield with a roof and side curtains for my AWD ebike. I will probably be getting a couple more in the spring 🤣🤣 I'm kind of obsessed, and I'm on my 7th ebike right now.

@ I’m on my 9th velomobile. Made the initial investment Rand now I sell off my used one to pay for the next new one.

@@sebastiandomagala9233 yep. Until there are major fines for endangering the life of others on the road, drivers will continue to do this.

@mnveloguy Even harsh sanctions won't change much. They don't expect to get caught at all, so the fines are irrelevant. All you can do is keep the one person that you caught from further driving. I live in Germany, and fines are ridiculously low. A mishap like shown wouldn't even get finde at all.

@ I didn’t bother to submit this to the police. They don’t do anything here either. I figure it is more effective to post it on social media with an appeal to people to give themselves more time so they don’t have to rush places. Had the driver not been in such a hurry, they would not have forced a pass at an intersection where it was quite dangerous. I tour in Germany every summer. I’m always shocked by how little room German drivers leave when they pass. I’m surprised there are not more head-on collisions. In Austria it’s not so bad, but in Germany to me as an Ausländer it seems like a lot of drivers think they are driving on a race car circuit. That’s why I try and use bike path when I tour there. I’m not in a hurry and would rather not ride with traffic.

@@mnveloguy It's not because of being in a hurry. It's more like being in constant race mode. Just as you described Germany (which is truels problematic tbh). I am not too sure what the exact matter is, I am not a psychologist. But from my experience behind a steering wheel the speed of a car is considered a universe-wide constant that may under no circumstance be interrupted. Or something like that. Can also be a case of mental inertia. Or both of that. Drivers are way too insulated from the surrounding. They can no longer really estimate their speed. Building residential roads (and other roads with a limit )straight and wide doesn't help. Too many problems to count them all.

@ I have noticed in some areas of Germany they now have obstacles in the residential roads to try and slow drivers. Roads with curves help too. To me it seems people feel they have to rush to accomplish as much as possible. I think it is a mentality that we always must achieve more than other people or our lives have not been worthwhile. At least that is the mentality in city areas in the USA. So people try to make up extra time when they are driving. But they also do not realize the impact their driving has an show dangerous it is, just like you say. That is why I try to make these videos to help at least a few more drivers understand a perspective that is different from theirs.

@@daniele_go yes. That should fit. The first 4More I received has 40mm I believe. I have a 35mm Continental GP5000AS mounted in my Urban currently.

@@kitchencarvings4621 he’d have no grounds to request ID.

@@mnveloguy I know, but that doesn't stop them. I've watched hundreds of videos where they didn't have grounds but threatened to arrest someone for "obstruction." They know that the average citizen hasn't got a clue about the laws or their rights. It happened to my son, who was innocently riding his bike in the parking lot of a mountain bike trail while waiting for his slowpoke dad. Sheriff's deputy demanded his ID and then tried to intimidate him into unlocking our car so he could search it. Luckily for the deputy, I had the keys. This cop is one of the good ones.

@ wow. Sorry that happened to you.

@@mnveloguy It happens every day in this country. It's not the only time it has happened to me.

@@Thezuule1 how do you know? Were in the suv? It’s a VERY loud horn. The clip later in the video where another suv hits their brakes in the middle of the road is because they heard my horn. It’s audible.

@@mnveloguy anything is possible but an SUV driving around with the windows up and a podcast or music playing isn't going to hear that. That's half the problem with cars, your sense of the outside world is dulled. The SUV that stopped in the middle of the road could well have just seen you and stopped. The horn is better than nothing but I personally wouldn't rely on that for anything other than making myself feel better for honking it at someone. I'm sure it sounds loud to you but you're inside of a carbon fiber tube with the horn.

@ what model of velomobile do you drive that you are basing your comments on regarding the horn? Have you tested the audibility of a velomobile horn to an SUV driver? I have. Maybe that should be the subject of my next video 🤔

@@mnveloguy I have a Bülk MK1 but that's neither here nor there. I base this on years of driving large vehicles and cycling thousands of miles a year. Someone in an SUV with their music on and their AC pumping is not going to hear that horn. You can barely hear car horns most times. There's no need for your condescending attitude in any case. I'll make sure not to watch your videos again. Might not want to come off so abrasive with people in the future if you want to grow your channel...

@ well, you know, it takes a lot of time and effort to make these videos. I work hard to advocate for safe driving and greater use of Velomobiles. It’s really frustrating to get comments telling me all the things I did wrong by people who weren’t in the situation, many of which are cyclists themselves. It’s a distraction from what we all should be advocating for, which is safer driving and reduced automobile usage. Whether or not the driver heard my horn is frankly irrelevant, but since you brought it up, I expressed my personal opinion based on my personal experience and inquired what your expedience was that gave you the impression the horn was ineffective. My experience tells me that the horn is an effective tool and something I would not want to ride without. I was being genuine when I said I’d like to make a video to find out how audible it is.

@@jacksmith4266 I do not understand what you mean. Of course I turned left. That was the direction I was trying to turn. I had to suddenly move into the bike lane because the driver put their turn signal on to pass me and there was a car waiting to turn onto the road at intersection that they would have hit! The car driver made many very bad decisions that could have caused multiple accidents. I am glad I had very quick reactions to avoid being hit and badly injured.

@@peterbedford2610 post Covid in particular. People seem to be in a rush to make up for perceived time lost during Covid. I’m hoping sharing videos like this might reach at least a few car drivers and have a positive impact. They also pose a danger to other car drivers.

@@ultrasoft5555 I agree. I try to not be too inflammatory with my videos because it puts car drivers in a defensive position and then they are not receptive to my message. But yes, it was nothing short of potentially lethal bullying. Thankfully this rarely happens to me. Most people are so fascinated by my velomobile that they drive slower so they can check it out. This driver clearly was in too much of a hurry to be curious. Thanks for watching.

Did you not understand the intention for a left turn? He had the legal right to be on the car lane and was making a left turn, which taking the lane for was the correct move

@@musekidd why would I use the bike lane when I need to turn left? I would be putting myself in significant danger by having to cross traffic. State law and logic says I must pull into the lane of traffic to make a left turn. I’m also not obligated by state law to even use the bike lane, especially since it is too narrow for my velomobile and I am traveling the speed limit. The SUV driver is the focus in this situation. They were traveling well above the speed limit, disregarded my turn signal, and then pulled out to pass in an intersection. In fact, I think the presence of a car waiting to turn to head the opposite direction I was traveling is why the SUV pulled back into the lane towards me. So, not only did the driver endanger my presence on the road, but they also are very fortunate they didn’t have a head-on collision with a car trying to turn onto the road. It was overall a very dangerous and unnecessary decision by the SUV driver. And for what? To save a couple seconds on their drive?

@@mnveloguy It just seemed that for the better part of your journey you could have stayed left (in the bike lane) so that the SUV could have passed you. You may be legally correct, but I think by forcing the issue, you also antagonised an already dangerous situation. I think that sometimes it's just safer to move out of the way and avoid a confrontation.

@@musekidd of course the goal is to avoid an accident by riding defensively, which is what I did, but remember the aggressor in the situation is the suv driver that created a dangerous situation for 3 other vehicles on the road by their choice to be impatient. I think it’s critical as cyclists to keep our focus on what caused this dangerous situation rather than falling into the temptation of somehow passing the blame to the cyclist for existing at all. State law is that I need to move into the car lane to make the left turn rather than remain in the bike lane. Had the driver waited a couple seconds longer I would have been out of their way and they could have continued down the road well above the legal speed limit again. This type of bullying is dangerous for everyone on the road. The point of the video is to encourage drivers to allow themselves more time when traveling so they don’t feel the need to rush leading to these types of situations. Let’s keep our focus on that and help make the roads safer for everyone!

@@mnveloguy Honestly, if you think you're going to educate drivers through a video of this sort, you're somewhat delusional.

@@drulifson yes. Cahill Rd. I’m impressed someone local watched my channel! I’m now riding a white/red Bülk MK1 and occasionally a red Bülk Urban. I ride Cahill several times a week on my way to the high school to work with some of the band kids. I did once see an officer with a speed trap set up, but I’ve noticed police enforcement of speed limits on the cities is pretty rare. Cahill is one of few bike routes, so it’s really a shame the speed limit isn’t enforced there. No reason to drive that fast on such a short section of road. I stopped taking 70th to Antrim because of unsafe drivers and go up the hill on Gleason instead.

@@k10e3r5 absolutely. I’m so sorry this happened to you as well. Even scarier with a cargo bike. No protective shell.

@@Legborghini72 the only visibility issue in this situation was the blocked view of the road to the left, hence my lane position to create a better angle of view. The suv driver simply made a terrible decision about when to pass.

@@mnveloguy I know. You said that, hence my comment regarding decision making ability. The bit about flags is an addendum of my own, since we all know distracted/ inattentive drivers are always an issue. Have a nice ride.

@@DemiGod.. I cannot safely move further to the left. There are trees blocking the view of the intersection. If I’m near the center line I risk cars pulling out because they cannot see me. I also legally should be in the car lane for this turn per state law. I wasn’t holding anyone up. I was going the speed limit!

@@roelf8044 that would be unsafe in this situation. The view of traffic entering from the street to the left is blocked by trees. It is better to stay towards the middle of the lane to avoid having someone pull out because they did not see me coming.

@@roelf8044 they cannot pass on the right side. The shoulder is designated a bike lane and is quite narrow. There would not be enough room to safely pass. There are also trees blocking the view of cars entering from the street at this intersection. If I am too far left I cannot see them and they cannot see me until the last minute.

it is exactly what i do always with my bike - here in germany you can also stop at the right side - and wait until traffic has passed - and then first indicate left in the moment you turn

@@mnveloguy Of course you had a much better view of the real situation then I could see in the video, so you probably could see it much better than I can from the video. From what I could see, the upcoming driver could have gotten the impression that you yielded your position on the road, and thus tried to overtake. Claiming your position is important, especially if you are in a fragile vehicle.

@@roelf8044 what is not easily visible in the video and I did not think to point out, was that I yielded my position because the SUV activated their blinker. I did not want to be in the lane when the SUV driver would discover that there was a vehicle waiting to turn Into the lane they had just pulled into to pass me. Better to get out of the way than get squished. Of course, had I not yielded my position and gotten hit, there would be all sorts of comments on the video saying I should not have hugged the center line and should have moved out of the way 🙄 It’s always easy to judge a situation when you weren’t there and I appreciate you acknowledging that. Normally I would pull further into the lane, but in this case I had a nagging feeling the center line would be a terrible choice and went with my instincts. I’m really glad I did.

Sounds like you haven't discovered advanced driving. While you will just be looking past your bonnet, as an advanced driver you are very busy as you drive constantly running through the IPSGA system, scanning ahead from near to far distance then the same behind, prioritising potential hazards, forming a plan to deal with them by priotiry and running through the system again as youdrive re-evaluating. As an advanced driver you will also be using the limit system to drive as fast as possible to maintain good progress safely. My cycling benefits from the advanced training as alot of it is independant of what you drive or ride.

@@WAUZZZ81ZDA I have always hated driving. I find it a stressful boring. I do not like sitting and not moving. Cycling is so much more fun.

@@DemiGod.. I include all of that in the idea of having to keep your focus on the road at all time. Don't you find thats boring and mentally draining? Its like having to stare at a screen where mostly nothing happens but you have to be ready to hit the proper key at a moments notice. Imagine playing guitar hero where theres nothing for minutes at a time. You HAVE to keep focus and are technically busy, but it'd be just awful, wouldnt it?

Never had issues being seen in my car or motorbike , both white with lights on. Positioning and speed plays a part in being seen aswell. Don't have issues on a bicycle or recumbent trike either , both using lights and me wearing high viz, using positioning and altering speed to make sure I am seen.

@@andrebrouwer8422 this was not a visibility issue though. This was an suv driver who did not seem to be using their brain. They knew I was there and waited behind me for awhile and then picked the worst time to pass at an intersection. I think they may have moved over because they saw the car waiting to turn right onto that road. There are trees blocking the view for traffic entering from the left. There was a white suv waiting there to turn.

Had all of them and a 1m flag out to the side, and.... yep still a close pass, actually hit the flag.

@ yep. That’s why I don’t even bother with flags. It’s just an excuse drivers use for their negligence and the dangerous behaviors behind the wheel. Driver training does a terrible job of explaining that when you get behind the wheel you are driving a large vehicle capable of killing other people. It’s a huge responsibility that people take too lightly.

@@dfxl161 no, that is not common here. This corner also has trees blocking the view for cars waiting to turn onto the road I was on, so for safety it is best not to be too far to the left so the cars can see I am coming.