Can I Go Car-Free? How commuting by velomobile changed my life

To learn more about velomobiles and place an order click here: www.velomobileworld.com/ambas...
To contact me for more information email: [e-mail]

[@peterrau7473]

It's not easy for me to ride a self-made recumbent bike with a self-made body. I installed an electric motor because the trike is heavy. But I'm always happy when I pass a gas station and see the price. I drive for free because I have a solar panel installed. I've been driving a trike since 2014, summer and winter, I'm 67 years old, the car was disposed of. Greetings from Germany

[@kjeldsloot]

I live in The Netherlands and don't have a drivers licence on purpose. I ride my QV velomobile for almost everything. And when I go to a concert I can ride with friends. So yes, I'm actually car free for years now. (I'm 32 years old and my father had an own car driving school for years. So people think it is weird I doesn't have my drivers licence.)

[@robbyg3989]

You are the future!

[@kennethbradley2222]

Nice video i prefer bikes to cars have lived car lite most of my life raised 3 kids in the same mind set

[@itsjoeybytch]

I've been into car culture for a LONG time, but once upon a time I hated cars, much like you in school! Even now, I'd rather get around by horse or horse and buggy. I think you're onto something with Velomobiles sir!!!

[@mnveloguy]

I certainly enjoy the change in pace. I recommend taking a test ride to see if a velomobile might be a good fit for you! Feel free to send me a message. There is a link to my webpage in the description where you can contact me.

[@devasfpv2232]

Nice video as always. I am opposite to you a real petrol head! I love my car, it is heavily tuned and what did I do? I got myself a velomobile and am commuting and riding it every day. I reduced my "cartime" to a minimum. I do only use my car when I'm afraid that something will happen to my velomobile (visiting clouded places or having to leave it alone somewhere not guarded). If somebody would have told me I'd behave like that, in the past, I would have called them silly! 🤪🤗

[@mnveloguy]

I definitely did not expect to end up riding my velomobile everywhere either. I expected it to be much harder to do in the US, but I just enjoy riding so much that it’s worth the extra time and effort.

[@sebastiana.481]

Well, the good part on commuting on a daily base is that you also learn a lot about your track. Where do cars tend to overtake risky or take priority. Once you get used to bad weather it will be fine and here the Velomobile shines. Also your focus may be different. As I also commuted by public transport and then later on needed to take the kids from daycare it is much faster und flexible now by bicycle compared to public transport. However, being used to a car for that my impression may be different. Even though there is a lot of traffic and just few parking spaces available. Enjoy riding your Bülk. As you also do your holidays in the velomobile I consider you biased however ;-) Have fun on your rides and enjoy it Hopefully more people will at least have a try and get out of the comfort zone for a bit. Then it may work out.

[@rawfuturetv]

I never had a driver licence and drive VMs since 5 years. The Quattrovelo is my main vehicle. I live in Hungary where the roads are not the best in the world. I wonder if I have to change components more often, when there is more wobbling with the bike. When I saw the streets in this video I would call you a lucky guy that you live in U.S.A. ;) Best regards!

[@mnveloguy]

I have ridden German streets. They are nearly perfect compared to my streets, but I would believe that in Hungary they are much worse then here. Some sheets here are better than others.

[@KN-cool]

The main issue is that we live in a world where people will run you over in something like this just for fun. 😭😭😭

[@domer8t8]

Some people are terrors on the road, yes, but do we let the terrorists win?

[@KN-cool]

@@domer8t8 we did in Afghanistan 😭

[@alexwilsonpottery3733]

@@KN-cool, I thought this was a velomobile channel. Do you even remember why we were in Afghanistan in the first place? 911 was committed by Saudis, wasn’t it?

[@mnveloguy]

The only issues I’ve ever had have been a couple distracted drivers. I’ve never had anyone intentionally target me. Usually people are fascinated by my velomobile. Honestly, I don’t know of anyone in a velmobile that has been intentionally targeted by another road user. Maybe I’m just not connected enough to the community to hear about those.

[@patrickcameron2950]

Interesting video! Good on you for thinking outside the box. I definitely agree with you that biking to work helps a lot with stress and focus.

[@jimj2683]

I wonder how visible velomobiles are in traffic junctions. There are tall trucks that have giant blind-spots and you cannot just jump off your bike to get out of the way.

[@mnveloguy]

It depends on how you approach the junction. Any vehicle can be dangerous at a junction if you aren’t driving defensively. I personally do not pull up right next to vehicles. I stay back a bit from them so I can be in their mirrors and I allow them to proceed through the junction before me. I also keep me finger on the horn and try to be aware of the vehicles around me. With some good common sense and awareness, I think junctions can be proceeded through safely with a velomobile just as with any other vehicle.

[@aleksandrasp9535]

Cool

[@mrsteel250]

I feel fitting one of these with a class 3 Bosch motor would make for a perfect vehicle, you could get going a lot quicker which could be safer in traffic and get up any difficult climbs easier and with how good they are you’d hardly notice it when you exceed the motors speed limit. Do you know what kind of DIY you’d have to do or if any of the big companies make adapters to swap the bottom bracket for a mid drive?

[@mnveloguy]

We offer the option to install a mid drive through the factory. We can outfit with a Bafang torque sensing 250W mid drive. Keep in mind that when accelerating with a mid drive you need to let the motor cut out when shifting or you will destroy your derailleur. My experience is it doesn’t help nearly as much accelerating as you might think, but it does help on the hills. The wide Q-factor of the motor can make it challenging for riders with bigger feet to fit. The noses in Velomobiles are quite narrow to keep the frontal area to a minimum for hood aerodynamics. Whether or not a motor is worth it depends on where you live. Different countries have different rules about the limit of assist. Canada is 20mph limit before the motor has to cut out. Some states in the US limit to 20mph, others permit up to 28mph. Assist limits in Europe are generally around 25kmh. Given the cruising speed of a velomobile, in countries where the legal limit is 20mph or lower, assist isn’t very useful in a velomobile unless you live in a quite hilly area.

[@alexwilsonpottery3733]

I was car-free when I lived in Britain, and for a bit when I moved to Des Moines, but the winters and a 25 mile commute to a new job, while being harassed by motorists GOING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION!, eventually forced me into a car. Now semi-retired and trying to get back to being my un-Americanised self.

[@mnveloguy]

I find a velomobile is fascinating enough that drivers don’t harass me, at least not here around minneapolis. Most of them are too busy filming me to be jerks about it.

[@JordanioRodrigues]

Estou tentando iniciar a construção do meu velomobile. Aqui no Brasil não tem, a importação fica muito cara e eu não tenho dinheiro pra isso. Gosto de construir coisas, tenho uma certa habilidade nisso. Pretendo fazê-lo em laminação de fibra de carbono ou de vidro mesmo. Estou desenhando um modelo em 3D, buscando idéias nos velomobiles produzidos em série. Assim que ficar pronto, postarei fotos no grupo do Facebook. Já fiz algumas viagens de bicicleta vertical, com um velomobile certamente será bem mais legal!

[@MrAlexbarrera18]

As an e-bike rider it seems great, but i just dot know if i can justify the price. its more expensive the just saving up for a beater and registration.

[@mnveloguy]

I’ve had a beater of a car. It spent a lot of time in the shop and cost me a lot in parts. Even a beater of a velomobile is something most people can easily fix for a small amount of money. My modest tool kit has pretty much everything I need to get me back on the road should something short of an accident happen while I’m riding. I can’t say that about a car.

[@MrAlexbarrera18]

@@mnveloguy very true, this is why I get my certified mechanic friend to come with me to check out the vehicle. Just to make sure that it's worth buying, however I know that realistically not everyone can get a mechanic to vet a car for them. Just like not everyone can afford an almost $11,000 recumbent bike. This is only viable for single member households with a ridiculous amount of disposable income. Truthfully I would just get a recumbent bike and put an ebike conversion on it. Seems like it would the same thing for way less. Still a cool toy though.

[@mnveloguy]

@@MrAlexbarrera18 a recumbent trike won’t keep you dry in the rain or warm in the winter. It actually could be quite practical for families to replace one of their cars. I know of a number of people that do just that. For me it IS my car now. Everything I need to do with my car, I can do with my velomobile. Carrying cargo also doesn’t slow me down aerodynamically either. It takes me half as much time to run to the grocery store and back as it did with my bike. That’s time I can then invest in other things on my to-do list. As far as used cars, even with a mechanic looking one over, those parts are going to have a lot of miles on them. They’re going to wear out and need replacing sooner than a well-built new car. Those parts are going to cost a lot more than a new chain and a couple idlers in a velomobile. It’s hard to let go of the car-centric mentality. It took me awhile, but I don’t miss driving a car. I look forward to riding places with the velomobile and I like the high I get from cycling. I never got that from driving a car.

[@MrAlexbarrera18]

@@mnveloguy you can totally get an enclosed recumbent, a guy on my daily bike route has one. The almost $11,000 price however is still a huge hurdle. Though if one sells their current car that might offset the cost.

[@mnveloguy]

@@MrAlexbarrera18 a totally enclosed recumbent is technically a velomobile. Probably not nearly as efficient as the Bülk I ride, but not everyone needs to be cruising at 30mph at 130-150 watts either. Used Velomobiles in good condition can be found for $4-5000. My quest xs was $4500 and needed only a new chain. Good way to get started with velomobiles. A lot of us went that route for our first one.

[@andreasvomallgau2917]

I am going with my df 100 km in 4 hours to my friend and saving 30 € totally for the 2 directions back home. Even in heavy rain with wipers I stay dry. If my car will end for any reason I will not buy a new one.

[@mnveloguy]

That’s great!

[@BobLinton]

😀

[@steveborn3455]

Any problems with police pulling you over and asking if you have a permit or license to use the velomobile in the streets?

[@mnveloguy]

I’ve only been stopped twice. First time was because they didn’t like my blinkers. That was fair. That velomobile needed better blinkers. Second time was purely curiosity. I see the police go by all the time and they just ignore me. None of them have ever claimed I needed a permit.

[@jirivrana3623]

Bigest problem is velomobil price tag, it is in same range like a lots of cars....

[@mnveloguy]

Yes. That is true, but a car also costs much more to drive. AAA, a U.S. auto club, did a study that concluded that it costs on average $12,000 a year to drive a car. That’s the price of a velomobile. A velomobile will coat you soem tires and chain lube. You also will be much healthier and not need to spend so much money on healthcare. A lot of people find since they get their exercise riding everywhere that they don’t need to pay for gym membership either. It is also possible to buy a used velomobile. Those can cost as little as $4000 usd. My quest cost me $4500 and needed only a new chain to be ready to ride.

[@mardiffv.8775]

True that a velomobile is expensive, but there are other affordable bikes you can buy: A. A trike, tadpole type is fast, stabile, no saddle pain, big luggage capacity and costing around 6,000 USD new. B. The Brompton premium folding bike, if you have public transport available in your area. C. The Road bike. D. The Speedpedelec.

[@mikedcreative]

Checked out the link in your description and see that they're priced at $10k+ on there. I don't see a benefit here until they're only a couple hundred bucks. You can find plenty of fuel efficient cars for way under that which have the added benefits of safety features and comforts like air conditioning. Don't get me wrong, I hate car dependency, but I don't see a safe and effective solution unless we completely redesign our cities which isn't economically viable at all. To cope, I drive a small, fuel efficient, and notably cheap car. Just wish the people in the lifted F-250s did the same.

[@mnveloguy]

It is not possible to build a hood velomobile for a couple hundred bucks. Not even close. The technology in a velomobile is far more advanced than meets the eye. I haven’t purchased a car in awhile, but I’ve never seen one for a couple hundred bucks that was fuel efficient or safe to drive. A car will never provide the exercise and health benefits of a velomobile or bicycle, nor the pure pleasure that comes from cruising at 25-30mph under your own human power. There are no gasoline or insurance costs, it can help reduce healthcare costs, and the maintenance costs a fraction of a car, especially an older used car. I can also attest to the safety features of a velomobile. I’ve been hit and injured far worse in a car than I have the one time I got hit by a car. I walked away from that with soft tissue damage. It takes time to adjust to the idea of cycling everywhere, but trust me, it’s worth it!

[@sebastiandomagala9233]

Even a free car will lose to a velomobile. No matter how fuel efficient it is. Think of insurance and maintainance cost. At some point it will exceed the velomobile's total cost of ownership. And then comes the gas. And honestly you have to write "one habitable planet" on the car's invoice.

[@ilickplanes]

Do you live alone? Like just ride alone and live alone in that jelly bean?

[@mnveloguy]

😂 no, I have cats.

[@domer8t8]

And occasionally, we velonauts ride together!

[@ilickplanes]

Intresting... have a good day!

[@mnveloguy]

@@domer8t8 yes. Yes we do. And it’s great fun!

[@Runner8617]

😂 great idea! If I ever get a velomobile, I will call it a jelly bean.

[@a.b.5372]

you can pedal yourself anywhere you like. I on other hand am not pedaling anywhere.

[@mnveloguy]

Thanks for watching.

[@Pushyhog]

no

[@mardiffv.8775]

I found my velomobile too hot in summer. It that an issue for you too, @mnveloguy?

[@mnveloguy]

Not at all. I intentionally chose a white top for my velomobile. I find that helps reduce sun absorption. I also find the Bülk has excellent theoug-flow of air. The 50mm square boom brings in a lot of air. Then the T support tot he rod has a vent that aims that air directly at your chest. The air coming in over the cockpit when running the short hood helps a lot as well. I never had enough air coming in with my quest for summer riding, but the Bülk design has that problem solved. I was riding in 90 degree heat or more and felt comfortable as long as I was in motion.