With my recent loss of balance - and therefore sale of my fun, and fast, raptobike - I have been looking at the possibility of getting a velo as a main vehicle, possibly even replacing my trike
Since I didn't manage to get close enough to test the borealis before it was sold, and have an eye on another (currently in Ely) I thought I'd have a test to see whether I was on a sane track...
The only I tested was based on an Azub trike, rear suspension only, and was a completely enclosed model.
First impressions:
- Fairly noisy, although an awful lot of this was due to the 'boot' lid not being well fitted. I was actually not put off by the noise (particularly as I am also somewhat deaf
)- Easy to keep moving, and not that hard to get moving. I was on flat pedals, and no serious effort was put in, but reasonable speeds were attained and held (over 20mph on the flat without me being aware of it). Came off a corner at ~12mph and was at 20mph in about 4 seconds according to the ride log).
- Appreciated the rather nice remote opening windows at the front (controlled via Bowden cable from a driver operable position) (though they could rattle a bit when open)
- One of the mirrors was not really accessible in terms of adjustment from inside the cockpit (though I think that it could be, if I popped out one of the windows)
- Took bumps in the road with a fair bump and clatter - not being able to see the wheels does have an effect on how I perceived the ride quality I think, but also some of the potholes were pretty severe. One of the reasons I am more looking for a version with full strut suspension at the front (I think)
- Really appreciated being able to climb in and just put my walking poles (which I need for balance) in with me, not having to fold them down and try to strap them somewhere.
It's really not put me off at all...
