Pictures of your recumbent

[Rob Archer]

Bent at The Gates

Here's my 2003 Street machine Gt outside Sandringham. Basically original except new wheels and 160mm cranks (Spa Cycles)

[BlackPanther]

My Ice Trice 'S'. I've just acquired the Windrap fairing and fitted it today!

[bobdrake]

My 2010 Catrike Expedition

[BlackPanther]

[hercule]

BP, out of interest (and because I'm seriously thinking of getting one of those Optima tail fairing having seen your photos), is there any contact between the rear suspension arm and the bottom of the fairing? I'd also be curious as to how wide it is at the seat mounting end. My QNT has a mesh seat at the moment which I find very comfortable - not the most aero combination perhaps but I'd be intrigued as to whether or not I could fit it or whether I'd have to get a hard shell seat.

[BlackPanther]

BP, out of interest (and because I'm seriously thinking of getting one of those Optima tail fairing having seen your photos), is there any contact between the rear suspension arm and the bottom of the fairing? I'd also be curious as to how wide it is at the seat mounting end. My QNT has a mesh seat at the moment which I find very comfortable - not the most aero combination perhaps but I'd be intrigued as to whether or not I could fit it or whether I'd have to get a hard shell seat.

My Trice has the red elastomer fitted at the moment. I used to have the seat on its lowest setting, but needed to move it to the middle when I fitted the fairing or yes it would catch on the suspension arm. I actually acquired the fairing with my Optima Baron, but it didn't feel right on a 2 wheeler. I like it 'cos it's ideal for stuffing waterproofs in (it's not designed take heavy stuff), it gives me a couple of extra mph, and (imho) looks fantastic. It bolts directly onto the hardshell seat......I can't see any way you could make it work with a mesh seat unfortunately. The fairing is designed for a hardshell seat. The seat is 11 inches wide, the fairing is 16 inches wide....designed to be the same width as an average humans torso, I guess? You will lose a bit of comfort with a hardshell, both in terms of padding, and the increased sweat it creates, but I do think they look better than the mesh seats, and are a bit lighter. I've not seen a Trice with the mesh seat, but I'm assuming it has the same fittings?

I have a spare hardshell seat (it's a medium size, previous owner threw it in when I bought Trice.) It's just sat around in the garage gathering dust, completely unused (not even been drilled for the seat fixing).....I'll never use it, so if you want it, let me know. I don't know whereabouts you live, but if you could collect, you can have it for nowt.
Carl.

[BlackPanther]

The Ice Trice 'S' is gone, long live the Catrike 700 'R'!

[alant82]

My Sprint 26:


And with Veltop:

[Geriatrix]

And with Veltop:

I'm envious. Have you made any serious use of the Veltop yet?

[alant82]

I'm envious. Have you made any serious use of the Veltop yet?

Yes, I commute on the trike 4 or 5 days a week and the Veltop has been put to use on several days when we've had heavy rain. I have to say that it doesn't like strong winds, and snow tends to lie on the windscreen, so it's at its best when it's relatively calm and rainy rather than snowy. It's quite expensive but considerably cheaper than a velomobile

[BlackPanther]

I'm envious. Have you made any serious use of the Veltop yet?

Yes, I commute on the trike 4 or 5 days a week and the Veltop has been put to use on several days when we've had heavy rain. I have to say that it doesn't like strong winds, and snow tends to lie on the windscreen, so it's at its best when it's relatively calm and rainy rather than snowy. It's quite expensive but considerably cheaper than a velomobile

How expensive is 'quite expensive'? I like my streamer fairing, and it provides a bit of weather protection (but I use it mainly for speed/making myself more visible.) Do you actually stay dry with the top up?

[alant82]

How expensive is 'quite expensive'? I like my streamer fairing, and it provides a bit of weather protection (but I use it mainly for speed/making myself more visible.) Do you actually stay dry with the top up?

The exchange rate (it's a French company and sold in Euros) made it about £380 or so when I bought it, which seems like a lot for what it is, but then it's always the same with niche products like this. With regards to weather protection, well that's exactly what it was designed for and what it excels at - when the rain is hammering down you stay dry from above. The difference between the Veltop and Streamer is that the Veltop keeps your entire body dry from above, particularly your face, which I find a real bonus when having to ride to work in nasty weather. You can still get wet from below, from puddle splash, and you can occasionally get water spraying in from the side when cars pass if there is a lot of standing water.

It adds to the visibility of the trike, and I don't feel that it affects my speed significantly unless there is a stiff headwind, at which point you realise that the Veltop was not designed to improve aerodynamics. I doubt I'd use it on a weekend (i.e. leisure) ride but for the daily commute it's a nice bit of gear to have.

Cheers,
Alan

[Geoff.D]

Lee Cooper swb

Lee Cooper is a frame builder based just south of Coventry. He specialises in bespoke bikes, and his work can be seen on his web site. But, he's also built frames for Bob Jackson, Orbit, etc in the past. He built this 'bent for himself in about 1995, taking inspiration from a production model by Crystal Engineering. I bought it from him about 5 years ago. It was to be my "entry level" 'bent, but it's served me so well that I haven't felt a need to upgrade. It's rock solid and I felt comfortable at 45mph. I've modified it considerably to taste as we all do (OSS steering, drum brakes, mudguards, home-made front and rear fibre-glass fairings). It's showing its age........but, there again, so am I.

I use Marathon Plus tyres, because I wasn't prepared to risk punctures on my commute to work. My gear range is 21" to 105". But, now that I've retired to the Cotwolds, I might revise both these.

[[XAP]Bob]

Photo0044.jpg

Lee Cooper is a frame builder based just south of Coventry. He specialises in bespoke bikes, and his work can be seen on his web site. But, he's also built frames for Bob Jackson, Orbit, etc in the past. He built this 'bent for himself in about 1995, taking inspiration from a production model by Crystal Engineering. I bought it from him about 5 years ago. It was to be my "entry level" 'bent, but it's served me so well that I haven't felt a need to upgrade. It's rock solid and I felt comfortable at 45mph. I've modified it considerably to taste as we all do (OSS steering, drum brakes, mudguards, home-made front and rear fibre-glass fairings). It's showing its age........but, there again, so am I.

I use Marathon Plus tyres, because I wasn't prepared to risk punctures on my commute to work. My gear range is 21" to 105". But, now that I've retired to the Cotwolds, I might revise both these.

He repaired the Brompton I often borrow IIRC.

[forlorn hope]

Work in progress