Tag: HPV / Recumbent
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A Leitra velomobile redesign by Kuba Szankowski
For his final project in Mechanical Engineering at the Danish Technical University, Israeli born Danish citizen Kuba Szankowski designed a velomobile based on the classic Leitra design. He worked closely on the project with Carl Georg Rasmussen of Leitra, who “at eighty years young still builds and maintains all the velomobiles, as well as most any…
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Predator HPV by Eugen Ackermann
Last summer, for his Bachelor thesis of Industrial Design at Pforzheim University in Germany, Eugen Ackermann chose to design an “Alternative Mobility” solution. His Predator design is a recumbent bike, a category that he believes offers users many advantages but still is not socially accepted even though the basic design goes back to the…
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Velomobiles (or whatever you choose to call them)- part 2
If you missed last week’s post at Bicycle Design about velomobiles, be sure to check it out. In addition to the links that I mentioned in the body of the post, a few of you shared additional interesting velomobile designs in the comments section. I ended that post saying “whether you call them velomobiles, HPVs,…
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A Collection of Velomobile Links- Part 1
I don’t own one (yet), but I do have a fascination with velomobiles and mention them here at BicycleDesign from time to time. They are certainly not as common in the United States as they are in parts of Europe, but I think that is changing…slowly. If internet activity is any indication, they seem to…
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The 2013 World Human Powered Speed Challenge
This week, I have been occasionally checking the results of the 2013 World Human Powered Speed Challenge taking place for the 14th consecutive year on SR305 outside of Battle Mountain, Nevada. This is always a very interesting event to follow, and I am glad that Graeme Obree’s participation is bringing it a bit of extra…
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Graeme Obree’s new improved Beastie
Last year, I posted about Graeme Obree’s plans to attempt the human-powered land speed record in a prone position HPV of his own design. After his test run at Machrihanish airport in Scotland last year, the record attempt was delayed due to issues with the fairing on “the Beastie.” Now, Obree is back and ready…
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A GrabCAD contest and a bit of HPV history
I briefly mentioned the engineering website and community GrabCAD last year, when they ran a crank weight reduction challenge for Tern and a bar tape fixing challenge for Flying Machine Bicycle Design Studio. They have a new design/engineering challenge underway, in partnership with Velodroom, to “create an accessory that solves a problem cyclists face in…
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Organic Transit ELF
Not all that far from where I live, a small group of people are building innovative solar/pedal powered velomobile trikes in a former furniture warehouse in downtown Durham, North Carolina. I have been meaning to discuss the Organic Transit ELF for a while now, but it is one of the many posts that I just…
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Graeme Obree’s first test run in “the Beastie”
A few months ago, I mentioned Graeme Obree’s plan to attempt the human-powered land speed record in a machine of his own design. In September, his prone position HPV was not ready for the World Human Powered Speed Challenge at Battle Mountain, Nevada as originally planned, but Obree has continued work on the design with…
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VeloTilt: Design of a low drag practical velomobile
Recently, Arnold Ligtvoet from RaptoBike sent me a link to an interesting project that he is involved with. The goal is to develop a velomobile that is both practical and fast, and the team that is working on the VeloTilt certainly has the credentials to make it happen. The development team consists of Will Schermer-…
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Eric Birkhauser’s ZIPcycle share concept
My post about Eric Birkhauser’s Petal Velomobile concept generated some good discussion earlier this year. The architect’s latest project, ZIPcycle, is a work in progress that will be part of a larger project that he is working on… a book on active transit systems. This time around, in addition to a sleek recumbent HPV, he…
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A practical velomobile…and really fast ones too
It seems like I have been hearing more and more from companies making velomobiles lately, and that is a trend that I hope to see continue. I am definitely not an expert on the subject of HPVs or velomobiles, but the Challenger from UK based Ocean Cycles is a pedal powered machine that immediately caught…
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AeroVelo’s human powered helicopter project
Late last year, I mentioned the University of Toronto Human Powered Vehicle Team’s Vortex HPV, which they raced at the World Human Powered Speed Championships in Battle Mountain, Nevada. This year, the team from Toronto has a more ambitious project- the world’s first successful human powered helicopter. Team member Victor Ragusila explains that they are…
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InCog multi-tool and more
InCOG is an “out of sight” multi-tool that was created by Industrial designer Joshua Brassé, Founder and CEO of Ideacious. The tool fits neatly inside the bike’s handlebar, and is flexible so that it works with standard drop bars as well as various other bends. The exposed end-cap is designed with a recessed star pattern,…
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Carbon manufacturing at TIME and assorted bike links
I am WAY overloaded with projects at the moment, so the links and topics that I have been meaning to post lately have been backing up. I won’t get to them all today, but I want to take a quick break from the madness and quickly pass along a few of them. Core77 posted an…
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Ecomobile by David Jushpe
David Jushpe is a furniture designer, and part-time boat builder, whose latest (somewhat blue-sky) project is a “concept for a high technological, hybrid, multi powered & multi environment vehicle.” His Ecomobile concept is a roofed recumbent e-bike with retractable pontoons for use on the water. He explains on his website: “The body is made in…
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Fast HPVs and a few Friday links
Victor Ragusila, from the University of Toronto Human Powered Vehicle Team, sent me this great video of their Vortex HPV in action during the World Human Powered Speed Championships at Battle Mountain, Nevada last month. The team didn’t quite reach their goal of 75 mph, but they came pretty close and got a third place…
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Bikes, hubs, jeans, a camera bag, and more
The new Specialized Source is a bike that caught my attention as I was looking at the 2012 Global Product Launch coverage at Bike Hugger. The sporty urban bike comes as either a derailleur version or with a belt drive. I like the fact that it includes fenders, a bell, and a dyno-powered light…feature that…