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Bicycle Bob · 01-28-2010, 06:36 PM

I like the look of streamlining, too, but it quickly gets boring to the average consumer. I'm pleasantly surprised at how well stylists have managed to disguise basically decent shapes with small accents and headlight shapes.
Large grilles are not neccessarily as bad as they seem. If they only lead to restricted passages, most of the air goes around and only low speed flow goes through.
The Citroen 2cv had lawn-chair like seats, and they were even quickly detachable for use outside the car, on picnics and such.
It was the first car designed for radial-belted tires, and a lot of work went into re-tuning the suspension for a decent ride quality. Switching to solid tires would probably lead to a large decrease in ride and handling qualities. Using foam to prevent deflation would raise rolling resistance considerably. Urethane is the most resilient elastomer, and the basis of the skateboard and rollerblade proliferation, but it has been unable to improve on current technology for car tires, despite much research.
If roads were re-built, we could run on steel wheels with rails let into the pavement like street car tracks. That system might be combined with electronic controls to allow zero-clearance drafting in express lanes. The rubber tires would use lowrider technology to let the car down onto the rails for long periods between lane changes, and raise it to allow disengagement from the train of vehicles.
Perhaps the biggest gains could come from public attitudes. Decades ago, a woman in a fur coat smoking a cigarette was highly fashionable. Now, she would be banned from most public places, and risk getting red paint on her coat. Similarly, vehicles carrying less than 50% of their capacity might get pelted with black paintballs.
One of the major causes of ill health is lack of exercise, even though many car trips are quite feasible for an average adult who is in the habit of using a bicycle. A streamlined, all-weather velomobile is faster, giving about twice as many available destinations per hour on a grid road system. Starting a design around the driver, and the 1/10 HP available leads to radical improvements, even when motorized to some extent. Adding 1 HP makes the pedals feel redundant, and the throttle too weak, but adding power as a function of the pedal input encourges effort, and makes the rider feel like Bionic Man.

01-28-2010, 06:36 PM	#72 (permalink)
Bicycle Bob EcoModding Apprentice Join Date: May 2008 Location: N. Saskatchewan, CA Posts: 1,805 Appliance White - '93 Geo Metro 4-Dr. Auto Last 3: 42.35 mpg (US) Stealth RV - '91 Chevy Sprint Base Thanks: 91 Thanked 459 Times in 327 Posts	I like the look of streamlining, too, but it quickly gets boring to the average consumer. I'm pleasantly surprised at how well stylists have managed to disguise basically decent shapes with small accents and headlight shapes. Large grilles are not neccessarily as bad as they seem. If they only lead to restricted passages, most of the air goes around and only low speed flow goes through. The Citroen 2cv had lawn-chair like seats, and they were even quickly detachable for use outside the car, on picnics and such. It was the first car designed for radial-belted tires, and a lot of work went into re-tuning the suspension for a decent ride quality. Switching to solid tires would probably lead to a large decrease in ride and handling qualities. Using foam to prevent deflation would raise rolling resistance considerably. Urethane is the most resilient elastomer, and the basis of the skateboard and rollerblade proliferation, but it has been unable to improve on current technology for car tires, despite much research. If roads were re-built, we could run on steel wheels with rails let into the pavement like street car tracks. That system might be combined with electronic controls to allow zero-clearance drafting in express lanes. The rubber tires would use lowrider technology to let the car down onto the rails for long periods between lane changes, and raise it to allow disengagement from the train of vehicles. Perhaps the biggest gains could come from public attitudes. Decades ago, a woman in a fur coat smoking a cigarette was highly fashionable. Now, she would be banned from most public places, and risk getting red paint on her coat. Similarly, vehicles carrying less than 50% of their capacity might get pelted with black paintballs. One of the major causes of ill health is lack of exercise, even though many car trips are quite feasible for an average adult who is in the habit of using a bicycle. A streamlined, all-weather velomobile is faster, giving about twice as many available destinations per hour on a grid road system. Starting a design around the driver, and the 1/10 HP available leads to radical improvements, even when motorized to some extent. Adding 1 HP makes the pedals feel redundant, and the throttle too weak, but adding power as a function of the pedal input encourges effort, and makes the rider feel like Bionic Man.