[Grant-53]

Sven7, I understand your reservations but I am building these bikes successfully for the simple reason that I use sound engineering methods. We were taught to list our assumptions and then design to meet the lawful conditions needed to make the project work. My solid rig is a 2000 Jamis Aragon aluminum framed city bike. I paid $300 USD for it new. I added fenders, a horn, mirror, and LED lights. This bike came with spring seat post and stem. The V brakes are more than adequate even for towing. Winters here are similar to Michigan so I use 700C cyclo cross tires in the snow. The point I want to make is that how much you spend is no substitute for good planning.

As for mounting a fairing system all that is needed is a spar clamped to the head tube and one mounted on the seat tube. If you want to use a rear rack for hauling heavier cargo, that can be done also. The fairings can accommodate some wiggle room while covering from shoulder to calf. I am building three bikes, one to test each configuration so we can have some solid data for comparison. My coast down hill drops 30 ft in 0.1 mile so I can get repeatable data.

Will an upright beat the recumbents in the time traps? Not at all likely. A Toyota Corolla is not designed to beat a F1 racer. My efforts are toward the commuter market where 35-40 mph is plenty fast. Locally a mountain bike is the most popular commuter. We have more than our fair share of rough roads and pick up trucks even in town.

I hope states will allow for electric trikes up to 45 mph with a standard driver's license soon. Keep after the state legislators to update the e-bike rules where needed.