Quote:
Originally Posted by Bicycle Bob
I still have it, but I'd rather build a new one than restore it to running order. It was built for research, not easy maintenance, and ran about 1,400 miles farther than intended, mostly developing cosmetic issues. It ran 20% faster than a bike with the front intake open, and 30% faster with the cooling reduced. I was officially timed at 30 MPH with no hill or wind, but I'm no athlete. Better detailing would raise that considerably.
I planned my life around putting it into production, but never found the capital. More details at: https://microship.com/bob-stuart/ mixed in with other research articles and history. |
I know exactly how it is to not have capital for anything. Even getting a first prototype put together is beyond most peoples' financial means. I had prototypes I designed in high school that went unbuilt or remain unfinished due to a lack of money(and it was admittedly modest amounts compared to things people in the upper 25% of income/wealth commonly waste money on, let alone what the rich waste money on). What was your intended price point were it to have been put in production and at what year? How much do you think something like this could be built for today, in terms of dollars for the parts, dollars for the use of tools, and how many hours of labor?
Your Car Cycle is an inspiration with regards to what can be done with the concept of a bicycle. It was an idea well ahead of its time, and its time is coming fast. Just having the knowledge that you have puts you ahead of the curve. A lack of capital means you may not get the chance to take the opportunity, and that really sucks. If you can, you should definitely build a new one and use it as a daily rider, just to show what kind of reliability can be had with the design. Prove the concept works, is usable on an everyday basis, and is reliable by racking some miles up on it.
Coroplast is a good material for a prototype body, but it does not lend itself well to long-term use without those cosmetic issues developing. Over a long period of time, it sort of begins to behave like a liquid instead of a solid, and any load-bearing pieces will begin to warp and lose their stiffness. The first coroplast shell I made lasted almost 2 years before it started developing a harmonic wobble during high speed riding that turned what used to be a stable vehicle at speed into a nightmare to control at speed, and this current coroplast shell I recently posted a picture of uses aluminum braces bolted to it to stiffen it. I'm hoping it will last long enough for me to build a permanent shell, since this coroplast shell was made just to get the shape right, since the first shells aerodynamics left a lot to be desired and had other issues. I'm going to move onto either fiberglass or carbon fiber and make a compound-curved near-replica of the shell out of such, once I get the aerodynamics, ergonomics, and clearances the way I want them.
After that, I'm going to give building a fully custom steel chassis with full suspension a go, and build a pedal/electric/solar velomobile/sports car hybrid completely from the ground up. The goal is a total finished weight of around 100-120 lbs, capability of safely holding highway speeds(DOT wheels/tires), acceleration from 0-60 mph in under 5 seconds, top speed around 100 mph, light/efficient enough to be pedaled faster than an ordinary bicycle with the drive system shut completely off, operable as a pedelec or with throttle, 20 Wh/mile @ 70 mph with 150W rider input, ability to hold 1G lateral acceleration without tipping over, small enough to fit in a bike lane(< 40" wide). a 2 kWh battery pack, and a 100W or larger solar array built into the body.