Streamlining a bicycle?
 

So, until I buy another car, I'm down to using my bicycle, which means some really friggin cold rides... I've been thinking about doing a fairing/tail and keep some wind off me and benefit from better aero at the same time... Anyone have pics/ advice on where to start? I've got lots of free election signs and zip ties, but not much else yet, lol

I would start with the wheels; pretty easy to do with flat coroplast. Make a disc for each side and zip tie them on. You can definitely do the back wheel; the front might make it harder to handle so you'll have to experiment to find what you're comfortable with. A full fairing might be beyond the scope of your materials, but you can fill in the frame and make some sort of tail. The lower you can get the front end, the better, since you're the highest drag part of the bike-rider system.

I have a Malibu and a bike as well. I have 05ls and a softride qualifier tt.

My biggest gains on the bike have been ws2 and nmf in the bottom bracket, wheel bearings, and jockey wheel bearings. Then solid tri-spoke carbon wheels from aliexpress.

Ceramic bearings work best with the nanolubricants. I've ridden my carbon frame mountain bike down to -52C with cast spoke magnesium wheels.

Would you be interested in some aeromods for your Malibu? I'm gonna try selling mine before I repurpose/scrap them...

I've got a cheap steel frame 700c hybrid bike... Straight bars, but tall-ish gearing... Some drop bars would be nice, as I rode a vintage road bike with them and loved them...

where to start
 

GOOGLE International Human Powered Vehicle Association and look at images of what members are riding/racing.

When I bike is extreme cold I end up hot and sweaty. Layers. And being able to open them up on the go.

Anywhere to find studded tires for 700C wheel? Right now I'm running 35mm

Schwalbe do a Marathon Plus in winter (studded) as far as I know, comes in a variety of touring sizes - also you can use:

- An old tyre and rivets;

- An old tyre and machine screws; or

- (my personal favourite) zip ties - not good with Rim Brakes tho...

Bone stock, here is my reply to a previous poster asking a similar question. "I have been a bike commuter for roughly 40 years and an avid cyclist for much of that time. In my experience, anything you do to a diamond frame bicycle will have minimal effect on your commute times. I commute year round wearing bulky, baggy clothes in winter. The biggest drag comes from the rider. If you can get your upper body low and your back level with the ground that will make the biggest difference. You will decrease your CdA so a drop bar may be better than a flat handlebar. An "aero-bar" may get you even flatter but it is not practical to ride that way in traffic.

Anything you add to the bike may help in some ideal conditions but be a hindrance in everyday use." There is someone who made a coroplast bicycle fairing that he claimed helped. I will try to find the link. You may find some interesting reading on this topic using the search function on this site.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ike-31669.html

http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/...r/P6290050.jpg

Not looking so much for reduced commute times, but for reduced strain on myself, and (in the case of the fairing) cut some of the cold air...

Definitely not practical to ride aero in traffic - totally agree. I usually just lock my elbows in the handlebar ends of my mountain bike when I'm on dedicated paved trails. Helps a lot.

Maybe slightly out of context fer this thread, but any thought of converting it to an e-bike along with the fairing? There's a lot of different e-bike kits out there. ;)

Id love to convert it, but those kits aren't cheap... I'd like to get good components with intention of hot rodding it a little... Still deciding between a mid drive or hub motors...

If you don't have to worry about snow in winter get a road bike.

Well ideally, the bike would be parked in cold weather, but times are desperate at this point... I have what some call a hybrid... Skinny tires, long gearing but flat bars and MTB riding stance

I have done extensive experiments in bike fairings. (See my forum name...). I have found the best results aero-wise are aero bars and a REAR, not front disc covers on the wheel.

Neither of these will help you with cold air though. I did make a "nose cone" thing that mounted above the handlebars that might help. I'll try and see if i have a picture of it...

cold air
 

After many decades,I still like this design.It would provide some shelter from the elements,but there might be fogging and icing of the canopy to deal with.
http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/...ad2/scan18.jpg

Oh, but that's recumbent. Nobody likes 'bents.

Oh, I'd love to have a nice velo-mobile... However, they cost more than any of my cars have, lol

http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/wg...90050.jpg.html I use a nose fairing in cold weather and moved my bar end grips inboard on my Jamis Aragon city bike. Tires are 700C x 38 with cyclocross tires for winter. Side panels and a tail section will complete the package which should result in a 25% reduction in drag. I do coast down testing to measure improvements. When I get a complete package I will put the drawings on sale.
To make a velomobile practical seat height needs to be 19 inches, same as a passenger car. An electric motor assist option is gaining popularity. Check your state and local laws first. My chain saw motor kit is not legal in NYS but fine in PA six miles away.

That setup looks like it would act as a sail rather than a nose cone. You say you tested it?

Yep. Coast down course is 30 Ft. drop in 0.1 mile. Top speed was 16 mph with and 17 mph with just the bar grips inboard. The narrow bar grips are good for plus 1 mph by themselves. I rode this for a year in all kinds of crosswinds and did get a boost once from a tailwind in a storm. I cut a piece of 4mm coroplast 24"x44" then made slits to overlap for the shape. The tail box is the critical part as it needs to fit tight to the rider's back. Due to hip inflammation I have to build a step through frame and the box needs to be shoulder high down to just below the knees. Aspect ration is 3:1. If you go to the photo album the early drawings are there.
The funky nose cone and waste basket rig was good for +3 mph and stable in cross winds. The nose cone is made from one inch hex wire mesh bonded between 5 mil tarp plastic. The home made aero bars work fine and I mounted them on a frame with more under steer and a solid stem. I try to use low cost materials that are readily available. The HPV shell software at recumbents.com can be used to do shapes that can then be modeled on CFD software. One simple enclosure for a TT bike yielded a simulated 40% reduction in drag. For ecomodders any vehicle can be configured to get a 50% drag reduction. My goal is to cruise all day year round without breaking a sweat at 25 mph.

The picture COcyclist posted is my bike. People are skeptical about streamlining upright bikes but it is not that hard if you do some homework.