[Velomobile] Homemade velomobiles

[Terry Rouse]

I have two home made velomobiles. One is a tadpole trike with a chromoly tube 
space frame with a small amount of front suspension. The other is a delta 
leaning trike with front wheel drive. The leaning aspect improves the cornering 
considerably, but the two rear wheels stick out into the airflow and create a 
fair amount of drag. I have a retractable brass pin so that the lean can be 
locked out when you come up to a stop sign or are starting off. It is also 
helpful when climbing steep hills as you don't have to balance. I have laid it 
on its side a number of times trying to get the tilt lock to work correctly. 
When transitioning from locked to unlocked tilt there is a noticeable change in 
the handling that requires some getting used to. Overall I am not sure the tilt 
is worth the bother, but cornering at speed is more fun than on my tadpole 
trike. I plan to fool around with it a bit more before moving on. Both of the 
bodies are made of coroplast. After 2-3 years it gets a bit ragged but it is 
easy to fabricate. I like the concept of the Tri sled with the rotationally 
molded body. I think that has the possibility of lowering the cost. Most of the 
velomobiles are just way too expensive.  

Terry Rouse