VELO TRICYCLE

Over time, interest in velomobiles — this environmentally friendly and health-beneficial mode of transport — has waned and flared up anew, but it never completely fades away.

Its fans believe that since the invention of the self-propelled cart by I.P. Kulibin, this pedal-powered vehicle has received its greatest development in the last 30 years: many interesting machines have been created (mostly by amateur designers).

However, cars have pushed velomobiles and bicycles off the streets into buildings, turning both into exercise machines. This is understandable: a car helps a person quickly cover long distances, saving time (but, let’s be honest — it harms health). And as long as most people prefer cars — the pace of events in our age is just too fast. But even the most intense races eventually stop, and a time for rest arrives.

It seems to me that a certain “automobile” break was observed in our country at the end of the 1980s — early 1990s. It was precisely this period that marked the “golden age” and mass enthusiasm for velomobiles. People raced them, organized hikes and marathons, and held exhibitions and gatherings in their honor.

The velomobile presented to the readers of the “Modelist-Konstruktor” magazine was created (designed and built) at the end of that favorable period in the “Veloconstruction” club at the Youth Technical Station (YTS) in the city of Zavodoukovsk, Tyumen region, along with bicycles and snowmobiles. The velomobile was designed for long training and recreational rides on both paved and dirt roads.

The vehicle was made using components and parts from sport bicycles and the “Shkolnik” bicycle. The core principles laid into the design are well-known and tested, but we aimed to make the velomobile reliable and comfortable.

This is a three-wheeled machine: two front wheels — steerable, and one rear — driven, larger in diameter. It is steered with custom-made steering levers, rods, and pivot knuckles. The suspension of all wheels is active and soft: the front wheels are on springs, and the rear one is on shock absorbers.

The frame of the velomobile is welded and made from thin-walled round pipes. The seat is ergonomic, semi-reclined, and firmly mounted to the frame.

The brake is of the clamping type, and its mechanism only operates on the rear wheel.

The front wheels, with an outer tire diameter of 500 mm, are from the “Shkolnik” children’s bicycle but have been modified — new, longer hubs were installed. Additionally, the original bearings were replaced with radial bearings of the 180202 series. The suspension of the wheels used springs from the MAZ truck engine valves.

The rear wheel, with an outer tire diameter of 750 mm, is from a sport bicycle and has been modified. The hub has been lengthened with a coupling, and a new corresponding axis was made.

The velomobile is multi-speed. Its driving sprocket is located on the cantilever strut, extended forward from the frame.

The seat base is a bent and “hammered” 2-mm duralumin sheet, directly mounted to the frame. It is covered with foam rubber and upholstered in a bright nylon cover. The seat back frame also serves as a support for the rear suspension shock absorbers.

Tests showed that the velomobile generally lived up to the expectations — the design proved to be reliable, quite comfortable, and speedy. The velomobile was used for two seasons — each from spring to fall. These were both speed runs on smooth tracks and business trips in urban (dare I say, risky) conditions, as well as long countryside excursions on rough terrain.

Of course, the velomobile had its drawbacks. First of all, this concerns the drive chain — it turned out to be too long and required an intermediate tensioner-guide, for which a special roller was installed during operation.

Another downside is the lack of fenders on the wheels and a roof overhead, which reduced the comfort of the ride. The first drawback was only noticeable in bad weather, while the roof would have been useful even in sunny weather. There was often a need for a luggage rack, especially during business trips through the city and long excursions outside it. Adding these would not have been difficult, but it would have increased the weight and frontal drag.

Another significant downside, in my opinion, was the three-wheeled design. While this wasn’t really noticeable on a good highway, the presence of potholes or bumps on dirt roads made avoiding them considerably more challenging.

Eventually, the velomobile was disassembled (not so much because of its imperfections, but due to lack of storage space), and the components and parts were later used for other projects.

A. MATVIYCHUK