Why drive when you can bike at 25mph? - Gas Savers

omgwtfbyobbq · 09-11-2006, 01:04 PM

If you're the average American, you end up with a ~37mph average speed while commuting. It would probably be worthwhile to just use a recumbent bicycle that averages ~25mph. You'd add ~50% more time, but could be getting a work out the whole time. Or better yet, add electric assist proportional to your commute distance and pedal as much as you want. I suppose this is too simple for most, who seem to be in favor of making things more complicated in order to make them more fuel efficient, but why complicate things when we don't have to?

P.s. The best part is when he passes the minivan passing the other cyclists! Now that is aerodynamic advantage...

kickflipjr · 09-11-2006, 01:23 PM

The only problem I have with recumbents Is that they sit low to the ground. I would be worried that car wouldn't see me. I guess you could put a flag on it but that will kill aero dynamics.

I can got 25mph on a bike. Maybee for 3minutes

omgwtfbyobbq · 09-11-2006, 01:32 PM

I've heard a lot of riders do this with no noticable change in speed since the flag just moves with the wind, unless a wind sock or something similar is used. A small yellow or orange flag is connected to a flexible pole and at ~6ft in the air seems pretty visable. There are also blinkies that are supposed to be insanely bright even in the day.

Edit- Better yet, add a couple of these on the flag pole. I used to average ~15-17mph on my mountain bike during a 7-10 mile commute, but I'd have to work for that. I think my quickest average was over 20mph, running lights and pedaling my *** off, but I only did that once. With a lowrider it seems like a 10-12mph leasurely pace on an upright bike would be 17-20mph.

MetroMPG · 09-11-2006, 01:36 PM

You'd better stop posting such revolutionary ideas, or the MIB will be around

Great link - neat vid of the guy riding the recumbent.

I've never tried one, but always wanted to.

MetroMPG · 09-11-2006, 01:38 PM

PS: http://atomiczombie.com for DIY recumbents & other crazy home-brew bike machines.

zpiloto · 09-11-2006, 02:06 PM

Sounds easy and I use my bike every day for short trips etc but unless you have shower facilities it quite a hassel

It can be done but it like having kids every time you want to go some where you have to load up the survival kit. When your carrying a commuter bag a regular bike is better suited for that than a recumbent IMO.

http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/...cast?query=aus

omgwtfbyobbq · 09-11-2006, 02:11 PM

atomiczombie's awesome! This blog has tons of info on building a leaning trike. It uses a cabling system to connect the rear pivot(?) to a set of handle bars up front, and I was thinking, it'd be easier just to use springs connected from the wheel struts to the main body of the bike so it would stay upright normally, and by leaning the rider would leverage the springs depending on how far away their center of mass was from the springs. Add another lockable headset in the front for tight, low speed turns, probably with conservative rake, and that would be something that can corner at high speed through leaning, as well as turn slowly in a tight radius with the stability of a three wheeled vehicle.

edit- In terms of carrying stuff, I think a small trailer in back is the best bet. In terms of commuting in the heat, as long as I had ~15min to cool off/stop sweating after, and changed in the bathroom at work, I wasn't uncomfortable or smelly. It was pretty hot..., but it sure wasn't a sweatbath! 70% humidity?

MetroMPG · 09-11-2006, 02:31 PM

To beat the heat, I bought a "hybrid kit" (gas motor

) for my bike when I lived for a short time in the Cayman Islands. (I'm sure I've mentioned this before at GS.)

Anyway, I used to motor to work, and pedal home.

I bought the kit online in 97. The company I bought from is apparently still doing a booming business. There's a bit about them at Autoblog Green today (along with a stupid item about fuel line magnets):

Getting 160 miles per gallon

omgwtfbyobbq · 09-11-2006, 02:45 PM

Ya know, one thing that bugs me is manufacturers won't make a sub 1hp gasoline engine. Most of 'em go 25mph on 1-2hp and get ~100-250mpg, but if there was a ~400watt engine, they could go 15mph and get 400-600mpg. If this gets ~200mpg, on a lowrider the speed would probably be ~30-35mph with the same fuel consumption, and a faired lowrider would just be crazy fast!

MetroMPG · 09-11-2006, 02:49 PM

Actually, the motor I had in 97 was much smaller than the ones they're selling now. I think it was a 35cc, and topped out at around 30 km/h (20 ish mph). It was way too loud though. I'm glad to read on the mfg's site that they're talking about better mufflers.

You can get electric hub motors in the 400w range. I'd probably just go that route now.

Edit: I never bothered to calculate my MPG. I just topped up the tank for about 35 cents a week and didn't worry too much about it.

omgwtfbyobbq · 09-11-2006, 02:59 PM

Ohh... yes we can. It's pricey, but given that electricity is ~1/3rd of the price of gas due to the difference in motor efficiency, an electric lowrider, faired or unfaired, would be really really cheap to operate... with a solar panel it would put an environmentally friendly hybrid to shame.

kickflipjr · 09-11-2006, 04:22 PM

Anyways I talked to the guy in that video. I saw his recumbent and said, "I bet its fast". I said I saw a bike just like his on the net and he didn't belive me.

Link http://www.velokraft.com/-nc.htm

mexellent · 10-07-2006, 12:17 AM

Wow! That bike is fast! But theres no way Id take that with me anywhere. Id be so paranoid.

Ryland · 10-08-2006, 01:11 AM

Honda makes a 22 cc 4 stroke over head cam engine, 12 pounds with awsome tourqe curve, and a fuel/horse power ratio that was comparible to larger honda engines, at some point when I have extra money I want to buy one of these engine, and hook it to a car alternator that has the voltage regulator removed, and set it so it puts out around 36-38 volts, and use a wheel hub motor and controler, and a very small battery pack as a buffer to make a tri-bred bicycle (human, gas, electric power)

omgwtfbyobbq · 10-08-2006, 02:39 AM

I wish they would make something putting out ~400watts with that kind of efficiency. the WAW for example only needs ~1000watts to go 50mph, and ~250watts to go 25mph. Although, come to think of it, one of these with the right gearing and a direct chain transmission would probably get way good mpg, the problem being the driver has to average 45mph to see the optimum, because like an gas engine, as load drops, so does efficiency.

MetroMPG · 10-08-2006, 07:04 AM

Now that electric assisted bikes are legal in Ontario, I know of at least 2 people who are building recumbents with full aeroshells to take advantage of the law.

It allows for 2 or 3-wheeled bikes & max 500 w, plus max top speed of 32 km/h on electric-only. I'd think they would easily exceed that speed with 500 w, though, with a fully faired shell.

MetroMPG · 10-08-2006, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by omgwtfbyobbq

the WAW for example only needs ~1000watts to go 50mph, and ~250watts to go 25mph.

Sorry... the WAW?

omgwtfbyobbq · 10-08-2006, 02:45 PM

The WAW.

MetroMPG · 10-08-2006, 03:19 PM

Cool.

Quote:

Approx. 50 km/h for a 250 W

There are a bunch of WAW and velo touring vids on YouTube, eg:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66bHAeBBzGg&NR

kickflipjr · 10-08-2006, 10:16 PM

So would a electric velomobile be legal.

That would be pushing the new law to the limit.

Ryland · 10-09-2006, 07:29 AM

you can also get the honda gxh50 http://www.trupower.com/honda/gxh50.htm it's a 50cc over head cam 2.5 hp gas engine, it uses 250 grams of fuel per HP per hour, so at full speed/power a gallon of fuel would run it for over 5 hours.
http://www.trupower.com/honda/honda-4s-engines.htm has the 22cc and the 31cc modles as well, and all the specs, tourqe curves, fuel useage, and all that other stuff listed.