A bicycle is good, but with a roof and even a motor, it’s absolutely cool! Lightweight, comfortable, economical and covered with a tent on top for protection from rain and wind... a lot of positive things can be said about the development from JMK-Innovation - PodRide.
Many similar homemade products, as shown in the photo, are manufactured all over the world, and there are even small-scale production projects.
At the presentation of the Tesla Model, it was called a “mass electric car.”
Technical characteristics of the electric bicycle:
- Size: height - 145 cm, width - 75 cm.
- Weight: 70 kg.
- Power: (250 W, 0.33 HP).
Of course, PodRide looks like an amusement park car, but it’s more fun. After all, she is really capable of driving on roads, and not of the best quality!
... and also pull a semi-trailer, also on bicycle wheels! Swedish designer and engineer Mikael Kjellman decided to make his contribution and added a new model to the technological cabinet of curiosities. His creation, PodRide, accommodates one passenger plus a trolley with luggage.
Four for stability, a lighter frame, a chain drive, pedals, a steering wheel, a seat, a folding rain canopy - that’s what a velomobile is! But the most important thing is the electric motor, with a power of 250 W or 0.33 hp. and a battery for it.
There is no room in the cabin for a large backpack. There is only a small compartment behind the driver's back.
The weight of PodRide turned out to be even less than that of its inventor - about 70 kg.
The driver sits on a soft seat with a backrest. All information about the trip is displayed on a pair of displays, one of which is the smartphone screen. PodRide even has a heated windshield and windshield wipers (though manually operated), and a fan to prevent fogging of the polymer windows.
Four wheels with a diameter of 20″ are mounted on an aluminum frame with air suspension. The front ones turn, and the rear ones are driven by an electric motor through a 14-speed chain transmission (two sprockets in front and seven in the rear). The engine operates in “assistant” mode, helping the driver pedal and overcome inclines. On a non-incline section of the track, PodRide can accelerate to 25 km/h and travel up to 60 km on a single charge.
Due to the trapezoidal shape of the tension body, it rubs a little at the shoulders, but effectively leans forward when landing and on bumps.
It is also easier to ride on snow and sand because of the four wheels, and lighting equipment can be installed more powerfully than on a bicycle. Even the interior has LED lighting to make driving less scary. Everything is very cool! See for yourself:
A good bike can go faster and further, but in winter or in inclement weather, riding a PodRide is clearly more comfortable. You don’t get wet in the rain, you remain protected from the wind and from traffic police :) The author of the invention registered his development as an electric bicycle and rides anywhere without insurance and the risk of losing his driver’s license.
Cool! Is it true? According to the developer's estimates, a commercially produced PodRide will cost about $2,845. For $200 at the fundraising stage, you can get digital PodRide drawings and a license to make two of these cars. For $300 – respectively, three. So far, out of the required $30 K, the author of the invention has collected only $233. Those who paid a buck get it back as a discount plus a 20% discount... if PodRide even goes into production, of course.
Andrey Vasilkov (website: computerra.ru)
He can’t stay in one place for a long time and constantly requires new sensations, try to direct his energy in a useful direction! Give your children's velomobile!
A fidget will be able to feel like an adult if he gets his own vehicle, but not with two wheels, like a bicycle, but with four, like an electric car! Europeans called this type of transport velomobiles, and the Dutch even called them “da-cars”.
A children's velomobile is a smaller car controlled using pedals. In other words, it is a muscle-powered vehicle that combines efficiency, simplicity and environmental friendliness.
Inventing a velomobile
We build a velomobile with our own hands
The idea to create a children's velomobile does not arise by chance, because the velo- and electric vehicles sold today are not without their drawbacks. In addition, their cost is sometimes so high and not justified that it is easier to create such a “toy” for a child with your own hands. A modern children's car must be dismountable, similar to a real car, and also comfortable not only during operation, but also during storage.
Children's velomobiles found on sale, as a rule, have a non-separable design. Most of them are an open frame, equipped with a movable, adjustable seat and a complex drive. The design is non-demountable, and the machine itself is not able to overcome even the smallest obstacles. Ultimately, a full repair of such a toy is very expensive.
When creating a velomobile with your own hands, you can get rid of all the shortcomings.
Let's invent a children's velomobile!
Manufacturing Features:
Advantages of a homemade children's velomobile
The most important advantage is the possibility of quick installation and dismantling (convince yourself by watching the video). To quickly disassemble the mini-car, you just need to disconnect the leash located on the steering mechanism from the top of the V-shaped frame, and then rotate it to an angle of exactly 45 degrees, pushing it out of the support located on the crossbar.
Thanks to the selected distance between the wheels, even in the folded position they will not interfere with each other. “Breaking” the children’s velomobile is done first around the vertical axis, and only then around the horizontal axis, with a slight downward shift.
During the assembly process of the machine, the two parts of the frame (front/rear) are connected in such a way that the pin fits perfectly into the rolling support. Next, you need to move the latch to the leash on the steering mechanism, turning the V-shaped frame from the pin, and then disconnect it from the frame.
Ultimately, the structure is installed on wheels. The children's velomobile is ready! It boasts good maneuverability and the ability to freely overcome obstacles whose height is equal to half a wheel! Due to its high strength, it will not need repairs.
Its small dimensions in a dismantled state, as well as its low weight (approximately 12 kg), make it possible to solve all the problems that are usually associated with transporting a car, as well as long-term storage in a small car.
You can also design a children's electric car with your own hands. Of course, the assembly process will be much more complex and difficult to describe in words, but there are many videos online with step-by-step instructions for assembling an electric car.
Like a velomobile, it is better to assemble an electric car for a child not from scratch, but to use parts of a finished children's car. It is important to have a steering wheel, wheels, and an attractive body. If you have the main parts, you can make an electric car with your own hands in a day!
Thanks to modern technology, there are many options on the market. Bicycles, velomobiles, motorcycles and many other vehicles for entertainment and sports. Is there an old bicycle in the storage room or attic of the cottage that no one uses anymore?
Do you really want to stand out and show off on the city streets using an ultra-modern and interesting form of transport, like a velomobile? You shouldn’t rush to spend all your reserves and savings, because from an old bicycle, and even from a new one, with some effort, you can make a velomobile.
Why do you need a velomobile?
The velomobile has characteristics that a regular bicycle does not include in its functionality:
- You can sit comfortably on the velomobile by installing a soft, comfortable chair;
- Another huge advantage of a velomobile is that when riding it, the lion's share of the muscles in the lower body sways. And these are legs, hips, and abs. If you do everything correctly, you can include other muscle groups in action to look beautiful and fit.
- A velomobile is also needed by those who are burning with happiness, accelerating at incredible speeds. The most important thing at this point, right, is to install all the design details.
- In addition to the above-mentioned advantages of this type of transport, a velomobile will also come in very handy for people who like to ride around the city or beyond, breathing deeply in fresh air and freedom.
In general, a velomobile can become necessary for every person; here you need to build on habits, lifestyle and preferences.
Standard velomobile version
Velomobiles, like other types of entertainment and sports transport, can be different in their structure and capabilities. But, despite this, there is still a standard for the external and functional content of this type of transport.
A velomobile, in its usual form, includes:
- A three-wheel design in which the front wheel is slightly larger than the two rear wheels;
- Steering wheel;
- Front frame;
- Connecting elements;
- Sitting.
Naturally, standardity is an opportunity to add color and add notes. After all, if a person converting an ordinary bicycle into a velomobile has taken on such an interesting mission, it means that his imagination is sufficiently developed and will help him make a special design.
A velomobile is not only a means of transportation and a way to pass the time profitably, it is also an opportunity to stand out from the crowd and show that the owner of the vehicle is special. Thanks to creative and unusual solutions, be it decor or a structural part of a velomobile, every craftsman can make the fruit of his efforts especially interesting.
Velomobile drawings
Naturally, even the greatest masters and inventors cannot cope without assistants. In the proposed case, nothing more than a drawing can become an assistant. You can search for drawings on the Internet, or you can draw them yourself if you have such experience, so as not to miss anything important.
It is very important to implement all your outlines in the drawing, because in the process of converting an ordinary bicycle into a velomobile, the main thing is not to miss the details.
How to make a velomobile. Step-by-step instruction
In order to get started, you need to stock up on some available supplies and tools.
Would need:
- Bulgarian;
- Soldering iron;
- Fastening elements (bolts, screws, nuts);
- Hammer;
- Pliers;
- Pipes of different diameters;
- The material with which the finished product is planned to be upholstered.
- In general, a little patience, and the dream will come true.
Step 1: Front Wheel and Steering
It is very important to design the front part of the structure correctly. It is this that helps you move safely and correctly; however, every detail is important in transport.
In order to start the procedure, you must:
- Using a grinder, cut off all unnecessary elements from the front wheel;
- Leave a piece of frame in a V shape;
- Cut the protruding part of the frame approximately in the middle with a grinder and bend it towards the central part of the structure;
- The wheels are attached directly to the wheel in the middle;
- The bent frame must be firmly secured near the steering neck.
- When the steering is ready, you can proceed to the next steps of building a velomobile.
Step 2: Main Frame
To implement the main frame project, you will need separate pipes of different diameters or parts from a former bicycle.
All pipes must be cut using a grinder into pieces approximately 10 centimeters in size. You should cut at an angle of one hundred and twenty degrees so that the final shape of the structure is correct.
Then it is necessary to weld all the resulting parts according to the diagram so that a frame emerges on which the main parts of the velomobile will be installed. This design is also very important for balance and safety.
Step 3: Front Fork
When equipping the front fork, a steel element is welded onto the steering column, onto which the frame and moving parts of the velomobile will be attached.
Connectors are drilled into the pipes attached to the steering column, with the help of which the structure will fit tightly. Such structures should be placed on both sides of the wheel so that control is as coordinated and safe as possible.
Step 4: Rear Frame
To implement the manufacture of the rear frame you will need:
- Bulgarian;
- Welding device;
- Four pipes of the same size;
- Two pipes are several centimeters smaller than the main ones;
- Fasteners.
It is quite simple to implement this design. It is necessary to connect four structural elements together. Those parts that are shorter in length are soldered on both sides of the square frame structure, parallel to each other.
A protruding fastener with a connector in the middle is soldered to the sides. These fasteners are then attached to the rear wheels.
Step 5: Brakes
This part of the velomobile is perhaps one of the most significant. A velomobile without brakes is the same as a car or motorcycle without an adjustable device. In general, the detail is very important, so you need to approach the installation with full responsibility.
Two aluminum plates are soldered to the brake “horseshoe”, in which holes are pre-drilled. Once the structure is ready, it is attached to the front frame to the forks.
Step 6: Gear Shifter
Just like in a regular bicycle, speed transfers take place in a velomobile. Naturally, this design, due to its wide functional range, can be simple, but sometimes very functional. In order to make a mount for speed gears, you will need:
- two identical aluminum plates that are welded together and form a single structure;
- fastenings and elements such as bolts, nuts and holders are also required.
After the design is prepared for implementation into the schematic idea, it is attached to the axle at the base of the fork.
Step 7: Seat Adjustment
In order to organize a comfortable “seat”, you need to prepare:
- Square-shaped pieces of metal structures that will serve as the base;
- Bolts, cogs, nuts;
- Bulgarian;
- Drill;
- Chipboard base;
- Upholstery material (this can be thick fabric, leather, material for car seat upholstery).
When all the elements are ready, it is necessary to solder the metal blanks together so that the shape of the chair is obtained. The moving parts are bolted together, leaving the opportunity to install the structure in the position in which it is comfortable. Then chipboard is screwed onto the finished structure, on top of which the material is attached.
Step 8: Test Drive
And now the long-awaited moment has come, the scheme has been completed in full, all the blanks have formed an independent, full-fledged product. Now it’s time to conduct a stress test on the vehicle, into the design of which a lot of soul and effort was put.
It can be very nice to bring some original technical idea to life. Making a velomobile with your own hands is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. All you need is some technical literacy.
Standard velomobile version
The great advantage of personally working on a velomobile is that there are no difficulties with making changes - the design can be improved at your discretion. In addition, you can add your own ideas, even if they are purely decorative. As for practical innovations, these include the use of a motor. In this case, you can use a motor wheel, which in the design replaces the usual drive wheel.
The most common models are three-wheeled velomobiles with conventional tube wheels. Typically, the drive wheel has a larger diameter. This approach is required in order to provide the vehicle with greater maneuverability and speed. The weight of conventional velomobiles, built according to a standard design, is about 16–18 kilograms. Every design change affects the weight of the vehicle.
There are a lot of videos on the Internet about how to make a velomobile with your own hands. They demonstrate how such a unit reaches speeds of up to 40 kilometers per hour. Due to some additions, it is possible to provide an effective multi-speed gearbox, as well as provide the ability to drive not only on roads, but also on light off-road conditions. When driving at high speed, the brakes begin to play an important role. The most common installation is double disc brakes, due to which, if necessary, you can stop the vehicle quite quickly. It should be noted that the drawings that allow you to assemble a velomobile with your own hands never contain information on changing the standard brake design, since this is unsafe.
Features of projects
With the proper desire and perseverance, creating a three-wheeled or four-wheeled velomobile with your own hands is not so difficult. Self-assembly is practically the only option to get such a vehicle, because there is nothing similar on sale. There are several types of such units: they can be walking, sports, hiking and multifunctional. In addition, if necessary, you can assemble a children's velomobile with your own hands. For children of primary school and preschool age, this technique will be more interesting and safer than a regular two-wheeled bicycle.
There are a number of restrictions that are determined at the design stage. This concerns the mass of the future vehicle. As a rule, reducing weight leads to increasing cost. Oddly enough, it is mass that turns out to be the main characteristic on the basis of which it is decided which velomobile to make with your own hands. Once the initial problems have been resolved, a drawing of the model is drawn up.
Next, the frame is created, the seats are selected and trimmed, and the carriages are fastened. The most important part is organizing the wheel mounts. As a rule, velomobiles use cantilever mounts, since a regular hub will not be reliable enough. After the wheels, shock absorbers are installed. When the main structural aspects are completed, you can begin installing decorative elements that do not have a big impact on the main part of the unit.
DIY velomobile: Photos - diagrams
Video
Although the bicycle was invented more than 200 years ago, the process of development and improvement of bicycle designs has not stopped to this day. Interest in the velomobile, a stable, comfortable three-wheeled muscle car based on a bicycle, continues unabated. This material offers readers a reliable and compact bicycle attachment that allows you to turn an ordinary bicycle into a homemade velomobile. Such an original and technologically advanced velomobile is something every home craftsman can make with his own hands.
The general view of a homemade velomobile is shown in Fig. 1 and 2.
Such a velomobile can be built on the basis of a regular bicycle, for example, the Salyut, with a wheel diameter of 600 mm. Having freed the bicycle from the saddle, rear wheel and handlebars, we insert the latter into the vertical tube of the frame. Next, we swap the connecting rods so that the drive sprocket is located to the left of the rider. In the front fork pipe we attach an additional steering wheel, in the upper part of which there is not an ordinary U-shaped structure with plastic handles at the ends, but a section of a half-inch pipe is clamped. Both handlebars mounted on the bicycle frame are hingedly connected to each other by a rigid rack-rod, which is connected to both handlebars using bolts. You will also have to lengthen the main chain by 60 links.
The basis of a homemade velomobile is a square frame measuring 680x680 mm, assembled with M6 bolts and nuts from a square pipe with a cross-section of 15x15 mm. At a distance of 110 mm from the side (longitudinal) sides of the frame and parallel to these sides, additional slats are mounted on the frame. Velomobile wheels are installed between them and the sidewalls using brackets.
The velomobile attachment is attached to the bicycle frame using a U-shaped drawbar bent from the same square pipe. For the drawbar, take a piece of pipe 2300 mm long; in the middle of the pipe, at a distance of 150 mm from each other, two notches are cut with a hacksaw, as shown in Fig. 3, after which both branches are bent 90° so that they are parallel. At a distance of 200 mm from the bend, a hole with a diameter of 10 mm is drilled into the branches on the side, which will be needed to connect the drawbar to the bicycle frame. The drawbar is bolted to the nozzle frame.
As already mentioned, the left wheel of a velomobile is driving, that is, with a brake drum, and the right wheel is free (like the front wheel of a regular bicycle). Since the velomobile has a driving sprocket (carriage) and a driven sprocket (rear wheel) located in different planes, an intermediate shaft with small sprockets at the ends is required (the sprockets are welded to the shaft), as well as an additional small chain.
A steering wheel assembly from an old bicycle can be used as an intermediate shaft assembly. To do this, the knot will have to be separated from the frame, and branches or feathers will have to be sawed off from its fork (Fig. 4).
The steering wheel assembly prepared in this way is secured with brackets on the longitudinal pipes of the nozzle frame (see Fig. 2). It should be noted that the described design of the intermediate shaft based on a standard unit (see Fig. 4) assumes a distance between the rear wheels of about 570 mm. This is the optimal size. If desired, this distance can be increased during the manufacture of the frame, which will increase the stability of the nozzle. However, in this case, the transverse dimensions of the frame will also increase, which is undesirable. And then the intermediate shaft assembly will have to be done differently, and independently. And a standard unit, cut from an old frame, practically does not need to be altered. You only have to cut the fork feathers at the axle (shaft) installed in it on bearings. Small sprockets with 19 teeth must be welded to such a shaft on both sides. Moreover, on the threaded side of the shaft, the sprocket is welded to an additional flange nut, and that, in turn, to the shaft. The entire assembly is rigidly attached to the longitudinal rails of the attachment frame with two brackets bent from 3 mm steel strips 170 mm long.
The additional chain consists of 48 links. Between the wheels, a chair of a convenient shape for you is bolted to the nozzle, providing for the possibility of longitudinal adjustment of its position (according to the height of the rider). The design of the nozzle allows you to install two mudguards at the rear, securing them to the transverse rails. The wheel brake lever is attached to the leftmost longitudinal rail.
As you can see, the velomobile proposed here for self-production is technologically advanced, compact and reliable. Having sat down in a soft, durable chair of a homemade velomobile, pre-set according to your height, you begin to pedal. The velomobile can be easily controlled by turning the main steering wheel, which acts on the additional steering wheel through the rod. In this case, reliable foot braking of the drive wheel is carried out by turning the pedals in reverse. The weight of the rider reliably presses the drawbar of the homemade velomobile to the rear fork of the frame, ensuring rigidity and reliability of the entire structure.
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