Aerodynamic components or modifications

Have you chosen a component, upgrade, or modification in order to deliberately increase your aerodynamics (reduce drag) while riding your motorized bicycle?

1. Aero Wheels (low spoke count or aerodynamic shaped rim, disc wheels, bladed spokes, mag wheels)
2. Handlebars (triathlon style bars, "aero bars", clip on attachments, low handlebar position, cowhorn bars, etc, designed to cut air resistance or move rider to aero position.
3. Fairings (including windshields, bubble tops, enclosures, fabric covers, carbon fiber or fiberglass floor, tub or body)
4. Aero suit (aerodynamic helmets such as time trial helmets, aerodynamic bodysuit or boots)
5. Aero frame (airfoil shapes in frame tubes or body, aero seatposts, integrated headsets that blend with frame)
6. Recumbent frame or conversion to recumbent riding position by modifying conventional bike
7. Crank Forward bike ("upright" bike design that somewhat reclines the rider for aerodynamic positioning)
8. Other (describe in thread)
9. No Vote

For most of us (motorized bicycle. riders), we are limited by laws to how much power or displacement we can have on our engines, so aerodynamics can have a large effect on our bikes' potential and our power to sustain our law-limited speeds.

I thought of this yesterday when riding my Dax Friction Drive hybrid bike. The bike can top out about 30-35mph, but a long, slight grade and a steady headwind reduced my average speed coming home to about 20mph.

My bike came with aerodynamic wheels (tall rims with a rounded off triangular shape, and only 24 spokes per wheel, in pairs). I feel like these wheels do help a lot in increasing the top speed of the bicycle. I used the bicycle as a city road bike before I made it a motorized bicycle. , and with road slicks on it, the cheap bike did feel like it accelerated well. At about 18mph, the difference in wheel resistance, compared to my other conventional wheel road bike, was noticeable. I have ridden road bicycles enthusiastically since I was about 15, but got into mountain bicycling in my late 20's, so I have not ridden them much, but still have experience to gain insight from. A road bike I had at 18 was very sleek. It had the rear wheel tucked into the seat tube, and had a disc rear wheel (spoke covers made of specialized plastic and fibers). The disc wheel added detectable rotational weight, but offered a very welcome wind relief when coming into headwinds or riding at 25-35mph.

The hybrid bike currently has the same aero wheels I described, but has less aero 700x38 tires. It still seems to make quite a difference, especially in crosswinds.

My clothing choices have an effect on average speeds. The work slacks and mechanics shirts I usually wear surely do not help my speed, but it is comfortable and suitable for the places I travel to on the bike. I think for my next cruising day, though, I will wear some sleeker sneakers (narrow BMX sneakers), and a tight shirt, and close fitting athletic shorts (maybe even my road bike spandex shorts lol), and see if it makes a large difference.

Walmart 10 speed with china kit and peanut tank http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQbJjZyIk5owP548mOdNFBc64iZJFVuZJBwrYitagnnJ-1KQfQF&t=1


Fully faired recumbent with unconventional fiberglass and plastic floorpan/unibody, (not motorized, but there is a lot of potential for motorized velocars and faired 'bents.)

http://sadpanda.us/images/1192132-8KM9OPC.jpg[/img

Custom built motor bicycle with fiberglass wheel fairings and teardrop fuel tank
[img]http://sadpanda.us/images/1192144-1OD5SC0.jpg

I voted "Aero wheels" for these wheels (below), and "other" for the Moonsaddle aerodynamic seat. I bought the seat for comfort, but I think it is probably a little slicker than the big gel comfort seat I have on my grubee bike. I think this seat is great for people who ride with "aero bars" or clip-ons, because you can adjust the seat to lean forward without mashing your sensitive tissues. (a real problem on road bicycles with normal geometry, and clip on bars.)
Typical clip-on aero bars, usually $20-80, $25 is a good benchmark for one with fixed pads, more for flip-up pads. They can work on flat-bar bikes too, seen plenty of them on touring rides.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pKn1WS_P3.../1y-XC70ASyg/s1600/2012-04-27_19-50-20_12.jpg


photo of a Schwinn Avenue with same kind of wheels (I took my reflectors off mine, they were junky and threw off balance)

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ0OKR8nfhhrvSEuESOcHW-wev6arGtvxbJ5N--sbG8LPDOA1Ow4g&t=1

Moonsaddle http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSPkUrvX3yOYP0Cq2L5jxoGPsRINUavWjYh80WYCyDRUfXSqs8j&t=1
www.moonsaddle.com

If you want to run aero bars or some other kind of extensions, you might need dual throttle levers.

Try these Tektro brake-interruptor levers, used instead as throttle levers (run the first into the next, then to the engine. Either lever will pull the cable for acceleration).

http://www.amazon.com/Tektro-RL720-Cross-Brake-Lever/dp/B0090X36Y0

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31VsubN6PvL.jpg

Fairings are pretty tricky. If you only run one (front), it can act like a big sail, maybe slowing you down hard. If it is well rounded and close to the rider's body, it might be useful.
If there is a big gap or if the windshield is large or flat, it may just work as a big air brake.

Recumbents seem to offer a more stable platform for using bolt-on fairings, than standard bikes.

Don't be discouraged if you want to try fairing an upright, but you will have to do a lot of research before purchasing, and may be disappointed with the costs.

I'd suggest that for the amount of money of $1000 or less total for a bike, and for simplicity of finding components, that an "aero" wheel set and some drop bars would be your lowest cost to decrease drag, and beside that maybe a more powerful engine could simply serve better to hold your speed. At 50-150mpg it's not so big a cost to operate. The Harbor Freight 50cc engines and similar offerings from scooter companies, are supposed to have 2 to 3 hp max power, and cost around $100-200.

I think it probably would be fun to find an older or entry level triathlon/time trial bike and put a Dax Friction Drive on the front wheel. I think it would be fun to drive, and efficient, but probably the more fanatical road bicyclists (almost on the same level as cager-ragers!) would have a fit about it. It would probably attract them. hahhaha. I think next time some idiot yells out something like "that's cheating" I'm just going to yell back "SCIENCE!"

You can get deep-dish "fixie" wheelsets on Ebay or Amazon for about $80 to $100. The rear wheels for fixies are, of course, very narrow, but you can buy a new axle for $10 or take one from a dead wheel, and stack the axle with BMX axle nuts to make it fit in a mountain bike frame. (or if it's a steel frame, you could pinch down the frame to take narrow wheel hubs). I recommend reconfiguring the wheel hub and axle for 130 or 135mm spacing, as it can give you room for a multispeed freewheel.

16V, can you post photos of your home-made fairing please? Try sadpanda.us if you have trouble uploading to motorbicycling.com

I think there are some moped bolt-on fairings that might work for bicycles, and I've seen someone use a Pocketbike fairing kit on a bicycle. It was strange, but not too bad looking.

I was googling for pictures or fairings for sale and found a similar thread on the sister website www.motoredbikes.com

http://www.motoredbikes.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=34889&stc=1&d=1331482987
in a thread called "Getting Aero: Speed gains". http://www.motoredbikes.com/showthread.php?37010-Getting-Aero-Speed-Gains

I haven't been on that site as much because I like this format better. Still has some useful information though, and good to know there are even more motorized bicycle riders.

Here's a soft sided fairing, that the rider wears while on the bike.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LWGcbKlwPjU/TC9EoHK-YsI/AAAAAAAAATY/m19YKJC-tAA/s1600/R1-+7A.jpg


I like this bike a lot (crank-forward bike with clear front fairing). I think this would work great for commuting, and should take a Dax Friction Drive easily.
http://www.zzipper.com/images/prod_main/Zenetik2.jpg

Here's a commercially made, bolt on product for upright road bikes, from zzzipper. I bet it is epensive.
Shown on tandem bike.
The claim it weighs 2.5 pounds.

The website doesn't list prices, and the Order Form page doesn't work. I suppose you will have to call them to see if they are still in business.
http://www.zzipper.com/Products/prod_upright.php

Well, aerodynamics aren't everything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCuGNMOHIy4
(beat up 1970s farm truck eats up dozens of drag race cars)