Protection from the Elements

[Pure]

I've recently been thinking I would like some sort of rain protection. There are not many options for standard style bicycles. If you have a recumbent, then there plenty of fairings and even full vinyl velomobile tent like things you can put on your bike. http://www.krash.us/VeloKit_2009.html

I did find a cool looking option, but it's from a Germany based company. I've sent them an email asking about the possibilities of sales to the US, but have yet to hear back from them. http://www.velotop.com/index.html

I'm thinking something like this and maybe a full frontal fairing of some sort would do the trick to provide "some" rain protection. The design is simple enough I could probably build one from scratch with fiberglass tent poles and vinyl cloth, but at less than a hundred bucks, it would be easier to just buy one.

Does anyone know of anything similar based here in the US, or have any better ideas?

 

[Ykick]

Motorcycles address this with full fairings and lowers but they have much higher speed to help direct water. The bottom line - rain clothing simply becomes part of the riding equation. Heated clothing for cold weather. Lot sunscreen for hot sun.

Those curved tops in your bottom photo might help with sun but looks like they'd catch way too much air and not do much for rain.

If you can come up with something good I'm ready to buy! 'been riding m/c's 35 years rain or shine and I'm ready for an improvement.

 

[MikeFairbanks]

I've recently been thinking I would like some sort of rain protection. There are not many options for standard style bicycles. If you have a recumbent, then there plenty of fairings and even full vinyl velomobile tent like things you can put on your bike. http://www.krash.us/VeloKit_2009.html

^^That is so cool. But I imagine it would steam up quickly in the rain or cold.

I was painting over graffiti the other day when I saw a guy (local around town) on a tadpole coming across the bridge. He was moving quickly (but I noticed he wasn't pedaling). I thought, "man, he's coasting fast for someone who just rose to the top of a hill."

So I asked, "is that electric-assist?" Sure enough it was. This was the very first time I've seen an E-bicyclist (tricyclist?) in our town other than myself. Stoked.

We exchanged names and will ride sometime.

 

[Pure]

Motorcycles address this with full fairings and lowers but they have much higher speed to help direct water. The bottom line - rain clothing simply becomes part of the riding equation. Heated clothing for cold weather. Lot sunscreen for hot sun.

Those curved tops in your bottom photo might help with sun but looks like they'd catch way too much air and not do much for rain.

If you can come up with something good I'm ready to buy! 'been riding m/c's 35 years rain or shine and I'm ready for an improvement.

From reading the site I gathered the idea behind it is the part of the "canopy" that goes down behind the rider is not as wide as the rider. This I suppose is to take advantage of a draft bubble effect from the rider's body that is supposed to prevent it from catching much air. If you look at it, even if it did catch air, it really wouldn't be much resistance compared to what the rider's chest causes. Either way, I get the feeling these things are not meant to be used on a bicycle going over 20mph. At slower speeds it should provide some protection from moderate rain. Now if it's coming down sideways, your screwed.

Yeah, I haven't driven a car in over 2 years. Been 100% ebike since 09, so I've been doing the rain gear thing..I'm just getting tired of getting soaked and always having to carry my rain gear. In Florida you can pretty much count on a good hour long shower every day from June to late Sept. I've been fortunate enough to only recently being caught in a really bad down poor a couple of times. Raining so hard, that even rain gear was little help. There just has to be a better way!

Sunblock? pfft sunblock is for wussies, this is Florida!! 8) LOL

That is so cool. But I imagine it would steam up quickly in the rain or cold.

Yeah, that thing is kinda neat, but at 900 bucks for what, for all intents and purposes, is nothing more than a purpose built tent..It's a bit over priced. If you really wanna see ultimate rain protection for a recumbent bike, google images for velomobile. But again those damn things aint cheap!

edit:
Just found this. This is exactly what I'm thinking, but used on a standard MTB. A Large bubble fairing like ones offered by ZZ with some sort of canopy.

 

[Pure]

Hmmm

Score?!?

http://www.veltop.eu/us/

http://www.gizmag.com/veltop-canopy-for-cyclists/18576/#comments

Though, I would still want a larger front fairing that protects more of my legs and torso.

With my weight, 250 pounds and my bike weight of 90 pounds, wind shouldn't be too much of an issue, provided I'm not riding in a tropical storm or a hurricane and not going over 20MPH. Although, at 350 bucks, that's still a bit spendy especially if I have to buy a second fairing for better lower protection. I bet I could build one for a fraction of the price.

 

[Joseph C.]

Forum member Rassy is the person to talk to about the Veltop - he has the recumbent version.

There was another who has/had the bicycle version but last time I checked he hadn't been on this forum for over a year.

I believe that they are a French company.

 

[Rassy]

Yep, I have a Veltop for my tadpole. It's sort of a love/hate deal.

The good, it really does keep you nice and dry, it's light, and easy to put on and take off.

The bad, a little on the spendy side, makes it harder for me to get on and off the trike, moves around in side winds above 20 MPH, affects visibility, particularly with the side curtains down when waiting to cross a street.

Anyway, it's a fun deal that works great in the rain, but I prefer not to ride in the rain, and I would rather buzz around on the tadpole without the top and fairing.

 

[Pure]

Yeah I can't imagine looking through the clear vinyl sides is very enjoyable, but at least they can be rolled up when it's not poring.

I too would prefer not to ride in the rain. Unfortunately that just isn't an option most of the time. Bout the only time I get caught is when I go somewhere, it can be a clear day without a cloud in the sky, then a few hours later when I need to go home all hell is breaking loose outside. That just life this close to the equator.

Not too concerned with putting it on and taking it off. It would probably be easier and a safer bet to just leave it on all the time.

Outside of rain sucking.. I live far enough North that we do have a couple of months of real winter (as real as it can get in the South) and it gets damn cold. Having something to protect me from the cold wind would also be awesome.

 

[amberwolf]

The biggest problem I see, at least here in Phoenix, is that usually when it rains enough to need real protection beyond a simple raincoat and boots or something, the wind is gusty enough and hard enough to make a partial cover a liability rather than a help.

The wind will push the whole bike around if the frame of the cover (like the first partial one shown above) is firmly fixed to the bike, and if it's not then the cover will be whipped around and not keep the rain off you anyway.

Even with one like the "vw-bug" looking one, it'll still likely act as a wind-scoop in gusty conditions with changing wind directions.

The problem I see worse than side-pushes and whatnot is lift--if the cover is firmly enough secured to the bike, it could act as a lifting surface and actually reduce weight of the bike on the road, reducing traction...usually a bad thing in adverse weather, especially at the speeds many people seem to prefer on ebikes.


I haven't empirically tested these things yet; it's just intuition based on experience of various kinds of canopies on chairs, tents, car covers, etc., in stationary positions during Phoenix storms.

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

I feel your pain!

I live in Oregon where we have cold rain in the winter and warm rain in the summer. :wink:

I tried so many things for so many years riding a motorcycle year-round, imagine springtime on the freeway and a sudden hail storm turns a otherwise uneventful cold wet ride into:

A) VERY limited visibility with the faceshield down, or

B) Being pelted with Ice BB's (this was before I discovered fog city fog shields, but that is another story ... you get the picture ... )

The one thing that seems to be most true is, if you want to stay dry, go inside. If you have to be outside in the rain, a good umbrella helps a lot.

It sounds like you need the best version of a good umbrella you can have on your E-Bike, assuming you don't pedal enough to generate sweat, you could easily use the tent like Veltop, but to be honest, anything short of a velomobile, car or bus, you're going to get wet no matter what.

The real question is will you be wet with rain or sweat, and if you're able to limit the pedaling, you could pull it off eliminating sweat for the most part.

Problem is, even if you can eliminate or learn to live with the limitations of the veltop, that will do absolutely nothing for for your feet.

Nothing is more miserable in the rain than soaking wet cold feet! I have some shoe covers from Endura that do a great job of keeping most rain from getting into my shoes, but extended (2 hr+ rides in the pouring rain) rides in rain just mean once you're wet, are you going to be warm or freezing, and these shoe covers keep my feet warm even wet!

I would work first on making sure your feet stay as warm and dry as possible first (this will help your core temp stay where it should be so you don't get that nasty draining fatigue from being so cold) and then worry about the rest.

Just my $.02 , but personally, with puddles splashing water as you ride along, even if your shoulders and up stay dry as a bone, what will that matter when your soaked from the waist down?

Maybe try experimenting with a very simple "umbrella" like cover, maybe even an actual umbrella, many people who have only their bicycle as transportation in China have rigged up umbrellas mounted to their bicycles, and if you're going slow and able to adjust the angle of the umbrella, most wind won't be too much trouble, not to mention no side "windows" to fog or become covered with rain drops.

If you think about it, you're really asking a "tent" to do what being inside the cab of a car would do, which IMHO doesn't really work.

Hope this isn't too discouraging, I would love to have a better solution for the rain too, maybe you will find something that will make riding in the rain truly hassle free?

 

[Ykick]

Those storms in Florida can be crazy! Watched a few on radar in the past and they often just sit in one spot and build intensity. At least in NYC storms usually move in predictable fashion.

In my experience I think the best thing is carry a waterproof bag/backpack with change of clothes including shoes. Anything else, as has been discussed, simply creates other problems and will deliver lackluster results. If most of your riding is at speed perhaps a frontal fairing but without enough speed that won't help much.

When I rode cross country a few trips in heavy rain I would do the best I could with rain suit but once things got soaked (water blasting at 70mph has a way of working into everything) it was time to stop at a laundry mat and dry things out.

I do highly recommend electric vest for cold/cooler weather. Can get by with much lighter jacket and it's just a matter of powering it with 12v around 50w which isn't a problem for my lighting battery pack.

Good luck with your quest!

 

[electr0n]

I spent some time looking at various things like the pictures posted. Everything I found looked kind of awkward at best. I just decided to wear a rain suit. Still need to get some kind of shoe covers or rain shoes though. My feet always get soaked.

There are some nice looking covered motorcycles and three wheeled vehicles that are partially covered and don't look too strange or awkward.

 

[Pure]

All very good points and definitely worth taking into consideration.

Amberwolf, The wind is def something that concerns me. I'm hoping that if the cover is mounted with a flexible pole type setup that minor wind gusts will be "absorbed" by the pole flex and not push me too hard. Yeah sometimes here it does rain hard with winds that take out oak trees. Hopefully in a situation like that, I would be able to just pull over some where and wait it out. It's one of those things that I will just have to see how bad it is, and if it's too bad wait it out. In those really bad storm situations, I usually wait them out, they don't last that long, and I really wouldn't want to ride a bike in them anyhow. Not so much because of the wind, but because they usually have very bad lightning. I can try to protect myself from getting soaked, but there is little you can do on a bike about being hit by a lighting bolt.


LI-ghtcycle, Not too worried about my feet. Because of the rain, I learned a long time ago to wear neoprene sandals. I can deal with my legs getting wet. Here in Jacksonville you can get away with wearing shorts 10 months out of the year. Sure even with a canopy my lower half is going to get wet...how wet my shorts get is going to depend on a lot of things. Either way I can deal with wet shorts it's being totally soaked from head to toe that I'm trying to avoid. I don't like being all sweaty by the time I get to my destination. I have non-powered bikes I ride when I want exercise. About the only pedaling I do on the ebike is fake pedaling when I see a cop or am on a road where it's likely I would run across one. Cold and wet isn't much of an issue. We actually get very little rain during the winter, and what rain we do get can be planned for as it's forcasted in advance. No surprise daily tropical rains.

Ykick, Yeah we do have some pretty crazy rain here and it can get really bad. In those really bad storms, you are right even rain gear doesn't help much. I'm thinking that I might just build a large front fairing first and see how that does. I do tend to travel at constant 25 mph, so that might be the best solution. I do have a heated vest and yeah they are nice!

Anything I come up with is going to be a trade off from this or that. Who knows, I might get fed up and just go back to packing rain gear all the time. But I figure it's worth a shot.

 

[John in CR]

I don't get too far from home when it looks like rain, and I usually bungie a golf umbrella to the frame, which typically effective in scaring the rain away. If I forget the umbrella, the chance of rain moves toward 100%.

The umbrella gives me flexibility, and rain protection in a worst case scenario. Real downpours don't last long and there's advanced notice, so my options are:
- Zip home to beat the rain, or at least the worst of it
- Find shelter for me and the ebike
- In the event of shelter only for me, the umbrella can shield most of the bike
- Hunker down and ride it out

For me rain gear is just a tight fitting sauna, and a full enclosure is likely to be just a looser fitting one. Significant rain usually comes with significant wind down here, so I just don't see one of the more open solutions being effective. Plus I have the advantage of it never being cold and rainy, so in the worst case I get soaking wet, but I'd be more worried about my bike, which is only water resistant to 0m, not water proof.

I am working on something to function as our rainy season school bus bike. The boys will get a pod with a removable top for good weather. The pod will be in front and act as a partial faring/wind-rain shield for the pilot, me. I think it has potential to come out pretty cool, my e-rocket when I have no passengers, though there's also a high risk of dorky but functional. Functionality is all I really care about, but cool would be cool.

John

 

[Uncle Ron]

Pure,

I too have been particularly concerned about protection from the elements for commuter e-biking, and as near as I can determine anything for a standard upright bike or trike is too ungainly and compromised to be worth the hassle and I might even go further and state that a recumbent or semi-recumbent trike (either tadpole or delta) is necessary for decent element protection with little compromise. Without going to full hard velo, I'd also say that you are limited to trikes with top speeds of 25 mph or not much more.

I wouldn't even consider a veltop for an upright bike or trike, but veltops for recumbent trikes can be quite practicle. And the Veltop pricing I consider to be quite reasonable. Watch a few of these rain videos from their site from a guy traveling most of the country on a cat trike:

http://www.veltop.eu/us/veltop-recumbent/videos.html

Money no object, my optimum for a recumbent trike would be a Lightfoot Greenway delta trike with mid frame steering, mid drive e-motor and Veltop:

http://www.lightfootcycles.com/greenway.php

The delta Greenway has large storage not available on a tadpole, plus the bulge in the top of the Veltop would be over the back rather than at the front on a tadpole making for a slightly more aerodynamic and aesthetically pleasing shape, IMO.

Just sayin'. (g)

 

[Pure]

That Greenway is pretty neat. I think you are right, and ultimately my best solution is going to be to go with a recumbent trike of some sort with a velotop. For now though I think I'm just going to go full front fairing. I figure that should provide some protection wile moving. Just don't stop for too long when it's poring, and get my ass home. LOL

 

[aurum]

I have the Veltop installed on a mountain bike with an ebikekit front hub. It tends to help out in Seattle because it rains a lot but the wind does not blow very often. I tend to keep the Veltop windshield on it when it is nice out because it helps cut the air at high speed. I have tested the windshield up to about 46+ mph downhill and it holds up well. I had a 48V 20Amp-hr battery up until recently when I decided to add a LiPo boster pack to the mix. It is now over 75V and with a Lyen controller 30-40amp I am in the 40+ mph club by pedaling my 53T chainring. I uploaded a picture in the post that is listed below.

http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=22738

 

[JennyB]

The traditional touring cape works pretty well on an ebike. If you don't mind wet feet you don't really need rain trousers, which I hate with a passion.

Unlike a jacket or racing cape, it keeps your thighs dry, which is really important for comfort. Front fairings will work too (when you are moving) but you will want protection off the bike until you can get to shelter.

Rainlegs are another solution for the wet thigh problem, but I am rather taken with Georgia in Dublin's
Rain Wrap

 

[Pure]

Yeah my real name might be Shannen, But you won't get this "GUY" in a dress. LMAO

I do like those raincoats made for a cyclist though. My only problem is they don't do much for you in the winter. I'm looking for a all in one solution. But I think it would be a good idea to combine one of those with the front fairing in rainy weather. That might be the answer to the velotop short comings. Thanks for reminding me about those.

 

[Blueshift]

Don't get me wrong Velomobiles are a cool concept and if i had the dough i would totally get one. The only thing that irks me is this obsession with making these innovative vehicles and accessories look like pods or space pods.. Maybe its part to do with efficiency but there's got to be a psychological barrier preventing more people to want to ride a half eaten candy corn thing around town. Like if you eat runts candy and shrink your yellow velomobile down to the size of a runt... your totally going to eat it by accident.

I think this also applies to a lot of these "umbrella on a bike" things..I know in a perfect world we would all be satisfied with designs that were function-based only. But seriously, how am I supposed to Jump off my bike and perform Kung-fu on a bad guy without someone seriously laughing at me using one of these things?....

I would say skip just a tad on functional design and use a lil excess to make a design more palatable.

how about a wetsuit type of design that keeps you dry instead, that would look something like this.... only less overkill

P.S. I would still probably use any of those options people have mentioned cause riding in the rain and keeping dry is better than not riding cause you don't want to get wet.

 

[richmpdx]

I am another who lives in Oregon, specifically in Portland. I commute on my ebike almost every day, year around. The exception is when the temperature is below freezing. As it rains most days from late fall through the spring, rain is simply something that you have to live with. To me that means good rain gear. I have tried lots of rain coats and rain pants. The issue is getting good overlap so you don't get leaking at the overlap. Eventually I found a good combination. As already mentioned in another post, wet feet are another issue. I have used shoes covers, but eventually decided that boots were easier and work well as long as they go up inside of the rain pants at all times. Most bicyclists wouldn't be caught dead in regular boots, but they work for me. I find the shoe covers to be a hassle, but lots of bikers use them. They are pricey and I haven't tried them, but Lake makes a winter bike shoe/boot that is reported to be excellent and does look like bike gear. I also wear a rain cap on my helmet. So I have found rain gear that works. A fairing/cover might be OK but would likely have limitations that might make it more trouble than it is worth. My boots and the lower part of my rain pants always get soaked and covered with mud from splashing. I haven't seen anything that would really prevent that. In the end, it iswhatever works for you in your conditions.

Rich

 

[John in CR]

This clear full faring with fenders and RainX seems like it would be great for foul weather. I wouldn't want to get caught in some sunshine, not with the powerful sun down here, but as a RainRocket it could be the cat's meow.

 

[Pure]

Yeah that would work. I would tint the crap out of it. Though, I've read that those over style fairings with open bottoms on recumbents suffer from deafening road noise.

 

[amberwolf]

I can imagine they might. But you could take lightweight "egg crate" type packing foam, vaguely similar in surface shape to acoustic foam, and line the fairing with it on the inside, and it will help damp the fairing's own vibrations and help stop reflection of road noise inside of it.

It's not a perfect solution, but it would help.

 

[Erogo]

I reckon those rain capes are cool. Not cool looking, but functionally a good start.

You know those popup puppet things on a stick? Where the puppet pops up out of a rigid cup, and they have a sort of skirt thing from the rim of the cup to up around their shoulders.

http://ny-image0.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.11959660.jpg

I wonder if that concept could be extended to the bicycle world. The bike frame could have a number of attachment points for rigid or semi-rigid plates that attach to it, and hinge out to attach to the bottom of your cycling cape. These would embubble you better than the open bottom of a cycling cape, which looks like at speed it could get out of control and allow the ingress of inclement weather.

It's kind of the concept of a fairing, but pulled in closer to the body, to reduce the area exposed to buffeting side winds. Insects have exoskeletons, and they don't seem overly bothered by rain. Mind you, it's hard to read their expressions sometimes.

Eric