Monday, November 30, 2009

'Bullet bike' keeps pace with city traffic | HeraldTribune.com | Sarasota Florida | Southwest Florida's Information Leader

'Bullet bike' keeps pace with city traffic


Here's part of the article. (The argumentative Comments section is worth reading, but all the controversy would go away if the vehicles were on a dedicated transitway.) Thanks for the tip, Rebecca

The 75-pound, three-wheeled curiosity is known generically as a velomobile, or a bullet bike. Mickevicius fell in love with it several years ago when his son, Ray Jr. of Toronto, began importing them from Europe.

In March, Popular Science described how Ray Jr. is now manufacturing velomobiles in hopes of creating a North American market.

The model his father brought to Sarasota this fall is called a Quest, which the elder Mickevicius labels the "sports model" of the industry.

It can blow away any bicycle on the road and is designed with such aerodynamic economy it deprives tailgaters of drafting opportunities.

With enough room to accommodate a bag of groceries, the Quest offers some obvious practical applications, Mickevicius says.

"I'd say a velomobile is for people who are concerned about the environment, and like to stay fit and have a good time."

But don't look for velomobiles to jam the bike lanes anytime soon. The Quest's $8,000 to $9,000 sticker price guarantees an exclusive clientele.

Its fully loaded Cab-Bike model, marketed not as a racer but as a muscle-powered green alternative to automobiles, has completely enclosed interiors and runs around $12,000.

...

At the Bluevelo factory in Toronto, where just three new hand-crafted vehicles roll out a month, Ray Mickevicius Jr. doesn't anticipate a transportation revolution.



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