CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Stuff

Milan velomobile. Cycling inside... out of doors

(17 posts)
  • Started 12 years ago by LaidBack
  • Latest reply from LaidBack

  1. LaidBack
    Member

    Milan MK2 velomobile in kit form

    Was going to put it on the kayak thread...(!) Bodywork though is carbon fibre to keep weight down to around 30kg. It is essentially a trike with monocoque bodywork. Two 20" front wheels with 26" back. Suspension on all.


    Untitled by LaidBackBikes, on Flickr


    Milan Velomobile with wheels on by LaidBackBikes, on Flickr

    Why?
    Customer (in west) wants one as he reckons it will commute ok. Energy wise 150watts gives you 50km/h. Uphill though it will give you less.

    May post more as it progresses - Will take a few weeks as it has lights to wire etc

    Posted 12 years ago #

  2. steveo
    Member

    Be a pretty cool long(ish) distance commuter. Even I'd manage the requisite 150w. Would need to work on my recumbent muscles though.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  3. Roibeard
    Member

    Having seen it last night, it wouldn't suit my commute - I'd be ripping the bottom out of it before I left the estate! Those making Ferrari comparisons are probably accurate...

    Does that mean that I don't want a shot? Of course not!

    Unfortunately unless LB gets a demo machine, I doubt that a shot is likely - just imagine the trust required for the owner to someone else drive that bodywork around...

    Robert

    Posted 12 years ago #

  4. Dave
    Member

    I put a couple of things up about it with a bunch of pics:

    http://mccraw.co.uk/milan-velomobile-early/
    http://mccraw.co.uk/milan-velomobile-early-details/

    Posted 12 years ago #

  5. Min
    Member

    Argh, there's a terrifying ghost in the bottom picture!

    But really. Can't you see how invisible that is??

    Posted 12 years ago #

  6. Darkerside
    Member

    Hurrah for customers out west! Thus spake an excited Darkerside, also out west...

    Edit: to clarify incase SWMBO comes across this thread, I am not the customer. I am still compliant with the n=n rule imposed after the last acquisition.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  7. Smudge
    Member

    I trust you'll be fitting a windscreen and wiper for West coast commuting use? ;-)

    Shiny thing :-) @Darkerside, everyone knows they are invisible so even if you did get one (which he clearly isn't doing Mrs Darkerside) SWMBO wouldn't be able to see it anyway, no?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  8. sallyhinch
    Member

    Saw one of these out on the roads around Dumfries twice yesterday - the perfect bike for our climate, I'd say. It appeared pretty quick and of course extremely quiet so there will be some very startled deer in the region. If I ever catch up with the rider (like that's going to happen) I may have to see if I can scrounge a go. I think he might be one of the Wednesday Wheelers

    Posted 12 years ago #

  9. Darkerside
    Member

    @Smudge - I think I'd have to annex the second bedroom to store it in my flat, so even allowing for its invisibility I think I'd struggle.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  10. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Looks as awesome as the 1000hp Sunbeam land speed record car (which was also chain drive, I think)

    Posted 12 years ago #

  11. Uberuce
    Member

    30kg? Really felt lighter than that when I was helping set it on its side, but you get those weird neurological tricks when you expect something to be weigh a ton - it can still actually be quite heavy, but feels feathery because of it.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  12. kaputnik
    Moderator

    it's as heavy as 30kg of carbon rather than as heavy as 30kg of chromoly?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  13. Uberuce
    Member

    It's spooky stuff, carbon fibre. I felt like the proto-humans in 2001 touching the monolith when I was round at LaidBack's.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  14. LaidBack
    Member


    Milan at Sciennes by LaidBackBikes, on Flickr

    Milan went for its maiden voyage yesterday. Wide range of views on this. One youth in Marchmont said it was 'minted'. Another video commentator said it was 'dangerous and pointless'.

    When finished it will have lights and indicators - and a cover/hood.

    Pic here is of Joe from Bicycle Works scaring himself with the speed of a faired machine. He's not a complete convert to alternative vehicles but likes the engineering involved. Sorted out a few mismatches of components already. All instructions in German and they've only made around 40 so far.

    Is it like a Sinclair C5?... no... no... no...

    Posted 12 years ago #

  15. recombodna
    Member

    It is indeed "Minted"

    Posted 12 years ago #

  16. gembo
    Member

    I think it is a thing of great beauty. If you put the lid on will the knees of the rider bump into it or judging by the pic in laid back shoppe the lid on the apparently lighter red model seems to have knee shaped contours?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  17. LaidBack
    Member

    Correct... The bumps are to accommodate knees and feet and not just to make the bodywork look interesting. Not a lot of space in there!
    Every adjust needs to be done with Milan on its side. Pedals slide on square section boom.

    It is the same red - just variance in lighting and mobile phone used.

    All red in showroom by LaidBackBikes, on Flickr

    Posted 12 years ago #

RSS feed for this topic

Reply

You must log in to post.


Video embedded using Easy Video Embed plugin