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Model 318 Faired Cargo Bike by AviationMetalSmith, on Flickr


Bike Parade by AviationMetalSmith, on Flickr


Bike Parade by AviationMetalSmith, on Flickr


Model 318 Faired Cargo Bike by AviationMetalSmith, on Flickr


318_Bike_Coroplast_Fairing by AviationMetalSmith, on Flickr

Riding the Newly Refurbished "Model 318" Cargo Bike/Velomobile Hybrid, at the Herricks Bike Parade, on Long Island.

I need to post more often. Couldn't find this blog, my own blog, I hadn't posted in a year ...

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I sent this to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Prior to 1962, there were a number of states that required cyclists to travel on the *left* side of the road, facing traffic , as a "pedestrian" would. That was also about the time (1960) that the first "Ten Speed" bicycles were imported from Europe. There was a general consensus that the faster bicycles would be better off going with traffic. So all states standardized their vehicle codes to put bicycles on the right side of the road.
A number of things went wrong.
• The Bicycles came shipped with these attrocious "drop bars" which forced the cyclists into a hunch back position , unable to see the road around him or her self.
• The UCI (International Cycling Union) insisted on rules that would encourage these "Drop Handlebars" , by declaring any other means of attaining an Aerodynamic Advantage to be "Cheating" (Fairings , and Recumbent Seating position).
• Rear View Mirrors were Not required (and still aren't). Many cyclists stil ride against traffic simply so they can see approaching cars and trucks.
• Helmets had been adopted for Football, but it took another 20 years for Helmets to become available for Bicycling
• LED Lights were popular in high-end stereo sound systems as early as the 1970's , but it took another 20 years for LED's to become availabvle for Bicycle Lights
• Neil Armstrong walked around on the Moon in 1969 with a tiny electronic Camcorder in his hand, but it took another 20 years for Camcorders to become available for Cyclists (and another 20 for the smaller "Go Pro" cameras to appear.
• Cycling is seldom taught in schools
• A lot of roads still don't have Sidewalks, and the roads that do have Sidewalks have ones that are not good for Cycling on. (A lot of Bicyclist are aware of their limitations , and would ride on the Sidewalk IF one was available.)

Progress has been slow, and I'm afraid not enough cyclists participate in the discussion , concerning what we need to do to improve safety in terms of REQUIRED EQUIPMENT.
There is a lot of equipment to buy, and many of the cyclists who do spend extra bucks, spend them to obtain the lightest, most fragile bikes avaiable, and they refuse to install mirrors or lights, even after spending $6,000.00 on the Carbon Fiber Bike.

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Class Struggle Theory: People bought bikes 1890-1925 , used them to commute to work , day-in, day-out . They earned tons of money . Had enough money to buy a car, so they splurged. They made a direct comparison , bikes versus cars. They decided the car was going to replace the bicycle.
Then they insisted on trying to get everyone else to switch from bikes to cars. There were no video cameras back then , but the **** they pulled was abominable. (pardon my french) .
They begged-the-question ; "' IF you had to choose between a Bicycle OR a Car, Which would you chose ? '". This is a fallacious argument , because most people can afford BOTH a Car AND a Bicycle.
Too many Vehicular Homicides. Victimless Homicides. Vehicular Happenstance. Stupid .
There was No rear-view mirrors that a bicyclist could use to see if a car was directly behind him , possibly with the intention of ramming the bike.

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" AN IMPROVED BICYCLE IS AN EXAMPLE OF TECHNOLOGY CREEPING UP ON YOU FROM BEHIND "
-You can quote me on that...
I've just had this epiphany, wherein I realized what it is that many motorists don't like about bicycles. Not all motorists , not even most, but a faction of them. It might be an economic interest in automobiles, where they are afraid of losing market share. "An improved bicycle is an example of technology creeping up on you from behind". There is a literal as well as figurative meaning to that.
Here are a few pictures of our Fairings. Fairings may give a slight speed advantage , even without specialized gearing (higher than 5:1 ratio).
We've tried to create an 'open platform' so that these designs may be used on e-bikes, and/or cargo bikes. Rental fleets seem to be following in our footsteps, as I see nothing but heavy duty step-thru designs with cargo carriers up front.
While we spent thousands of dollars in an endeavor to create a bicycle capable of carrying a video camera , reel-to-reel videotape recorder, and power supply, this is a moot point , since anyone can buy a Go-Pro (or similar) action camera.
Fortunately, the battery space can be used for e-motor-assist, or Lighting, which besides being a good thing, also helps the aforementioned camera.
Meanwhile, the Cargo Bike market is growing , while Recumbent sales have remained flat. E-motor-assist options are appearing just about everywhere.

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I’ve been busier than you realize. I build prototypes . I have resigned myself to the fact that it is almost impossible to find a financial backer or investor for a project like this. I’m an engineer, Not an investment broker. My setup is too small , I only need $40,000 , I can not use more money than that.
The prototypes are of two kinds, light cargo bike, and heavy touring bike. There are at least two materials, fiberglass or polypropylene. So that makes 4, two times two equals four, there could be a bewildering number of permutations.
I don’t have welding equipment , believe it or not. But I can lash or “seize” tubes together with strips of epoxy fiberglass, which is great because the fiberglass forms it’s own lug, and I can join steel to aluminum.
I have built a few rain canopies, which do not necessarily make the bike more streamlined, but it allows me to get cardio workout even in the month of April ( when it rains 4 or 5 days consecutively.)
I could start a crowdfunding, Kickstarter, or go fund me thing, but I’ve already been doing this for 32 years, and soon I’ll be old enough to get a reverse mortgage.
I only intended to set my own bike up, re-engineering for safety. I was kinda hoping I’d get approximately ten people willing to pay $6,000 each, which would have made the $40,000 easily...
I built a Streamliner in 1988, it was capable of 47MPH or 75km/h. The shell had 7 Kevlar panels riveted together, and it really needed to be cast in one piece. Later on we built fiberglass seats with beefy fiberglass seat post, which allows riders leg extension while simultaneously lowering the roof. Also, the roof pillars were 6” or 150mm wide, which gave me blind spots.
I document everything I do so that the next engineering student can learn from MY mistakes, and not waste 4 months or more doing a do-over.

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I’ve been using various photo editing apps to imprint or watermark some of my best builders photos.
It’s about time I should share them here!


Model 318, with Model 319 tailbox Marker and tail lights are lit


Model 317 Fairing with Big Panniers The Big Panniers (Orange) were built in 2015, using 6mm Coroplast.

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Model 317 weather fairing with rain canopy Prototype Tailbox


Model 319 Overhead Photo Showcases Airfoil Profile


Model 319 Fairing and Tailbox on a very cheap yard sale bike. No lights, white polypropylene.


Model 319 at a three/quarter angle in late afternoon sun

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Model 317 weather fairing with rain canopy Prototype Tailbox


Model 319 Overhead Photo Showcases Airfoil Profile


Model 319 Fairing and Tailbox on a very cheap yard sale bike. No lights, white polypropylene.


Model 319 at a three/quarter angle in late afternoon sun

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Types 7, 9, 10, & 11 Cargo Fairings attached to Head Tubes. Does NOT swing with handlebars.

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This confuses most people. Few can discern which are bikes and which are trucks. If you can tell, you have above average intelligence.

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Update


This is one of those $5 garage sale bikes, serving as a mannequin for the pannier stylist. LED lights factory direct from China to beat the auto parts stores.

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Part Pannier, part Tailbox Corrugated Polypropylene Hot Melt Glue to hold it together
That’s what I’ve been up to.

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Model 219 Fairing • with Model 791R Pannier Tailbox

Type Eleven Cargo Bike with Model 520 Panniers and Rain Canopy

I bought the vinyl back in February. Since then shopkeepers have been using it around their cash registers. My Covered bike has become the Covid bike! Bad pun... sorry. At least if I get Covid , I won’t get it while riding my bike...

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Model 318 at LIRR Jamaica Station , Friday 23 October, 2020

Model 318

Type Eleven Cargo Bike, with LED lights and rain canopy.


Trying to take good photographs of the creation. Around dusk, you can see the intensity of the LED Lighting, and yet it’s light enough to see the bike.

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Model 520 Rear Panniers with Canopy

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Photo Editing:



Pannier Tailbox

Bending Coroplast

Handlebar Clamps

Model 318 Aerodynamic Touring Bicycle

The Type 9 Fiberglass Ladies Bicycle, designed by my daughter in 1991.

Paintings from Types 9,10, and Eleven

Artwork from the 80dpi printer. These bikes were a disaster, wasted $800.00 on Kevlar. Could have used Coroplast corrugated polypropylene at 1/3,500th the cost

The 1987 Type 3 Aerodynamic Fairing had no internal storage, and had a acrylic cover over the 6” diameter headlight. These drawings were made in an attempt to file a design patent. The fairing was fiberglass. And there was no money and no time to build a Tailbox (rear fairing).

Extended hand guards to eliminate frostbite on my hands


I’ve had to suspend Fiberglass Casting for budgetary reasons. Seems I can build about fifty Coroplast fairings for the price of just ONE Fiberglass Fairing. So the Fiberglass is really hard sell.
But I get much practical benefit from my Fairings, the defeat of wind-chill, cutting through headwinds, improved visibility on the road, carrying tools, bringing home purchases, and as a housing for electronics.
I’m just going to build fairings as a hobby. I’m not going to bow to public demand to make my Fairings for free. If anyone wants a free fairing, by all means, take up fairing-building as a hobby and build your own. I could be out on a bike ride, I’m not wasting my time. With new cheaper materials, I’m stepping up production to one new fairing every year, as opposed to one every two years.
I consider myself a leader in this field, fairings for the average bike, and I’ve dabbled with recumbents.
I’ve got the touring bike and the cargo bikes. Right now I’m perfecting the cheaper touring Panniers.
I have to tell people the resale value of my Fairings highly depends on their own salesmanship ability. I’m an engineer, not a salesman.

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Type Eleven with Rain Canopy

M317 Big Panniers

M317 Flip Top Box

Lafree Motor

Type Eleven

Lafree now with Capacious Tailbox

M317 new color scheme

2016 version of Type Eleven • 4 angle view

Coroplast board can not be painted. Either the board has to be ordered in the color desired, or it must be wrapped in vinyl, foil, tape, or paper.
Vinyl costs more than the Coroplast on a square foot basis, so think about ordering the Coroplast in the color you want.