It's been quite awhile since I posted here, but I have gotten motivated for a few reasons to post, so here it goes...
So first, an update on my journey as a Velonaut (because who else will read/listen to what I have to say about the topic besides other Velonaut/Velonuts!:-) I will pick up with my experiences with the Aluminum Alleweder, also known as an FAW+ or an Alleweder A2 with the distinctive double hump front upper deck:
Back around 2019 ( I think), I bought the FAW+ Alleweder velomobile that had been built by my friend Dan Chalue in Western Massachusetts from a Velomobile USA kit produced by David Eggleston out of Midland Texas (also a friend). As I mentioned in a previous post on this blog, I had been running a Leitra Wildcat fairing on an ICE QNT at that time and didn't need two velomobiles, so I sold the Leitra Wildcat and all the parts I had made, although I kept the ICE QNT.
I used the Alleweder a fair bit for commuting, made some repairs to it, set up some accents with orange vinyl on the body, and used it at the Annual Martha's Vineyard Velomobile Gathering, hosted by David Whitmon (Thanks Dave, it's been a great annual thing to look forward to!). I also bought an older Racecap from Dave Whitmon that he had been using on his Quest, when he got a newer replacement, and then made an adapter panel from coroplast so I could use the racecap as a tip-forward cockpit cover.
When the Dual drive in the Alleweder self destructed shortly before the MVVG in 2022 or '23, I ended up riding an ICE QNT recumbent trike instead, and doing the MVVG mostly solo that year. Still very fun, and I saw many things I wouldn't otherwise have seen, or had a chance to check out such as the Wampanoag Museum at Gay Head/Aquinnah, and the Bicycle Ferry, as well as getting more familiar with the Island as I navigated it on my own.
It took me quite awhile to figure out a replacement for the Dual Drive as they are no longer made, but I ended up sending a DD hub and some spokes and a rim that I purchased online off to J&B to have them lace them together. The following year (Summer 2024), the Alleweder still wasn't back on the road, so I rode the QNT at MVVG with a Bafang Mid-drive assist that I had also gotten from Dan Chalue (which he had taken off the WAW that he bought from Devin Skelton's family after Devin sadly passed during the Roll Over Cape Cod ride a number of years ago). The Bafang surprised the heck out of me, when by nursing it over the course of the day (turning it off on uphills, etc.) I was able to keep up with the rest of the velonauts for the whole day!
Keeping up (speed-wise) with the current state of the art velomobiles, including dF's and Milans was something that I had had a lot of difficulty with in the Alleweder, and I found that it wasn't that fun since the rest of the riders were waiting for me at the turns (a technique we use to avoid losing any riders), and then just when I had been pushing myself to catch up with them, they would be ready to keep going so I didn't get much of a break. At this point, the state of the art velomobiles are at least three generations more advanced than the Alleweders and the trend has been to get faster and faster (more and more aero, and stiffer so that less of the riders energy is lost in flexing the velomobile body).
At MVVG '24, Bill Russell, another Vineyard Velonaut, came by the Martha's Vineyard Family Campground where we typically rent a cabin for the weekend and brought his Bulk Mk1. He let us try it out and as soon as I climbed in and took it for a short ride I was very impressed. The more economy oriented Bulk 4More with open wheel wells (which I like for maneuverability and potential wheelchair reverse) had just been announced, and I suddenly realized that the 4More was looking pretty attractive compared with my old Alleweder (which I had been using less and less) - and that my multi year effort to make my own retrifittable velo-body for my QNT and for the full suspension Steintrikes Wild One NT (now called the Speedster) was about to be undercut by a Bulk purchase...
[Note: That particular project (not dead but moving even slower now) is called Velonexus]
It took me a few weeks after MVVG to finalize my decision but I resolved to start saving for a 4More with the goal of getting one by the following Summer. As luck would have it, I had a fellow named Dan Parker contact me who was interested in purchasing it - and did so. Very timely from my point of view!
Dan has a very interesting story. He is a race car driver who was in a bad crash (is there a good crash?) which resulted in the loss of his vision - but he has continued to race! He has been collaborating with Boston University to retrofit the Alleweder to make it semi autonomous so he would be able to pedal it in his area. Read more about that project at https://blindfaith.org/project/self-driving-bike-project-with-boston-university/.
Professor Eshed Ohn-Bar from Boston University drove up and picked up the Alleweder so his group at BU could get to work...
