C y c l i s t R e c u m b e n t The RANS Fusion - Steve Briggs

Mark Murphy's M4 canopybut from rain and sun as well. We make thecanopy for our Aerocoupe electric racer kitsat Blue Sky Design in Creswell, Oregon. butthe M4 canopy is available separately for doit-yourselfrecumbent experimenters.The canopy is almost six feet long andblow molded for optical clarity out of tinted(think sunglasses) acrylic plastic. $350 +shipping. I adapted one to fit my BikeE usingaluminum rod, tube and strap, along with afew ball end fittings. The result is a strikingvisual effect as well as vastly improved aerodynamics.The complete coverage it affordsme solves my weather problems withoutbeing cocooned in a complete shell.The front of the canopy attaches to the forkhead tube and the rear is supported off the topof the seat back. The canopy pivots up about12 inches to facilitate exit and entry.Riding with the canopy is almost surreal.No wind noise in my ears for instance, althoughI can now hear much better to the rear,a safety feature that alerts me to approachingtraffic. Aerodynamically itʼs like punching ahole in the air. I can ride at least one or twogears higher with the same effort. The tintedplastic reduces the heat load dramatically tooover a clear canopy. I wouldnʼt want to rideat night with it of course and lights and reflectionscreate distracting visuals in the dark.The canopy weighs about 8 pounds anddoesnʼt seem to effect balance noticeably,although I havenʼt tested it in blustery conditions.Some care is required in parking thebike so it doesnʼt fall over on its kickstand.The potential applications for tadpole andtrike three wheelers is even more exciting!Without any stability problems and inherentlow-slung designs, the trikes should be inAerodynamic heaven with the M4 canopy! Iwant to try that next!There are no ready made fit kits formounting the M4 canopy to a recumbent,but Instructions on how I made mine to fitthe BikeE are available and can probably beadapted to many bikes.Source: .HPV RAAMCongrats to Team ALS Bacchetta was oneof two 4-person recumbent teams in this yearsRAAM or Race Across America, a coast-tocoastbicycle ultra marathon. (ALS is LouGerhigs disease.) Team Bacchettaʼs competitionwas against Team JRDR VeloKraft ridingto raise awareness for the Juvenile DiabetesResearch Foundation.RAAM covers 3051.7 miles between PinoValley, CA and Atlantic City, NJ — ridingthrough CA, AZ, UT, CO, KS, MO, IL,IN, OH, WV, MD, PA and NJ. Team ALSBacchetta finished in 6 days 03:36 with anaverage speed of 20.7 mph. Team JDRFVeloKraft finished in 6 days 15:46 with anaverage speed of 19.1 mph.In 2004, Team ALS-Lightning became thefirst team across the finish line with a timeof 5 days 06:58, finishing hours before the#2 team with speeds reaching 32 mph and anaverage in the mid 20ʼs.BIONX ELECTRIC ASSISTBy Jeramiah ManginiThis is a great system for those of us whoneed a bit of help on the hills. If your kneesand legs have been screaming at you everytime you go near the bike, or when you getoff, this just might be the answer — it hasbeen for me!BionX is really trying to make this systemwork on most all bikes. I did a bit of retrofittingon a small frame Tour Easy. This actuallyis not necessary as you can put the batteryjust about any place (in the pannier bag, onthe rear rack, etc.); or you can mount it whereI did with a bit modification.The motor is very quiet. One of the greatfeatures of the BionX is that when you donʼtneed an assist, it doesnʼt draw the batterydown. You can also charge the system whenbraking.Recently I did a 27-mile ride with theSpokane Bike Club, my first ride with othersin a long time, and I was more than able tokeep up with the group and pass many on thehills. There were quite a few rolling hills,and I was able to double my usual hill speed,i.e. BionX leveled the hills. By the end of theride I still had used only 80% of the batterypower. Some folks were not even aware thatI had electrified the bike until I explainedit. Iʼd noticed that some others in the clubhave not been riding their bikes due to thesame problems I have, so after researchingfor a good assist (not a motor bike), I decidedto become a BionX dealer and maybe helpothers get back on their bikes and out gettingexercise and having fun again. I hope to beworking with BionX closely for the recumbentconversions. They make a 20", 24", 26"and 700c. As of now their wheels are fitted4 Recumbent Cyclist News