Fairings

[Bent Pedals]

Quick question if I may . . .

Bought my EZ-Sport Ltd last September, put close to 500km on it before the snow set in, and
loved every up and downhill road I went on.

Considering treating myself to a fairing this year. Zipper comes to mind, primarily because
the local shop pushes the brand.

I've read in here over the winter, several mentions that fairings do next to nothing until
the higher speeds are reached.

Given that I'm somewhat beyond my ideal height/weight ratio, and an ex smoker, if I can hit
30kph on a level stretch, the giant grin on my face starts catching air and slows me down.
Obviously I'd be wise to tune the 'engine' before worrying about aerodynamics.

None the less . . .

Is there any sense in a slower rider using a fairing? Speed, at least for me, isn't the name
of the game . . . but I'm not entirely adverse to blowing by the odd DF. Could a fairing
have any postitive effects for someone who averages 18-24 kph, depending on the day?

 

[Mike Rice]

On Tue, 02 Mar 2004 01:55:11 GMT, Bent Pedals
<fra.ander-89(spam-me-not)@rogers.com> wrote:

>
> None the less . . .
>
> Is there any sense in a slower rider using a fairing? Speed, at least for me, isn't the name
> of the game . . . but I'm not entirely adverse to blowing by the odd DF. Could a fairing
> have any postitive effects for someone who averages 18-24 kph, depending on the day?
>

I'm a slow rider on a Tour Easy. I love my bike with the fairing, it handles better on windy days
and goes faster downhill. It makes fighting a headwind easier, and really catches the tailwinds ,
even most crosswinds seem to give a little boost.

Mike

 

[LioNiNoiL at Ne]

> Is there any sense in a slower rider using a fairing?

In a word, no; but it's your decision whether a little extra speed on a level or downhill road is
worth the cost and weight of a fairing.

 

[Jon Meinecke]

"LioNiNoiL at NetScApE_DoT_NeT" <[email protected]> wrote
> > Is there any sense in a slower rider using a fairing?
>
> In a word, no; but it's your decision whether a little extra speed on a level or downhill road is
> worth the cost and weight of a fairing.

A front fairing may help keep the rider warmer and drier. A cyclist enjoying riding longer and more
often could easily drop the weight of a windscreen in body mass. %^)

Jon Meinecke

 

[Jeff Wills]

Bent Pedals <fra.ander-89(spam-me-not)@rogers.com> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Quick question if I may . . .
>
> Bought my EZ-Sport Ltd last September, put close to 500km on it before the snow set in, and
> loved every up and downhill road I went on.
>
> Considering treating myself to a fairing this year. Zipper comes to mind, primarily because
> the local shop pushes the brand.
>
> I've read in here over the winter, several mentions that
> fairings do next to nothing until the higher speeds are reached.
>
> Given that I'm somewhat beyond my ideal height/weight ratio, and an ex smoker, if I can hit
> 30kph on a level stretch, the giant grin on my face starts catching air and slows me down.
> Obviously I'd be wise to tune the 'engine' before worrying about aerodynamics.
>
> None the less . . .
>
> Is there any sense in a slower rider using a fairing? Speed, at least for me, isn't the name
> of the game . . . but I'm not entirely adverse to blowing by the odd DF. Could a fairing
> have any postitive effects for someone who averages 18-24 kph, depending on the day?

In a word, yes. It'll pay off in spades if you run into headwinds, but there'll always be a benefit.
I disagree with the people who say there's no benefit at slower speed- it's just that the benefit is
comparitively tiny. For the majority of people, they won't notice the difference carrying the extra
weight up the hill, either. Go back down the hill and you'll be thankful you had the fairing.

IMO, fairings on the Easy Racer-style bikes "make" the bike.

Jeff

 

[Aisle five for]

"Jon Meinecke" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> "LioNiNoiL at NetScApE_DoT_NeT" <[email protected]> wrote
>> > Is there any sense in a slower rider using a fairing?
>>
>> In a word, no; but it's your decision whether a little extra speed on a level or downhill road is
>> worth the cost and weight of a fairing.
>
> A front fairing may help keep the rider warmer and drier. A cyclist enjoying riding longer and
> more often could easily drop the weight of a windscreen in body mass. %^)
>
> Jon Meinecke

What Jon said is right on the money I bought one a month ago, not for speed, but in an attempt to
make my commute more comfortable. At 10F my feet (one layer socks, street shoes) stayed warm
enough, at 20, I could ditch the XC ski mittens and go for the yellow cloth 'farm" gloves, at 40,
no gloves or mittens at all. I'm really pleased with the result. Probably won't use it much during
the summer, just save it for next winter, but I rationalized its purchase by considering it as a
tool. If I could just figure it as a toy, it would extend a normal riding season by several weeks
on either end.

Howard (bitshift, etc)

 

[David.K]

On Tue, 02 Mar 2004 01:55:11 +0000, Bent Pedals wrote:

> Quick question if I may . . .
>
> Bought my EZ-Sport Ltd last September, put close to
> 500km on it before the snow set in, and loved every
> up and downhill road I went on.
>
> Considering treating myself to a fairing this year.
> Zipper comes to mind, primarily because the local
> shop pushes the brand.
>
> I've read in here over the winter, several mentions that
> fairings do next to nothing until the higher speeds are
> reached.
>
> Given that I'm somewhat beyond my ideal
> height/weight ratio, and an ex smoker, if I can hit
> 30kph on a level stretch, the giant grin on my face
> starts catching air and slows me down. Obviously I'd
> be wise to tune the 'engine' before worrying about
> aerodynamics.
>
> None the less . . .
>
> Is there any sense in a slower rider using a
> fairing? Speed, at least for me, isn't the name of
> the game . . . but I'm not entirely adverse to
> blowing by the odd DF. Could a fairing have any
> postitive effects for someone who averages 18-24
> kph, depending on the day?
I ride a faired Tour Easy to work almost every day, rain or
shine, summer and winter. It's been my experience that a
head wind slows you down a lot. My df buddies ride quite a
bit faster than I do in a headwind. But with a tailwind or
crosswind the effect is anything from nil to a positive
boost with a boost almost always being the case. Fairings
also offer a good bit of protection during the rain.

 

[Mike Euritt]

>I ride a faired Tour Easy to work almost every day, rain or
>shine, summer and winter. It's been my experience that a
>head wind slows you down a lot. My df buddies ride quite a
>bit faster than I do in a headwind. But with a tailwind or
>crosswind the effect is anything from nil to a positive
>boost with a boost almost always being the case. Fairings
>also offer a good bit of protection during the rain.

Funny how perspectives differ. My first faired experience
was with a Stratus with Zipper fairing.

I was leading the paceline when we took a turn from north
bound to east. My speed dropped a bit, no big deal on that
kind of turn, and I accelerated back up to 18/19 mph and did
what I could to maintain that pace because that is what I
usually did on that road. The guy right behind me shouted
"how does that do in a head wind", I replied I hadn't yet
ridded in one, to which he told me we were in one strong
enough that if he did stay right on my wheel, he would get
blown off, and indeed when we stopped, I was amazed at how
strong the wind was. My theory is that being sheltered from
the wind spared me from the morale killing effect of the
wind, and I just used more effort than I otherwise would
have needed.

In other times on different bents, with and with out
fairings, if I feel the wind on my chest, even with the
extreme riding position of the Corsa, I slow down, with the
fairing protecting me I just don't notice it and loose very
little if any speed.... mind games...

 

[Bill Anton]

There were a few Saturday morning club rides last Fall when
I got elected (by default) to "pull" for the whole pack for
the first 15 miles of the ride. It was to darn cold to go
more than 15 MPH, but behind my fairing I was comfortable
going 18-19, so everybody just fell in behind me. The
roadies were all thankful that they didn't have to ride into
that frigid air unprotected. Thing is, though, a roadie has
to practically put his chin on the handlebars to get low
enough to effectively draft behind me. Not my problem,
though. In general, I tend to appreciate my fairing more in
Winter weather.

On the down side, those nylon nuts and bolts can be a pain,
always loosening up and falling out on the road. My solution
(and a good one, it turns out) was to liberally coat the
bolts with clear silicone RTV.

--
Bill Anton 2001 Vision R-40 26x26 SWB OSS Lubbock, TX, USA

"Mike Euritt" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> >I ride a faired Tour Easy to work almost every day, rain
> >or shine, summer and winter. It's been my experience that
> >a head wind slows you down a
lot.
> >My df buddies ride quite a bit faster than I do in a
> >headwind. But with a tailwind or crosswind the effect is
> >anything from nil to a positive boost with a boost almost
> >always being the case. Fairings also offer a good bit of
> >protection during the rain.
>
> Funny how perspectives differ. My first faired experience
> was with a
Stratus
> with Zipper fairing.
>
> I was leading the paceline when we took a turn from north
> bound to east.
My
> speed dropped a bit, no big deal on that kind of turn, and
> I accelerated
back up
> to 18/19 mph and did what I could to maintain that pace
> because that is
what I
> usually did on that road. The guy right behind me shouted
> "how does that
do in a
> head wind", I replied I hadn't yet ridded in one, to which
> he told me we
were in
> one strong enough that if he did stay right on my wheel,
> he would get
blown off,
> and indeed when we stopped, I was amazed at how strong the
> wind was. My
theory
> is that being sheltered from the wind spared me from the
> morale killing
effect
> of the wind, and I just used more effort than I otherwise
> would have
needed.
>
> In other times on different bents, with and with out
> fairings, if I feel
the
> wind on my chest, even with the extreme riding position of
> the Corsa, I
slow
> down, with the fairing protecting me I just don't notice
> it and loose very little if any speed.... mind games...

 

[Donn Cave]

Quoth Mike Euritt <[email protected]>: [ ... quoting
someone else ]
|> I ride a faired Tour Easy to work almost every day, rain
|> or shine, summer and winter. It's been my experience that
|> a head wind slows you down a lot. My df buddies ride
|> quite a bit faster than I do in a headwind. But with a
|> tailwind or crosswind the effect is anything from nil to
|> a positive boost with a boost almost always being the
|> case. Fairings also offer a good bit of protection during
|> the rain.
|
| Funny how perspectives differ. My first faired experience
| was with a Stratus with Zipper fairing.
...

I didn't read that "fairing slows you down in a head wind",
just "head wind slows you down" (vs. no head wind.) That
sure applies to me - a head wind doesn't make me faster.

I believe the average DF rider will actually coast down hill
faster than me, but the difference is less if my fairing is
on. Maybe about the size of the very small advantage I get
from the recumbent position. (I'm built like a kite.)

Donn

 

[Bent Pedals]

On Tue, 02 Mar 2004 02:20:23 GMT, Mike Rice <[email protected]> wrote:

>I'm a slow rider on a Tour Easy. I love my bike with the
>fairing, it handles better on windy days and goes faster
>downhill. It makes fighting a headwind easier, and really
>catches the tailwinds , even most crosswinds seem to give a
>little boost.

Picked up the Zipper fairing late Saturday
afternoon Mike.
(03/29). After a qucik installation, went for a short
neighbourhood ride and wasn't very impressed. Fiddled
about in the driveway, fine tuning the installation
and it seemed a bit better. Got up Sunday and did
some more fine tuning, improving each time. Just got
back from a 20k night ride and I am now impressed.

Seems the first few set-ups were too low on the
bike, and while I noticed my body wasn't feeling the
air, my eyes were watering from the airflow over the
top. I ended up raising the entire set-up on the
bike and put a lot more curve/arc to it. Airflow
seems to clear over my head now.

Grin, of course now I need to put a chin strap on my
baseball cap to keep it on my head . . .

Thanks for your feedback . . . think I'm going to
like the fairing. Time will tell.

 

[Bent Pedals]

On Mon, 01 Mar 2004 22:36:31 -0800, LioNiNoiL at NetScApE_DoT_NeT
<[email protected]> wrote:

>In a word, no; but it's your decision whether a little
>extra speed on a level or downhill road is worth the cost
>and weight of a fairing.

Grin, with my fitness level, every extra tenth of a
kilometer per hour is a hard fought gain . . .

As per my previous reply to Mike, the fairing is on
the bike and I "think" I'm going to enjoy it.

Thanks for the feedback . . .

 

[Bent Pedals]

On Tue, 02 Mar 2004 12:46:05 GMT, "Jon Meinecke" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>A front fairing may help keep the rider warmer and drier. A
>cyclist enjoying riding longer and more often could easily
>drop the weight of a windscreen in body mass. %^)

Grin . . . in that case I think I could install
a dozen plus windscreens and still come out
ahead. I have a few (read many) .lbs of excess
baggage to drop before starting to worry about
equipment weight.

Was yakking with the LBS owner Saturday regarding
tires and if anything was better than what I had on
the bike now. We bantered about harder and narrower
tires being more efficient speed wise but possibly
less stable on loose surfaces and the durability and
reliability of various types of tires. After 10
minutes I recalled a phrase I'd read in here and
decided to use it to end the conversation . . . "I'd
best get the engine in tune first . . . " I thought
he was going to **** himself laughing.

Anyways, the fairing is on the bike and early
indications are as you say . . . it may be enough to
get me out on the road more.

Thanks for the feedback Jon . . .

 

[Bent Pedals]

On Wed, 03 Mar 2004 00:17:18 GMT, Aisle five for laundry supplies
<bishop(1199<<1)@yazhooz.com> wrote:

> Probably won't use it much during the summer, just save it
> for next winter, but I rationalized its purchase by
> considering it as a tool. If I could just figure it as a
> toy, it would extend a normal riding season by several
> weeks on either end.

I'm curious to see once the warmer weather gets
here, how it affects my riding. I don't like the
heat and enjoy the air blowing over me. Like you, it
may come off for the warmer weather. However, I did
(or thought I did), notice a diiference riding in
the wind today. Time will tell.

And like you say, if it extends the riding season a
few weeks in the spring and fall it'll be worth it.

Thanks for the feedback . . .

 

[Bent Pedals]

On 2 Mar 2004 13:26:50 -0800, [email protected] (Jeff Wills) wrote:

>In a word, yes. It'll pay off in spades if you run into
>headwinds, but there'll always be a benefit. I disagree
>with the people who say there's no benefit at slower speed-
>it's just that the benefit is comparitively tiny. For the
>majority of people, they won't notice the difference
>carrying the extra weight up the hill, either. Go back down
>the hill and you'll be thankful you had the fairing.

Bought and installed a fairing this weekend, and
given the stiff winds we had today out of the east,
it did "seem" to make a difference. Kind of early in
the season to judge how much of a difference it
made, but it certainly seemed to help.

>IMO, fairings on the Easy Racer-style bikes "make"
>the bike.

Grin, it certainly gives the bike a sharp look. Felt
like a bit of a dweeb the first few runs up and down
the neighbourhood streets, but once I got it
positioned properly, it certainly looked and felt
like a different bike.

Thanks for the feedback Jeff . . .

 

[Bent Pedals]

On Tue, 09 Mar 2004 22:19:08 -0700, "David.K"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I ride a faired Tour Easy to work almost every day, rain or
>shine, summer and winter.

A question David . . . does the faring make
pedalling warmer in the summer? It was great today
in the cool weather, I can see the positive
advantage there, but I'm curious to see what it's
like in the heat of summer.

> It's been my experience that a head wind slows you down a
> lot. My df buddies ride quite a bit faster than I do in a
> headwind. But with a tailwind or crosswind the effect is
> anything from nil to a positive boost with a boost almost
> always being the case.

I'm not professing to be an expert David, but I
almost felt the opposite today. Strong winds out of
the east and I seemed to be able to maintain my pace
with very little extra effort. And as for diamond
frame buddies, hell, given my present state of
fitness, I think the old lady down the street could
beat me riding her grand-daughter's tricycle. Grin.

>Fairings also offer a good bit of protection during
>the rain.

They're calling for rain most of the week here in
Ontario. I'm looking forward to taking a wet ride
over the next few days to see what it's like.

Thanks for the response David . . .

 

[Bent Pedals]

On Wed, 10 Mar 2004 14:36:44 GMT, Mike Euritt
<[email protected]> wrote:

>and indeed when we stopped, I was amazed at how strong the
>wind was. My theory is that being sheltered from the wind
>spared me from the morale killing effect of the wind, and I
>just used more effort than I otherwise would have needed.

That thought of yours was running through my head
during tonights' ride. It is indeed a strange
sensation being sheltered, then taking a break and
seeing just how strong the headwind is.

>In other times on different bents, with and with out
>fairings, if I feel the wind on my chest, even with the
>extreme riding position of the Corsa, I slow down, with the
>fairing protecting me I just don't notice it and loose very
>little if any speed.... mind games...

Grin, mind games or not, it seemed to work for
me tonight.

Thanks for the feedback Mike . . .

 

[Bent Pedals]

On Wed, 10 Mar 2004 22:48:33 -0600, "Bill Anton"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>On the down side, those nylon nuts and bolts can be a pain,
>always loosening up and falling out on the road. My
>solution (and a good one, it turns out) was to liberally
>coat the bolts with clear silicone RTV.

Your advice is duly noted Bill. A trip to the
hardware store Monday morning is on my to-do list.

Thanks for the advice . . .

 

[Mike Rice]

On Mon, 29 Mar 2004 06:28:22 GMT, Bent Pedals
<fra.ander-89(spam-me-not)@rogers.com> wrote:

>On Tue, 02 Mar 2004 02:20:23 GMT, Mike Rice
><[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>I'm a slow rider on a Tour Easy. I love my bike with the
>>fairing, it handles better on windy days and goes faster
>>downhill. It makes fighting a headwind easier, and really
>>catches the tailwinds , even most crosswinds seem to give
>>a little boost.
>
> Picked up the Zipper fairing late Saturday afternoon
> Mike.
>(03/29). After a qucik installation, went for a short
> neighbourhood ride and wasn't very impressed.
> Fiddled about in the driveway, fine tuning the
> installation and it seemed a bit better. Got up
> Sunday and did some more fine tuning, improving each
> time. Just got back from a 20k night ride and I am
> now impressed.

After riding with the fairing for a while I had occasion to
ride without it with a brisk cross, then head wind. That's
when I really realized how much I liked that fairing. On
nice hills I seem to run 4 miles or so faster than without
it (47.3 mph personal fastest, so far).

Mike Rice
>
> Seems the first few set-ups were too low on the
> bike, and while I noticed my body wasn't feeling the
> air, my eyes were watering from the airflow over the
> top. I ended up raising the entire set-up on the
> bike and put a lot more curve/arc to it. Airflow
> seems to clear over my head now.
>
> Grin, of course now I need to put a chin strap on my
> baseball cap to keep it on my head . . .
>
> Thanks for your feedback . . . think I'm going to
> like the fairing. Time will tell.

 

[Mike Rice]

On Mon, 29 Mar 2004 07:10:43 GMT, Bent Pedals
<fra.ander-89(spam-me-not)@rogers.com> wrote:

>
>>Fairings also offer a good bit of protection during
>>the rain.
>
> They're calling for rain most of the week here in
> Ontario. I'm looking forward to taking a wet ride
> over the next few days to see what it's like.

I'm currently running a tail-sok as well as my Zzipper,
which is admittedly overkill ;-) . But my rain protection
rig utilizes the tail-sok. I've taken a bright yellow rain
poncho and duct taped the back side into a cone whch slides
right over my tail-sok, leaving my red falsher exposed. The
other end gathers and goes over my handlebars, and under my
fairing. The poncho has grommets, so it wraps & bungees
tight to the handlebar column, extending to the handgrips.
When I get up to speed it kind of balloons up so I've got a
yellow bubble in front of my chin, going right up under the
fairing. It's like riding in a l ong umbrella, with my head
sticking through. Unless it's really driving sidewise I
stay very dry.

Mike Rice
>
> Thanks for the response David . . .