Ben Dover said:Is there anyone out there that rides an enclosed recumbent?
I raced a lightning P-38 once that belonged to Eric Warp. http://www.wisil.recumbents.com/wisil/Warp/warp_drive.htmcyclingpj said:I built a full fairing out of coroplast for my Rotator Pursuit. Great when the wind wasn't blowing hard, scary when it was. Got blown off the road a few times on a road that has some severe side winds. I see you're in Sacramento area, I'm in Vacaville. The road I refer to is 680 frontage road between Cordelia and Benicia.
What has been your experience in strong winds?
http://www.wisil.recumbents.com/wisil/pauljones/
Ben Dover said:I raced a lightning P-38 once that belonged to Eric Warp. http://www.wisil.recumbents.com/wisil/Warp/warp_drive.htm
After that I built my own P-38 and had the F-40 body kit on it. The F40 kit was nice because you can take the cloth part off and not get blown around. I used to commute from Elk Grove to Davis for work (37 miles one way) and one day on my way home I got blown off the road (no crash) so I took off the cloth and had no more trouble.
I have some fairing molds from UC Davis and I am trying to put fiber glass fairings on my home built bike but my motorcycles aren't having it.
I have a Lightning F-40, disadvantges are it's hot in high summer heat, a little heavy for climbing, and you have to watch for side winds, advantage is big speed on flats and downhills. I used to be a weight tehno weenie, weighing all the parts going onto my Trek 5200, but I figured out aero is much more important than weight and the much heavier Lightning is faster in all but super hilly situations, and I don't ride the Trek any more.Ben Dover said:Is there anyone out there that rides an enclosed recumbent?
ncaudio said:I have a Lightning F-40, disadvantges are it's hot in high summer heat, a little heavy for climbing, and you have to watch for side winds, advantage is big speed on flats and downhills. I used to be a weight tehno weenie, weighing all the parts going onto my Trek 5200, but I figured out aero is much more important than weight and the much heavier Lightning is faster in all but super hilly situations, and I don't ride the Trek any more.
I bought a P-38 used then a used F-40 fairing and upgraded the P-38. I think the P-38 and F-40 are well built, and relatively light for a recumbent. I've never dealt with customer service except to buy a few small parts, so can;t comment on them in that regard. Not sure if you already ride a recumbent and are familiar with them, it's a whole different trip than riding an upright, in terms of how you feel, how other riders and cars relate to you etc.cyclingpj said:The F-40 caught my eye long ago, ideal for changing wind conditions. Did you buy the F-40 new, and what was your opinion of Lightning's build quality and customer service?
Ben Dover said:I raced a lightning P-38 once that belonged to Eric Warp. http://www.wisil.recumbents.com/wisil/Warp/warp_drive.htm
After that I built my own P-38 and had the F-40 body kit on it. The F40 kit was nice because you can take the cloth part off and not get blown around. I used to commute from Elk Grove to Davis for work (37 miles one way) and one day on my way home I got blown off the road (no crash) so I took off the cloth and had no more trouble.
I have some fairing molds from UC Davis and I am trying to put fiber glass fairings on my home built bike but my motorcycles aren't having it.
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