New Borealis
Now that I almost have my new shop operational what I would like to do is rebuild the moulds for the Borealis V2 so it has all the changes I made when doing the V3. The real problem with this is that there are a limited number of Sprint NT(narrow track) frames available. ICE still has enough of these frames left to make this redesign worthwhile. Once these frames are used up I would convert the tooling to accept a frame replacement we would build into the composite parts.
To make this more attractive the pricing on this velomobile is very reasonable at $C 6,800 for the shell and the trike outfitted with suspension on all three wheels and drum brakes. This price is only available until the frames for the Sprint NT are used up. The final product would be very practical everyday velomobile similiar in preformance to a Strada or Mango. It would not be avialable until Spring 2012 as it will take some time to rework the moulds. We would only go ahead with this if there was sufficient interest.
Scorpion FS as a Velomobile
Now that the Borealis V3 is done I have been looking at the Scorpion FS trike as a basis for a velombile using the same shell. I would have to modify the shell a fair bit to make it work. The wheel wells would move foward a bit as the seat to front wheels distance is quite different between the Scorpion and the Sprint. We would also have to devise a new mounting system. There may be some other issues that come up but they can be addressed when they do. This combination would make a great velomobile not quite as fast as the quicker ones but very practical for extending your riding season. We have a couple of folks already interested but would need a few more to make this come about. This should be very attractive to those who already own a Scorpion FS as you would get the benefits of a velomobile for less than half the cost of a regular velomobile.
Could you say a bit more about your analysis of these trikes as chassis candidates? It's clear why you would want to standardize on a single trike choice, and why you would hope that the chosen trike will be around a while. But what leads you to the Scorpion over the current ICE models? For example does its being US-made lower the cost over importing a Trice? (but that should be less important UK->CA) Are you getting any cooperation, recognition, even co-marketing from the maker?
ReplyDeleteBoth are very nice trikes. Both need to be imported from the EU one from Britain the other from Germany so its very even in that department. Had the Scorpion with rear suspension been around when ICE came out with rear suspension the choice would have been harder. ICE was the first production trike out with rear suspension making it a good candidate as a starting point for a velomobile. The competition between the two brands has benefited the consumer as they keep building better and better machines.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely interested in a Scorpion FS velo...
ReplyDeleteOr other domestically (NAFTA) built velomobile.
--Karl
Started looking at the Scorpion, and it appears to be a bit better for those of us on the heavier side. I understand your comment about it being a more difficult choice. Add in the potential for using SRAM dual drive in the rear to give even greater legs to the trike, and my lean is harder toward the Scorpion.
ReplyDeleteIs it possible to get more information on the Borealis V3? Is it still only available with the ICE Sprint or is the Scorpion an option as well? Thanks.
ReplyDelete