New Signal Lights

We are working on some new signal lights.  The first set is now installed in the next Borealis V3.  Here are a couple of pictures of them being made.

First I cast a layer of casting resin on a sheet of glass and laid a light layer of glass onto it. Once this had set I added the lights on top and bonded them in place with another layer of glass as you can see in the photo above. 

Here are the lights ready to install in the shell.  All four of them together weigh in at just less than 30 grams.  They consist of three 2 watt LEDs in each light.  They do get quite hot so that is the reason for the extra metal bit they are bolted to.  It acts as an additional heat shink and allows air to circulate around the LEDs.  I originally considered just casting them in resin but they get a bit too hot for that as their temparture gets close to the HTD point of the resin.  If they get too hot they will have short service life.  This all seems quite a bit of trouble compared to just bonding in an off the shelf LED as is found on most velos.  The reason is that I don't consider these other lights adequate in all circumstances. They are not very visible in full sunlight.  These new lights are hard to look at from less than about 10 feet and are very visible even in full sunlight.  Another advanatage is that with a bit of extra work they can be mounted flush on the shell.  They draw the same amount of power that our present turn signal lights with 18 LEDs in them use.  Here is how they look once bonded in the shell with a bit more resin added to make them flush.

The better way to do it would be to make a mould so you cast the light with a little spigot sticking out that would fit through the hole in the shell.  Then you mask around the sticking out part and carefull sand it off to match the shape of the shell.  Sand to 1000 or even 2000 grit and polish.  Once you had done a few you could probably get the sanding and polishing down to five minutes or so.  This would also allow fitting to almost any velo. 

Riding to Quadra Island

A few weeks ago I tried to ride from Maple Ridge to Quadra Island in one day.  I am eventually moving there and taking the velomobile part of the business along too.  The route I picked out is about 260 km.  This is just a bit further than the furthest I have ridden in a day before.  The plan was to get up early so I could catch the ferry from Tsawwassen to Duke Point on Vancouver Island.  This ferry runs every two and a half hours with the first one being at 5:15.  I was planning on catching the 7:45 as this should leave enough time to ride to Quadra Island before it got completely dark. I also needed to make it to Campbell River early enough to catch the last ferry to Quadra Island.

 I set off around 4 am riding for the first while in the dark.  I was making good time and would have been half an hour early for the ferry when I had a mechanical problem about 45 minutes ride from the ferry.  Luckily I was able to get  replacement parts thanks to Brock at Cambie Cycles and was back on my way but missed the next two ferry sailings.  Now it looked like there was no chance of making it to Campbell River before dark.  Luckily I had a backup plan to stay with friends who were house sitting a place about 100 km from Duke Point. 

I managed to find the bike route through Naniamo but lost it about 2/3 of the way through town.  As I was riding along a busy 4 lane road I passed a guy riding on the sidewalk who looked like a regular commuter. We were going slightly uphill as the time but we were close in speed.  He passed me and was just creeping way but looked back a few times so I was a bit motivated to catch him.  I eventually passed him as it flattened out a bit and then he caught a ride on the back of a truck by grapping the handrail on the back edge of the truck. I had almost caught him again when he turned off to a shopping mall.  The look on his face when he looked back was priceless as he was at least 200 meters ahead with the truck trick and thought he had left me behind. I was hoping to catch him and congratulate him on the move with the truck.  I was feeling pretty good at the time considering that I had everything I would take for self supported touring along except for the tent and cooking gear.  

After Naniamo you have no choice but to ride the Island Highway which has a good shoulder most places until you can turn off onto Northwest Bay Road.  This avoids some climbing to get to Parksville and gets you to the old highway along the coast .   I rode along this until Qualicum Bay where I turned uphill with the knowledge that a meal was waiting for me.  The last 4 or so km were the toughest riding I had done for a few years.  It was steeply uphill and slow going with the extra weight I was carrying. I ended up stopping a few times and riding with no shoe (too lazy to stop and change shoes) on my right foot as it was quite sore.  Seems I can only ride 80 km before having to change to walking shoes rather than the clipless cycling shoes.  I much prefer to be clipped in as you can pull back some which is especially helpful when climbing.  I had the same issue on ROAM where I rode half the day in cycling shoes and the other half in walking shoes.  Needless to say the meal that night was right and the company good.  About eight and half hours of riding with some short breaks while riding.

The next morning I set out fairly early with the goal of reaching home around lunch time.  About a hour and a half into the ride I stopped for coffee at a small farm market and ended up buying some cherries and plums.  About 25 km from the ferry I started to look for some place that had ice cream. I passed a mini golf center and noticed it had an Island Farms ice cream sign out so I stopped, turned around and went back.  It was a worthwhile stop as I had a chocolate mocha milk shake made with chocolate milk--highly recommended!!!  Just as I was leaving after the milkshake I was stopped by a fellow in a pickup truck.  It turned out to be one of my employees from over twenty years ago.  We had a good chat and agreed to get together again later that weekend.  He also stopped on his way back for a milkshake as I recommended  and agreed that it was worth stoppinh for.  At Willow Point I noticed the ferry crossing back to Campbell River and thought I had missed that one for sure as I was still 10 plus km from the ferry.  But I rolled up to the ticket booth in Campell River, paid the fare and rolled right onto the ferry.  I was kind of hoping for a bit longer rest before tackling the ride up and  across the island. the ferry ride is only about 10 minutes.  The last kilometer of the ride is very pleasant as its all downhill.  All in all a good ride with about 5.5 hours of riding with a couple of longish breaks.

I think this ride is possible for me in one day.  It would help to start out with a good nights's sleep and not have any mechanical problems.  Maybe the option of riding to Horseshoe Bay instead of Tsawwassen might be better as it takes quite a while to ride back to Naniamo from Duke Point.  Passing thruogh Vancouver should be pretty easy early in the morning even if it means riding a few more hills.  I'll try this next time for a change of scenery.  Also having an empty velo(lighter) would help especially at the end of the day when you are tired.

Misc Observations on ROAM

It was a great experience.  Glad that I was able to take part in the first few days.  It has given me a new perspective on what's possible in a velomobile.

Velomobiles seem to attract a very interesting set of folks.  This reminds me of the early days of white water kayak paddling and then later on the early sea kayaking crowd.   It would have been great to do the whole ride and get to know them better. 

Saw some velomobiles that I had not seen before.  The Evo R is simply a spectacular velo.  Light and fast.  I really enjoyed looking over the craftsmanship that went into building it.  It's expensive but the builder has put his heart and soul into it.  The graphite rear swing arm must have taken a few days if not a week to make.  The Milan is great in its own way.  It's very fast and looks much better in person than on the internet.  Markus assembled it from a kit where he added all the bike parts to the shell.  His pride of ownership is very high.  He suffered a lot from the collision that occurred.  Luckily the damage was cosmetic and he could continue his ride.  Another very interesting machine was the Pterovelo.  Lots of thought and effort went into building this enclosed velo.  Frans did a very nice job of the build.  Every time he passed me he just disappeared off into the distance.  The Pterovelo is quick and it demonstrates that there is more than one way to build a fast, efficient machine.  I am very curious to see how this one evolves.  It would be marvellous if it could be made to work for my wet, cold, maritime climate.

There were some electric assist velos on the ride too.  About day three I found out that Merrill in the Alleweder had electric assist.  He always passed me in the last part of each day's ride.  I was faster on any downhill but he was quicker otherwise.  He would  just creep away if it was early in the day so slowly that you were tempted to up your tempo.  I managed not to get sucked in.  Aaron in his Quest also had electric assist which was quite useful to him when his feet started giving him trouble.  He could take some of the load off his feet by using the assist.  Apparently Aaron was the only Quest that Joerg couldn't easily pass as Aaron used his assist to keep up.  Taylor and Patrick also had electric assist.  I was a bit suprised at how well the electric assists worked even on long day at over 200 km.  It really became a matter to how you used them so you had juice in the battery when you really needed it.  The first couple of days were a learning cuvre for some with electric assist.  Electric assist made it possible for Patrick to take part in the ride.  While I have tried electric assist, I have a hard time putting up with the extra weight on the flats. It just doesn't feel like a proper bike.  However, this attitude may change with my move to Quadra Island where the riding is all up and down and definitely not velomobile friendly terrain.

Day Five ROAM

Today I had a new perspective on velomobiles from the car driver's viewpoint.  I was riding in Craig and Vicky's van still feeling the effects of getting too hot the day before. First and most important observation is that velomobiles are very visible.  If you have a bright coloured velomobile you are more visible on the road than most cars.  Also seeing the person riding the velo, at least in the head out versions makes a more personal connection than you can get in an automobile.

After watching some riders from the van I noticed that some of them bob around a bit.  Much to my chagrin I found out that I bob around a lot when I ride.  I knew that I bob around some when I am not paying much attention to my pedaling but apparently I am really bad.  At the beginning of day four I was stretching while riding along and bobbing a lot and Bram asked me if I was alright.  I must be wasting some energy doing this.  I now have something to work on while riding.   Here we are at a brief rest stop just before the event described below.

We also had one of those silly things that happens once in a while.  Joseph ended up with a bit of gravel rash on his elbow. As he was getting into his nice new Quest it tipped over.  It was sitting on a slope beside the road and when he got in his centre of gravity was a bit high and it tipped. A few of us saw it happening but we weren't close enough to stop it.  His velo has some small scratches that should be easy to buff out.  I have had a similiar experience with the velo tipping over and landing on top of me.  I was on a little bit of a slope and getting out.  As I was getting out I caught my foot on the edge of the cockpit which made me fall down on the ground with the velo slowly turning over on me.  Luckily there was no one around to witness my clumsiness!  I was quite tired at the time but I am now more careful with slopes.

 Ready to ride once again.

Riding up Lolo pass looked like hot work. Everyone who made it to the top  felt good about their accomplishment. 

Day Four ROAM

A short and a bit flatter ride coming up today.  Had a very light breakfast at camp and then headed out.  A while into the ride, Steve on his F40 caught up with me and we rode along together for a ways.  The F40 is about velomobile speed on the flats, a bit slower on the downhills and quicker on the uphills even when he's carrying his camping gear.  He manages to fit it all inside the body sock in panniers--total weight of his camping gear about 8 lbs.   

First stop was in Orofino at about 80 km into the ride.  Found a perfect stop for food.  It was a buffet-- what else could a cyclist ask for!!  Had two plates full of food in about half an hour.  Carried on riding shortly after the food, next stop Kooskia to pick up food for breakfast the following day.  Was feeling pretty good riding along the river and then stopped to take a picture of a place that sells flower and plants.

Nick waited in the shade while I rode back a bit to take the shot.  I was in the sun and not moving and it was suddenly very hot.  Carried on to Kooskia and hung out in the restaurant trying to cool off. While waiting to enter the restuarant there was a velomobile accident just front of us.  Marcus was slowing down to join us and Jorg at that moment looked over and didn't quite have time to stop and hit the Milan about  a foot from the back end.  The collision dented in the side of the Milan and cracked the laminate in a couple of spots.  The dent popped out and the Milan remains useable for the rest of the trip.  Marcus had a hard time dealing with it as his pride of ownership is very high.  He assembled the Milan from a kit with all the composite work done. After we had to leave the restaurant I stayed in the shade on their patio but still felt overheated.  Decided to carry on to the campsite but the first stop was a dip in the river a few km outside of town.  Spent about half hour swiming and laying in the water and started to feel better. Carried on to the campsite and immediately headed to the river for another soak.  Felt better afterwards but decided not to ride the next day.  Even though I was disappointed not to ride, it was the right descision.  The next day I got an entirely different prespective on ROAM from a SAG vehicle.  Stats for the day:  about 170 km (105 miles) and 2470 metres (8,103ft) of climbing.

Day Three ROAM

Left camp quite early today as it will be a long day.  Some climbing to do with a steep descent at the end.  A bit worried about the distance not wanting to do the downhill bit at the end in the dark. 



First picture of the day looking east.

Two other early risers heading east into Washington State



Entering Washington State



Today's ride should be about 240 km long with the first stop in Walla Walla for some food.  Very glad to be off I84 and looking foward to arriving at the first place to eat. 

Ended up riding with Nick in the Go One as we are about the same speed.  Actually he's a bit faster at least on the uphill bits but likes my pace.  He was riding with some Quests and Mangos but they dropped him on a climb and we rode together from there on for a while.  Just before Walla Walla we caught up with the group that passed us as they had a flat. A couple other Quests came by at this time too and we all ended up entering town together.  We rode into town and spotted some other velos parked in front of an eatery.  First rule for food, look for velomobiles in front of the place, second rule look for bikes parked, third rule ask local cyclists where is a good place to eat.  Needless to say we parked and went in.  It took a while to get inside as we stood around answering some questions.  Once inside I order eggs benedict.  They were excellent, the best food on the trip.  So if you are in Walla Walla this is a highly recommended stop, Olive MarketPlace & Cafe at  21 East Main Street.  After this stop we were back on Highway 12 with the next stop being Dayton.  There was a fair climb up before heading down to Dayton.  It got very hot on the way up but once at the top there was a steep descent where I did use the brakes to slow down a few times.  I ended up dropping the Go One on the descent but Nick caught me up before Dayton.  

The stop in Dayton



After Dayton more climbing but not as steep until after Pomeroy.  When I finally got to Pomeroy I needed a rest before the final push to the top of the pass.  Luckily the grocery store was still open.   As I pull in behind the gas station there were  already eight or ten velos parked there.  I guess I wasn't the only one needing a break.  After a rest we all headed off with only another 15 miles to go to the top.  When I got to the final clmb I was feeling quite energized so I picked up the pace a bit and just made it to the top as the sun touched the horizon as you can see from the picture.
.



I hopped out and ran across the highway to snap the photo just as another rider was passing.  After a brief stop at the top, checking the tires and setting up the door to the max open position to act as a bit of a brake I was off.  It was quite steep and I braked often to keep speed in check.  I am pretty sure we got to over 80 kph.  The door being held open some was quite effective in helping control speed but even better it allows lots of air in to cool this overheated rider. 

 I was almost getting chilly and then I would hit a pocket of hot air and suddenly be warm again.  Hard to believe that we rode in those temperatures.  After the steepest part of the descent Marcus in his Milan flew by and was soon almost out of sight.  His rear lights are exceptionally bright, so much so that they may be too bright.  Even looking at them from a km away when he braked  reduced my night vision a bit.  The last half of the descent was in the dark.  I lost the two riders in front of me when I could no longer distingsh them in the distance from the traffic and car lights.  Thinking I had made a wrong turn I doubled back and discovered that I hadn't.  I searched around town a bit for the others and ended up riding back on the sidewalk on a one way street in downtown.  While doing this a truck stoopped to look at the velo and I asked for directions to the campsite and some place that would be open for food.  I rode across the bridge again to the suggested restaurant and found it was just closing.  However they did give me a large lemonade for free.  I drank about half of it right away and then headed off to find the campsite.  Once on the right track I went to drink some more and realized that it had tipped over. I guess I will have to wash the inside of the velo once I get back home.   Finally arrived at the campsite ate some of  food I had onboard and when to bed.  Long day probably about 250 km with a couple of good climbs.     

Day Two ROAM

This is the first long day of ROAM.  It is also further than I have previously ridden on any single day.  My plan is to ride carefully to conserve energy for the next day which will be even harder.  I also want to sure to drink enough water as it is scheduled to be hot.  So far  in our summer we have only had a handfull of days that were even warm.  Upstairs in the shop it sometimes gets to the temperatures we have today.  It normally takes me a week or so to adjust to these temperatures but then I am not working as hard as I do riding a velomobile for 10 hours or so in a day. 

Navigating should be much easier today as there are only two detours and if I make a mistake I can always just figure out a way to get to the campsite at the end of the day.  Started out early and was soon riding by myself.  I almost stopped for a "second" breakfast in the first detour at Hood River.  This would have been a disaster as I would have ended up behind all the other riders and  have taken time out of the day for me to cover the distance at a reasonable pace.   I did stop a little while later at a Subway and picked up a small sub and some chocolate milk.  A bunch of other riders passed while I was there but they didn't see me as I was on the other side of the street.  I rode on a short ways and they were all pulled up at a coffee shop.  I sat in my velo and ate half my sub and had some milk while they got coffee.  We had a few folks come by and talk with us while sitting there.  We had been on the TV news the previous night so lots of folks were curious about us.  This is about as close as I want to be to being famous!!!   Velomobiles already attact lots of attention and I would prefer to remain somewhat more anonymous.  I did end up adding a few extra km and some extra climbing to the day when I made a wrong turn.  Ended up with a nice view of the valley.  At the next detour I was on the right track and asked a local man who flagged me down and was sent down the wrong road.  At the top of the hill Tom was stopped and pulled us over to redirect us to the right route.  Tom being there was a good thing as I may well have missed the next turn and ridden a few extra km before realizing my error.  This saved trying to get through some construction on the freeway.

Just after getting back onto the freeway after Hood River I was riding with Joseph, Nina and two other Quests.  I was feeling pretty good at this point and stayed with them for a while.  I decided after a while that their pace was a little high for me and let them get away.  I watched as they pulled away with the sun glinting off their velomobiles.  On the next uphill you could see them all in a row all looking quite yellow in the reflected light like a bunch of ducklings  along side the road.  This is probably the image I will remember best from the trip. 

At the stop in the afternoon when I arrived Joseph and Nina were resting in the shade.  They directed us to a restaurant across the street.  When we went in the temperature was 93 on the bank sign and when we came out it was 98.  This wasn't quite the hottest it got during the day.  It was really warm riding that afternoon!!

After this stop I continued on riding a bit slowly when I heard a beep beep behind me.  It was Joseph closing in fast and wanting to pass.  I moved over and let him by.  Luckily at this monent there wasn't much junk on the shoulder and two velos fit side by side without  riding on the rumble strip. Joseph was soon out of sight but I was now riding a bit faster with a slight downhill grade and a tailwind.  I hate tailwinds, especially on this day.  For the rest of the day on I-84 I was in top gear cruising along at 45-50 kph in virtually dead air.  I was very much looking foward to getting off the freeway.  I had had enough of lots of traffic and the danger of getting a flat from the tire debris on the shoulder.  The last few miles before turning off on 730 the freeway was newly paved.  Very smooth and very fast without a rumble strip.  Delightful to ride on but a bit scary as the lanes weren't yet marked and you could easily edge out into traffic.  After turning off on 730 I met up with Nick and John and we stopped at Irrigon for dinner.  This was necessary as there was no food at the campsite.  We also stopped at the grocery store in Umatilla for food for breakfast the next day.  Rode the last few km with the lights on, arriving at camp after dark. 

Here's the link to he route, http://www.bikemap.net/route/750407#lat=45.58906&lng=-119.74548&zoom=9&type=2