Fairing Wheelwells Started

[TheKid]

After much figuring, It seems the only way I could build a decent fairing is to either put the wheelwells inside the fairing, or redo the steering to OSS. That's because I had to make my USS bars wide to fit me, and if the wheels are on the outside, my hands will hit the inside of the fairing. Once the wheelwells are installed, The rest of the fairing will be built around them. To make the wheelwells, I used 12" wide rigid foam cut to a semicircle with a 10 3/4" radius, and notched them for the crossmember. The wheelwells need to be 8" wide, so I cut 2 lengths of polystyrene foam and kerf cut one side so they'd bend around the rigid foam. The strips are glued to the rigid foam with spray-on foam adhesive. One side was then set against a deck post, and the other side was held in place with a heavy piece of stone. It's a wonderful clamp for gluing the pieces. Here are some pics. The last one shows the kerf cuts.

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z66/edpol_photos/Fox%20Fairing/000_0554Small.jpg

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z66/edpol_photos/Fox%20Fairing/000_0553Small.jpg

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z66/edpol_photos/Fox%20Fairing/000_0555Small.jpg

[lumo]

quick question:
why don't you mount it moveable, this way you would save a lot of air resistance.
quick note: if you put a PVC-hose on the wheel you can easily use this as a spacer, and its even everywhere (better than one rock?)

greets

[TheKid]

The fairing will be in two pieces, front and rear. It has to be wide enough so my hands don't hit the sides due to the wide USS bars. I don't want to alter the steering, because I tried several methods, and the USS worked best for me. Due to disabilities, I made many design changes as I was building it, particularly the steering. I also had to raise the seat and lower the BB as my disabilities worsened. I learned a lot from this experience, so the fairing will be built the easiest way possible, with the emphasis on easy access. It's not being built for speed, it's being built for use in inclement weather. It will be much higher than normal, again, due to my disabilities. The fairing sides will go right to the outside of the wheelwells, similar to the Cab bike. The wheelwells will clamp to the crossmember, and will be connected to each other with a crossmember directly in front of the seat, over the boom. The rear will be attached with a QR to a frame that's yet to be built, which will also hold two small boxes on the sides of the wheels. One will hold the batteries for the lights and horn, the other is for tools. A third container will be installed behind the seat for carrying groceries etc. The front of the fairing will pivot forward, and meet the rear with an overlap joint. Actually, the shell will be made as one piece, and cut in the proper place in front of the seat. Then it's just a matter of glassing in stops to make an overlap joint. As for PVC, in cold weather, it becomes quite brittle. I learned my lesson with the PVC quad I built a few years ago. It expands in hot weather, contracts in cold weather, and warps quite easily. It's the reason why aluminum siding is still the choice over vinyl siding in areas with extreme climate changes.
I still may make a fairing for the Delta Runner, based on this fairing from Lightfoot Cycles. It's deigned for inclement weather, not for speed:

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z66/edpol_photos/rainshadow20icon.jpg

[lumo]

i'm curious how it will look like when its done :)

PS: seems you thought a lot before you started working on it! (i should do this too, sometimes *g*)

[TheKid]

See my post on page four under the Streetfighter thread "Found My Fairing Design". It will be a combination of the two I posted.

[jimFPU]

Hey Kid, you could also look at the Reg Redaro designs at Lightfoot cycles (the Stormy Weather), inclement weather AND speed!

[SirJoey]

Kid, you are a master! :)
Can't wait to see what kind of velomobile-ish HPV rolls out of New York next!

http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/2839/thanksgivingsigsmalllu5.jpg

[TheKid]

Hey Kid, you could also look at the Reg Redaro designs at Lightfoot cycles (the Stormy Weather), inclement weather AND speed!


Actually, I was thinking a combination of both designs from Lightfoot. The speed would be gone, because I need a much higher fairing. The Stormy Weather is way too low for me. I do like the idea of hiding the front wheel, but I may have to convert to a 20" front wheel to make it narrower in front. The 26" wheel, when turned almost fully to either side, is nearly as wide as the track. A 20" wheel would enable the front to be 6" narrower than it would have to be now. Anther option would be to make the DR into a quad, and make the boxy type fairing, but with an old time truck front end, similar to a '40 Ford. That's in the future. I'd much rather have a fairing on the Fox.

Can't wait to see what kind of velomobile-ish HPV rolls out of New York next!


Don't hold your breath, Joey. This is a really slow process. It's taking forever for the epoxy to set in this colder weather. I hope the fast hardener gets here soon.

[savarin]

Don't hold your breath, Joey. This is a really slow process. It's taking forever for the epoxy to set in this colder weather. I hope the fast hardener gets here soon.

I had this problem in the uk when I built a windsurfer in the winter.
West systems clear epoxy, not polyester resin. (called experimental in those days)
I rolled 2 propane room heaters into the garage to heat it up to speed up the setting.I got the setting time down from 2 days to 6 hours.

[TheKid]

I wish I could do that, but there's no room. Besides, it's too expensive, so I'll wait. The problem is I bought the slow hardener because I intended to do this in the summer. So now I'm waiting for the fast hardener, which will take just a few hours to set in the colder weather. I'm doing whatever I can in the basement, where it's a bit warmer. I'm using epoxy also, not polyester for a number of reasons. Even though it's more than twice the price, polyester has a tendency to develop hairline cracks. It's also ultra flammable, stinks to the high heavens, and nasty if you get any on your skin. The epoxy I'm using is odorless, much less flammable, and does not harm your skin at all. It washes off with soap and water.