Non-Motorized, Human Powered

Crashworthy?? Not. That's a cool rig if you're the only one around on the road, but get in an accident with another vehicle in that thing and it may be a death trap. Godspeed...

It's a problem vehicle: Its safetytotally depends on the skill and will of the driver to make good judgements and results of 'driver-error' are huge. It can go too fast for a bike path and would be hard to see in vehicular traffic, especially for drivers who sit high in SUVs, vans or trucks. In a sense, nothing new: Young blades with fast horses were the scourge of their times.

I'm the guy driving this goofy pedal car. I'll try to answer your questions...

What is it?
- It's called a velomobile. The brand name of this one is an IntercityBike DF, from the Netherlands. It is considered a bicycle according to California law. It's actually a tricycle with 2 wheels up front and 1 in the back. It's made of carbon fiber and uses bicycle components. It has a monocoque chassis with full suspension. It has no motor.

- How many are there in Santa Barbara?
There are 3. I have 2. The blue one above and an all white one. The white velomobile is a Milan SL built by Velomobile.CA in Canada. The orange one mentioned in one of the comments belongs to a friend in Goleta. It is also an IntercityBike velomobile but it is the slightly larger DFXL model.

- Where do I ride them?
I do ride (at bicycle speeds) on the bike path on my way to Cathedral Oaks or Goleta Beach. My favorite place to ride is PCH from Rincon down to Ventura and back. Velomobiles like being ridden on flat or rolling hill rides with few intersections or signals. You won't see me climbing Gibraltar in one. Velomobiles can weigh anywhere from 45 to 75 lbs so they are not great for climbing.

- How fast do they go?
These are quite fast. A friend of mine clocked 55mph in his IntercityBike DF at the last Battle Mountain Land Speed trials. I’m not nearly that fast. On the open flat road, such as PCH, I can maintain high 20s to low 30s (mph) speeds. On the bike path, I keep it down to normal bike speeds in order to respect the safety of kids, other riders, joggers and dog walkers.

- Are they safe?
With the side windows and rear view mirrors, the outward visibility is actually quite good. As for being seen… Judging by their reactions and cell phone cameras pointing at me, drivers don’t seem to have a problem spotting these unusual vehicles on the open road. Where it does get dangerous is riding in parking lots and in congested traffic where drivers in their tall SUVs may not spot me next to them down low. I either try to avoid those situations or if I can’t, I assume that I am not seen and stay out of the way until it’s safe to proceed.

- Where do you get a velomobile serviced?
Even though the drive train is composed of standard bicycle components, most bike shops don’t have the experience nor interest in working on velomobiles’ unusual suspension, steering and carbon fiber parts. A velomobile owner ends up being his own mechanic. I’ve taken it a step further. I also design and make my own enhanced carbon fiber and 3D printed body parts.

- Where can I get one?
Most brands of velomobiles originate in Europe. It’s interesting that most are manufactured for these different companies by one company in Romania called velomobileworld. There is one dealer in the US that carries most brands. That dealer is www.Bicycle-Evolution.com in Texas. He handles all of the red tape of shipping and customs. With the weak US dollar against the Euro and the rise in shipping costs, expect to pay around $15,000 for a new one. Used velomobiles turn up on the web site http://www.bentrideronline.com/messageboard/ in the classifieds, Trikes for Sale section. Used ones can be bought anywhere from $6000 to $12000, depending on model and condition etc.

- Where can I learn more?
Google the term "velomobile".
www.velomobileworld.com
www.bicycle-evolution.com
www.intercitybike.nl
www.velomobiel.nl

Yabba Dabba Do!

Neat but those windows look dangerously small.

Yeah, seen this guy rollin' around on the bikepath by Goleta Beach before. I think there's a few in town, saw an orange 1 on Los Carneros just recently.
Cool machines, but I gotta add, not a lot of visibility out of or on those, low to the ground, hard to see in a high profile vehicle & limited view from the cockpit.
Still, as an engineer, I gotta say it's cool & if it gets somebody out there pedalin' a bike, extra added + in my humble opinion. Personally, as an avid cyclist, nope, not for me, but it's got my respect.

It's a bike! Big deal!

It's an enclosed recumbent bike. I think the owner has two similar ones. He's often zipping along the bike path out towards Goleta Beach. I bet it was a neat project to put together. Hopefully, someone knows more and can fill us all in a little more.