Snoek velomobile: the commute
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
- I didn't plan to use the Snoek for commuting. That task falls to my df velomobile. But I haven't reconfigured the steering of the df yet, after breaking one of the steering rods. So I use the Snoek. But is it faster than the df?
I just met you today at Children’s Memorial Park. Great video and cool ride. Thanks for chatting and sending me your RUclips page.
Was nice to meet you today. I managed to do a century. Hope you had a great ride!
So DF is best velomobile. Thanks for the honest review.
Haha, another proud DF rider (from Finland) gives thumbs up 😀
Snoek looks very streamlined and is quite light for a velomobile, though. It has lots of potential ✌
@@seppoinnanen5577 no, i tested all of them now, DF is the fastest.
@@veloalien3201 What a pleasant surprise 👌
That's a really nice commute. I've got a 17.5m commute, all on bike paths, but there are only a few bridges or underpasses; mostly, I'm having to slow down or stop at cross streets. Also, I didn't see any mommy's pushing strollers side by side, and getting offending that you scared their babies - that must be nice.
Some people are offended. Some tell me to get that thing off the bicycle path, onto roads where it belongs. We do get strollers, so we must be careful to spot them ahead of time. Also, horses.
@@shenzhenpingpong Tell them its a bicycle
@@johnyang1420 , I do, but people are offended anyway.
Firstly, a great vid - one that I find both interesting and informative (as an experienced DF commuter). Thanks for posting!
The first half of that track is slightly downhill but pretty tight with a number of curves / turns. Its hard to believe any velo could go much faster on that track. You'd need an open road to reach the full potential of either velo. Do you feel the DF handles those tight bends better or is it too early to tell, ie is it a case of getting used to the new snoek or is the handling of the snoek slightly compromised by your seating position (raised CoG)? Perhaps the snoek is marginally faster in a straight line but the DF corners faster??? I look forward to further updates as you get more settled in with the snoek. Thanks again. 🙂
the DF can reach 1.5 km/hr faster on that first section. Cornering without scrubbing too much speed is very important. My seat position is very low indeed in the DF. Certainly, at the moment, the DF handles more securely. I am not confident at the moment to reach that cornering limit on the Snoek. I am also reluctant to take the cutting tools to my Snoek seat, to lower it 2.5 cm, unless I can secure a spare.
Great trail...Where is this?...
The Loop, Tucson AZ.
You know what you are supposed to do at stop signs?
Sure. And I do stop. However, I often roll through a four way stop if I see it's clear. And the stop sign shown in this video is inside a private neighborhood, and I can see there is nothing coming, so I roll through slowly.
From my own bike videos I know one gets the impression the vehicle is going a lot faster than I actually was. BUT......Your video REALLY is scary. It looks like the slightest mistake could be VERY "hurtful". it's like flying a fighter jet in a box canyon. Also, given the additional weight compared to an e-bike, I would think having a battery and motor on board would make it easier to quickly accelerate at stop signs and traffic lights and also, of course, ease up the work load on hills.
I just need to improve my condition to ride harder. Of course, I am really very familiar with every curve and bump on the route. Actually, I ride the DF harder on Pro Ones as it corners even harder and sticks the turns without hopping sideways. Lesser tires like these don't have the grip necessary to push 9/10ths. John Abbey left paint on one of the bridges as he took one slightly beyond the abilities of the Quest. I ride with full concentration, optimizing every line, no music, no distractions. Last week, I rode the route on the way to work much faster than on this video. About 90%. It's fun learning the course, even year after year, ride after ride, you can always find one or two seconds extra somewhere. I think it's the same as driving on a race course and learning the course, optimizing it all. Safety is of primary importance, both to other users and not destroying the Snoek, so you can see I do not go full gas at various spots.
Great video! I am jealous, not just about the bike path but also the weather! I have been commuting 14 miles each way in the dark and cold both ways for what seems like months now. Trying to remember where the potholes are, other cars lights in my eyes. I am, though, pretty confident in the handling of my DF now, it's just those moments of lights in eyes, where's the curb etc that are a bit trying.
You probably won't be jealous of our weather in summer. It's an oven. Blinding light in eyes, I get that problem at sunset sometimes. Can't see anything.
Looks fun and exciting... and i know that the wide angle camera makes it seem faster and closer and narrower than it really is, but I did feel pretty concerned about you doing nearly 30mph on some segments passing pedestrians and dogs and other cyclists while crossing over lanes and passing on blind corners. I hope you don't have a collision that you or someone else will regret. All that said, I get it... I know from my own riding videos that reality looks a bit different from the wide angle action camera view... and I have had people tell me similar things about my riding... but I just really hope you stay safe.
Yeah, thanks - of course one should be careful always. That part on my commute is very familiar to me, with all the turns and obstacles etc. I feel comfortable running at that speed, but I do not go as fast as possible of course.
Thanks for posting, it gives an excellent idea how you ride in your part of the world to work. I sometimes take my DF XL for the commute but it is only 7 km and 25 percent riding in the historic city of Utrecht. Surprised as to how much bicycling paths you have, separate from main roads. You can find my commute looking at my pro. Best wishes with the Snoek!
We're luckier than most cities in the USA. Because of flooding, we have monsoons, they built those banks along the river beds. And someone had the foresight to make it into what it is now, one of the best recreational cycling networks in the country.
Your video is much more classy than mine! Loved the music. And your route is beautiful. And I'm sure Utrecht is much more interesting than Tucson. What app did you use to put that speedometer in?
What a fantastic looking bike path.
All that speed by human power? That’s awesome!
Yes, all human power, and actually, not high power - as I'm not a very strong cyclist.
Some parts of that bike path look really good (such as 04:00 should be minimum standard if someone asked me…) others frightening narrow and much too curvy. And underpasses are the velonauts' friends. :-)
Yeah, some parts are narrow and will stay narrow. Just have to exercise caution.
wow is this the first snoek in the US? where is this? Arizona? damn it must be tucson ... I do have a photographic memory ... so scary.... dry heat ... that's doable even for me...
I would not survive this run ... it is way too fast for a speed freak like me that's why I opted for the quattrovelo....🤣
This is Snoek serial 010. John Williams also has a Snoek. And there is a third Snoek with Doug Church. These are the Snoeks I know of in the USA.
Yes, it's southern Arizona.
Looks like a Mario kart track compared to the cycle tracks I have around here - mostly gravel and ruts/roots more mtb territory but passable on a gravel bike. Too narrow and too many gates for anything bigger
Funny to see a velomobile in the US, thought it wouldn't be a thing outside Europe. Even rare in the Netherlands, where i live.
How do you find riding in the heat, whats it like out there? Does it help to keep out of the sun and do you cook if you are going up hills?
Thnaks
Heat is a big problem due to the sun shining directly on the shell. The velomobile really heats beyond ambient temperature. You can insulate the shell from the inside, I've tried this with the DF, but it just buys you some time. The thing that really works are fans - fan blowing on your face, fan blowing at your back through the seat.
@@shenzhenpingpong Maybe consider a mister system for evaporative cooling on head, neck and arms
@@blazingst4rz , too much water use. I drink all the water on board. That's about 10lbs worth.
Great Video and excellent commentary! You're lucky that you have the option of riding part of the loop to work! Also I enjoyed the memories you shared about Airmoose. I've never met him in person but had great conversations with him online. It's too bad the Snoek isn't as fast as it was advertised to be. Since the Snoek is so new, I'm wondering if the Milan SL MK7 would have been a better option for you. At 5'10" I probably wouldn't fit in the Milan SL real well but if I were shorter and going for speed, I'd probably look to get the Milan.
Actually, I almost bought a Milan, but then the pandemic intervened.The mk7 seems to be a step in the right direction. A mini-Milan SL might be great for someone like me, but it's unlikely to happen.
Cool video! I have yet to meet a road cyclist that can keep up with me accelerating in velomobiles by the way. Train your short intervals! :)
Enjoyed your ride! On screen it's a bit scary sometimes... And I like your path and the wheater.
Great Video again, and thx for keeping the subs on a bit longer much more enjoyable for me this way (or i got better at speed reading😜) what a great ride to work I envy you for that. I lived in tucson in 1996 for half a year and there wasn’t such a thing as the ring then. I’d love to have ridden that. But i do remember how warm it gets after about the end of April. I couldn’t ride my motorcycle with a full-face helmet because I was about to get a heatstroke as soon as I would stop for traffic lights etc. How do you ventilate cool down enough in summertime? I had a DF and currently ride a QV in Germany in a hilly area and its murder in summer, and we don’t have the heat you have there. (Although the last years temps have gone up in summer quite a bit)
I’m really looking forward to your stats after you have optimized the Snoek. I remember having pizza and beers on campus on Fridays after sports in “the Firkin Frog” does that still exist? Anyway great Vid looking forward to the next
Such a small world, isn't it? Yes, the Frog and Firkin is still around on University. Summer is very challenging here. In my DF, I have 5 fans. No, actually 6.
And I worry about breaking steering rod of my DF, it has a good 65,000 km on its clock and I imagine that when it breaks the bike might get out of control.
Mine broke and I barely avoided hitting two trees. Why not replace it anyway?
fast like fighterpilot
Seems it’s a challenge to keep the bike on its lane. You are often on the side of the opposite traffic. How is cornering compared to a normal bike?
I deliberately use both lanes on the bike path when it's safe to do so, often straddling the middle. For cornering, the highest speed is to use the opposite lane to enter..
Nice video and a beautiful track. It looks like a fast one.!
The Snoek is not yet fast enough for my liking. It must be able to beat the df.
@@shenzhenpingpong maybe a racecap would make the difference?
@@dfxl161 , yes but the df also has a race hood too. Apples to apples comparison.
don't know why it is but all your roads seem like they are downhills lol
On the commute it is slightly downhill overall (80m climbing, 160m descending), so the commute home is slightly uphill - and less interesting.
@@shenzhenpingpong i was just joking really, because of the speeds. you have some great paths to ride on. looks like a really fun circuit, esp in a velo.
Hey sandy, Jon velarde here again..great vid..scary, but nice trail..I know your a pro level rider..but damn, that's fast..an yeah it's good to know your own trail..very important..but yeah that's a neat trail..keep your head on a swivel..lol..so fun
Nice Track! Cool Vid
Hello, for me the bikeway you ride are not secret. A Velomobile is for riding fast on flat or litle hilly roads long distances. Question is what will be your riding time with a normal bike on this way ? And the diffrence with the snoek.
In the video, I give the road bike speeds and the df vs. Snoek.
a folding Bike Friday is not exactly a "road bike". great video and commentary. thank you again. @@shenzhenpingpong
3:29 If a bike comes from the opposit direction you have a HUGE crash!!! How can you risk that??? You seem to have a built in radar so you can see behind bends... That´s dangerous man!
And something else what i noticed is that the surfaces you drive on are in a very poor condition. I don´t want to say that the roads are shit!
Huge crash indeed....
If you ride these paths every day, you will understand when you can go fast and when you can see ahead. And in my case, I know every inch. For someone new to this particular route, I recommend a lot of caution.
We can't do anything about the sh_t roads. Some of the potholes around here will total a velomobile.
@@shenzhenpingpong The roads are shit thanks to the heat and very heavy/big US cars i imagine.