Bicycles

Dryve keeps you dry(ish) on your bike

Dryve keeps you dry(ish) on your bike
Dryve shields cyclists from raindrops – or at least, from the ones coming straight at them
Dryve shields cyclists from raindrops – or at least, from the ones coming straight at them
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Dryve shields cyclists from raindrops – or at least, from the ones coming straight at them
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Dryve shields cyclists from raindrops – or at least, from the ones coming straight at them
Dryve attaches to the handlebars and the back of the saddle within about 30 seconds
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Dryve attaches to the handlebars and the back of the saddle within about 30 seconds

Nobody likes getting rained on while cycling, yet most of us probably aren’t quite ready to shell out for an enclosed velomobile, either. That’s why Swiss company Allnew recently introduced Dryve – it’s a flexible, detachable rain cover for bikes.

Dryve attaches to the handlebars and the back of the saddle within about 30 seconds, arching over the rider sort of like the fairing on the never-reached-production Sinclair X-1 e-bike. This means that while the rider’s face and back are for the most part shielded from the rain, they’re completely exposed on either side. A semi-rigid circular polycarbonate "windshield" on the front offers better outward visibility than the crinkly plastic that surrounds it, although judging by the video on the product website (linked below), it still collects its fair share of water droplets.

Dryve attaches to the handlebars and the back of the saddle within about 30 seconds
Dryve attaches to the handlebars and the back of the saddle within about 30 seconds

When not in use, the 850-gram (1.9-lb) rain cover can be collapsed down into a photographic reflector-like hoop configuration, then stored in an included stuff sack that can be carried on the bike’s rear rack.

Dryve was recently showcased at Eurobike 2014 in Germany, and should be available in a variety of colors for €126 (about US$163) as of next spring (Northern Hemisphere). If you just can’t wait, you might want to check out the somewhat similar Veltop.

Source: Dryve

5 comments
5 comments
Gadgeteer
Good idea. I like it. But it does seem a little more complicated that it needs to be to be deployed. Why not have it rolled up and be semi-permanently attached to the handlebars? Then unroll and hook onto the back of the saddle. Reverse to stow. It also really could use one of those superhydrophobic coatings Gizmag has reported on several times in the last few years.
Primecordial
One gust of wind is going to put that 'kite' under the wheels of a passing semi.
StWils
Both comments are right. I would be very concerned about using this with any wind from any direction. Better to either get wet or get off when rained upon. However, I do think this or a variant of this would work on a recumbent pedelec trike.
Gregg Eshelman
How badly does the opaque back end block rearward vision? At the least it would make helmet mounted rearview mirrors useless.
Grant-53
The traditional rain poncho is tough to beat. This device is a sail. The aero drag is enormous and never, ever attach a fairing to the handlebars!