While there are those of us who are strangely attracted to velomobiles - recumbent tricycles with full aerodynamic fairings - the idiosyncratic vehicles certainly have their drawbacks. Among these are the fact that the fairing, which is usually a hard shell, adds weight and traps heat inside with the rider. It also contributes to the sky-high price of the trikes, which can reach around US$15,000. Hase Bikes has taken an interesting approach with its KLIMAX 2K recumbent tricycle by using a weatherproof fabric fairing, that folds down and comes off when not wanted.
The KLIMAX trike itself has an aluminum frame, Shimano Tiagra gearing with SRAM Centera shifters, Avid Elixir 3 hydraulic brakes, a Cyo headlight, and 20-inch wheels. It weighs a hefty 29.5 kilograms (65 lbs), but comes equipped with a front hub Protanium 180W electric assist motor. Matching the rider's pedaling power, that motor allows the tricycle to maintain speeds up to 24 km/h (15 mph) - it also makes it possible to climb hills.
What makes the KLIMAX special, however, is its fairing. When riders want a more aerodynamic ride, see the first drops of rain appearing, or find the wind too chilly, they just take the fairing out of its stow bag and attach it to a mounting point at the front, then spread it open like an umbrella and attach it at the sides. The bottom of the trike is still open, although fenders should help minimize the road spray ... somewhat.
If there is no rain and they find themselves getting hot, riders just fold the fairing up and put it away.
About that 24 km/h, though. Some riders might find that top motor-assisted speed to be kind of slow, for a vehicle that's wide enough that cars may not be able to pass it easily. Fortunately, however, Hase is now working on the KLIMAX 5K. It will feature a 500 watt motor, that should allow for speeds up to 45 km/h (28 mph). Unlike the present 2K, its motor will operate independently of the pedals. Because of its higher top speed, the 5K would have to be licensed as a moped - in its native Germany, at least.
Prototypes of the KLIMAX 5K are currently being tested, and Hase Bikes tells us that it should be commercially available next spring (northern hemisphere) at a price of EUR7490 (US$10,517). The 2K sells for EUR5590 (US$7,862), plus EUR89.25 ($125) for shipping within Europe. Dealers in other continents are listed on the company website.
The video below shows the 5K in action.
Source: Designboom
But 29.5 kilos? Even with electric assist, that\'s way too heavy. I used to have a Sun USX delta trike that weighed that much and wouldn\'t ride it many places because it was just too cumbersome and slow. There are velomobiles out there that weigh less, even with a full body fairing. Even the Rotovelo, which is not especially light as velomobiles go, is less than 3 kilos heaver.
I probably have about $8000 in it, maybe more as I slowly added things on over time. However, since I use it as my primary vehicle, it has more than paid itself off as compared to car ownership. Once you factor in purchasing the car (even used), gas, maintenance, insurance, license, tag, etc it can pay for itself rather quickly. When I bought my first version (manual transmission and no electric assist), I made a deal with my wife that whatever she puts into her car (already owned so no car payments) then I could put the same amount into my trike. I figured that it would take me 2 years to break even off the original cost of $2600. This was back when gas prices were still hovering around $1/gal. But once I started tracking all of the expenses, much to my surprise, it paid for itself in 6 months. I then started to trick it out but it didn\'t take long to realize that I could not keep up with her spending so I had money available for other projects and interests (more bikes, boats, musical instruments, etc.)
So the short answer is, don\'t let the upfront costs scare you. Your running costs are very low and quickly eat up the expense of the cost of the vehicle if you intend to use it as your primary vehicle. As far as insurance goes, your home owners or renters insurance covers theft, and your auto medical coverage (and possibly uninsured motorists coverage) also transfers over to your bike/trike.