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Windcheetah hypersport
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I turned my attention to the fairing, having never used one before.
I assumed the bike
would be faster, but I had not anticipated the vision loss with the road surface and its consequences.
Anything closer then 15 feet
was invisible.
Flats were a major drag, but I couldn't see, and avoid,
the road debris and potholes that were giving me grief.
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cyclist view
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Zzip fairing
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Then I got in a wreck. A woman backed into the bicycle lane even though she saw my flag. I swerved to avoid
her, dumped the bike, I slid to a stop (ouch) as did the bike. My clothing was shredded, the fairing
scratched, the side of the seat mangled. I bought new clothes and replaced the fairing and the seat.
These changes had unexpected results.
The Zzip fairing
I used the Windcheetah fairing mounts in conjunction with a locally made
Zzip fairing (clear). I was
averaging 1 flat/month on the
rear tire with the original fairing (before the wreck). After the wreck, with a clear fairing,
I could see the road and avoid potholes and debris - I had no flat tires. After 4 months I had
Mr Tuffy tire liners installed on
new Primo tires (for the fronts) as the Continental tires, it came with, were worn out (I was riding on threads).
Replacing the fairing had the unexpected effect of making the Windcheetah enjoyable to ride. With
the original fairing, I was used to flats where, with the Zzip fairing and Mr. Tuffy tire liners
flat tires are a thing-of-the-past.
Koolback seat
On the left is the factory supplied seat. I found it to be hot, uncomfortable (non-ergonomic) and
responsible for random steering 'twitch' because of its suspension, the "rubbers". Immediately
below it is the
Koolback seat suppliedby Easy Racers of Freedom, CA. The Koolback
seat was such an improvement over the original seat, that I rode my Windcheetah from my house (by UCSC) to
Freedom (a 34 mile round trip), the longest distance I have ever ridden on the Windcheetah.
1) The Koolback seat is well ventilated. When I sweat (often) it allows airflow
to evaporate the sweat and keep me cool, hence the name.
2) The Koolback seatback is designed for backs (ergonomic). It allows me to use the
large chainring (push harder). I never used the large chainring before, because it was too uncomfortable.
Using the large chainring, I
go farther, faster, in greator comfort everytime I ride my Windcheetah..
3) The Koolback seatback is mounted to the frame of my Windcheetah with no
modifations to any of the original parts (see the pictures on the right). The mounting of the Koolback seat directly affected the
steering of the Windcheetah and here is my theory:
"The steering is dependent upon the joystick being turned smoothly by the
rider. The rider's upper body should not suddenly shift (the seatback must be anchored
securely
to the frame) and be idependent from movement of the seat bottom. This allows the seat bottom to absorb shocks without
transmitting
movement to the upper-body and, hence, the joystick thus affecting
the handling of the Windcheetah"
I had a person comment on how 'squirrelly'
the Windcheetah was (I was all over the bike lane, going down a hill. He gave me a wide berth, passing
me in the traffic lane). I knew the Windcheetah was steering erratically everytime I rode it, but
had no idea why that was. I was holding the joystick securly, I was certain. Maybe it was the toein? I
didn't know why. On rough roads I had noticed the steering was more
erratic, but didn't make the connection between seat movement and steering.
It took replacing the fairing and the seat to make the Windcheetah enjoyable to ride.
The fenders keep road dirt and water off the rider, but it is importent to visually verify
the wear on the front tires before a ride so you're not riding on the threads of the tire as I was.
My right
fender was damaged so I was riding the Windcheetah with the right fender removed. My right side was getting
sprayed with road dirt (too much fun), but I could see the tire tread on that side. I got the fender fixed,
and immediately put it back on.
It took time, more then $600,a trip to the
emergency room and a lot of determination, but my Windcheetah is
silent, comfortable, steers predictably
and is a joy to ride. I am so grateful to my brother for the Windcheetah. I am able to move at speed under my own power, gift of freedom.
I am always getting comments like, "A cool ride", or,
"That's a serious racing machine", or, "That looks really comfortable" - they are all correct. I would recommend
ordering a tadpole trike, but with some modifications. To see what I am riding now (July 23, 2006)
click here.
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