From: bonham@jade.ab.ca (Mike Bonham)
Subject: Re: WINTER IS COMING?! (ASCII graphic wind fairing, LONG)
Organization: Jade Simulations International, Inc., Calgary, AB, Canada
Date: Sat, 12 Sep 1992 21:40:12 GMT

In article <RN.4142@mts.ucs.UAlberta.CA> userMTAM@mts.ucs.UAlberta.CA (Mohammad Tamim) writes:

   I RIDE MY BIKE ALL THROUGH THE YEAR. MY GREATEST PROBLEM DURING THE
   WINTER IS FROZEN FINGER TIPS.
    ...
   I WILL APPRECIATE ANY SUGGESTION AND TIP. MY TOES ARE ALSO PRETTY 
   BAD IN THE COLD. THANKS IN ADVANCE.

I cycle-commute to work year-round, too.  Two winters ago I put together
a wind fairing (windshield) for my MTB to see if it would help with frozen
fingers and wind-chilled knees.  It is fairly big, but doesn't seem to
affect steering too badly, even in gusty conditions or on the highway with
trucks going past.

I tried to make it as `aerodynamic' as possible (although I'm no aero-
engineer and do not own even a small wind tunnel or fluid dynamics
simulator!)  It doesn't seem to hurt performance (or unfortunately, help
it by very much) but it sure does improve the comfort factor in windy,
rainy or cold conditions.  It looks pretty neat too, and masses only
about 550g (~1.2 lb).



               /\\                        ..================..
              / ||                      .''___            ___``.
             /  ||`==()`.              ((______===========_____))
            /   ||     `.`.             \\         ||         //
           /    ||      //               \\        ||        //
          /     ||    /~.__________       \\      |  |      //
         /      ||   /  /___________       \\     |__|     //
        /       ||  /  /                    \\    /--\    //
       /.    ___||__//``.`.                  \\  ||##||  //
       `.`.,'   || //.   `.`.                 \\ ||##|| //
         `.`.   ||//  \    `.`.                \\||##||//
         | `.`. ||/    |     `.`.               \||##||/
        |    `.`//      |                          ##
        |               |                          ##
         |             |                           ##
          \           /                            ##
           `._______,'                             ##

       side view				front view


It is made of clear acrylic plastic sheet (trade name `Guttagliss' or
`Makrolon')  inserted into a frame made of rigid PVC (commonly used
for electrical conduit) which I bent into a semi-conical shape (no
complex curves) using a torch, then sawed through one wall in a groove
running around the inside perimeter.  Every 10 cm I drilled through
the tube and clear sheet and injected hot-melt glue -- haven't had any
problems with the sheet pulling out of the frame, despite the audible
and visible flexing that occurs when I jump curbs with it.

The frame mounts at the bottom of the forks using threaded fender
braze-on eyelets.  At the top it is bolted to `standard' handle-bar
extenders.

Because it is the full width of the handlebars it completely shields
my hands which would otherwise be exposed to the full wind-chill
effect.  It also shields my knees and thighs and partially shields my
mid-section and my lower legs.  In rain, the shield deflects a lot
of water which would otherwise land on the fronts of my upper legs
and knees (cold knees are more susceptible to injury).

I put `Profile' forearm rests on the ends of my handlebar-extenders to
facilitate crouching when I duck behind the windshield in a headwind
or when `going aero' down a  particularly great hill.  It doesn't
matter that my elbows are stuck out because the shield is that wide
anyway.

I don't even take the shield off in summer, but put on my semi-slick
Avocet cross tires and rear Uni-disk and (pretend?) to go very fast.
I had my rig going 74 km/h down a long stretch of hill this summer,
and though I could feel a slight `swaying' effect due to the fairing
cutting the airflow like a rudder, I didn't feel out of control
or dangerously unstable at any time.  I've also ridden in winds of
about 50 km/h gusting to 80 or more and been able to control the
bike just fine.

John Forester his book Effective Cycling, pans fairings as a
performance accessory because of the weight, the reduction in airflow
over your natural cooling mechanism (skin) and relatively small speed
improvement.  I don't disagree, but for comfort in winter and inclement
conditions they are definitely worth it, and the drawbacks are of
relatively small magnitude, at least the way I ride.

Now if only I could figure out how to adapt this with shock-absorbing
forks....!

``Biking...it sure beats driving!''				-- Mike


P.S.  As far as foot comfort goes, that's a problem.  Boots thick
enough to keep your feet warm in -30 C don't fit into toe clips.
I've seen neoprene over-booties which fit over regular cycling shoes,
but haven't tried them.  I cycle in boots made for mountain-biking
-- like lightweight hiking boots cut down at the back for increased
ankle mobility.  I've built foot-fairings (`toe-jammers') out of 2-litre
pop bottles, which fit over my toe clips and have holes in the side
for the pedal spindle and straps to go through.  They keep slush and
wind out, and keep feet nice and warm, although they tend to crack where
the holes go through and require replacement quite often.  Maybe more
duct-tape would help!

P.P.S.  Does somebody want to put this into the winter-riding FAQ?

Comments, suggestions or queries welcome.  I don't make these things
commercially, but I could give people the dimensions if they want to
make their own.

-- 
  Mike Bonham        bonham@jade.ca        Jade Simulations International
``Perfection is achieved, not when there is no longer anything to add, but
  when there is no longer anything to take away.'' (like this .signature?)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles