What is Rotovelo
Rotovelo is a type of human powered vehicle (HPV) known most commonly as a ‘velomobile — a recumbent tricycle (differentiated from a conventional bicycle by its reclined seating position) with an aerodynamic shell or ‘fairing’. The velomobile format offers riders two main advantages:
- A significant speed improvement over a conventional bicycle; and
- weather protection from rain, wind, and sun. In Australia, as in most parts of the world, a velomobile is legally classified as a bicycle, and is therefore able to be safely ridden on the road.
There is a small but brewing worldwide culture of velomobile users serviced by a number of predominantly composite-based velomobile manufacturers. Rotovelo is the world’s first rotomoulded velomobile to make it onto the commercial market. According to Ben Goodall, Rotovelo’s designer and the Director of Trisled HPVs, this vehicle’s rotomoulded fairing makes it more affordable, durable, and practical than most other composite velomobiles. “Rotovelo is a velomobile you can use,” says Ben. “You can accidentally bang it into a garage door or touch–park it on the street without having to worry about scratching the paint. It’s a subtle shift, but it means that Rotovelo fills a totally different niche to our highend composite velomobiles.”
