| Velomobile | History:
The earliest of the modern velomobiles is the Leitra, and its shell is being adapted to the Thunderstorm velomobile.
The Alleweder family of velomobiles includes the various Alleweders, the Quest and Mango, and the Cab-Bike and Go-one, all of which share the same basic design. The WAW, Versatile, and Leiba follow from this line.
Several other velomobiles have been developed separately. | Manufacturer | Dealers (mostly links to manufacturers' dealer lists, since these change often) | Location | General Description |
| Aerorider | Developed over several years, and released in 2004, the Aerorider introduced a larger, more solid type of velomobile, with a hybrid drive system using both pedal and electric power. | Aerorider | Belgium, New Zealand, Netherlands and Korea | Netherlands | pedal-electric hybrid, fully-enclosed |
| Alleweder (Alligt A3) | An improved version of the Alleweder developed in the late 1990's | out of production, available used | | Netherlands | Aluminum velomobile with a smooth top, 26" rear wheel. |
| Alleweder (Alligt A4) | In 2005-2006, Alligt updated the Alleweder, improving the kit for easier assembly and adding more luggage space and better drivetrain protection. This new AAW has hub gear options available. | Alligt & Lohmeyer
| Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and US | Netherlands & Germany | Updated aluminum-body AW velomobile, in two sizes, with 20" wheels all around.
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| Alleweder (Alligt A5) |
| Alleweder (Flevobike) | Flevobike built velomobile kits during the 1990's in cooperation with Bart Verhees. This VM design was distinguished by the double hump on the front. | out of production, available used | | Netherlands | Aluminum-body velomobile with a distinctive double hump on the front. |
| Alleweder (US Flevo) | David Eggleston in Texas obtained the license for the Flevobike version of the Alleweder and began producing it in kit and finished versions in 2003. | VelomobileUSA | | Texas, US | Aluminum-body velomobile with a distinctive double hump on the front. |
| Other Alleweders | Bart Verhees built the first Alleweder in the late 1980's, and it went into production in 1992 as a kit. Another version was the C-Alleweder (a carbon-fiber racing VM built in 1996 with about 30 produced by Flevobike), and the Limit (the same carbon VM subsequently made by Tempelman until around 2003) | out of production, infrequently available on the used market. | | Netherlands | |
| Aurora | Steve Schleicher, a kayak-builder in British Columbia, made a fairing for a Kettwiesel trike, then developed the Aurora velomobile, with initial sales in late 2006. | Nimbus Kayaks | Cambie Cycles | British Columbia, Canada | Delta style (2 wheels in back, one in front) VM with an optional roof. |
| Butterfly | Jörg Birkenstock builds mostly tail-faired racing bikes but has produced two of these fully-enclosed velomobiles and does offer them for sale. | Birkenstock Bicycles | | Switzerland | Enclosed, with outboard front wheels in wheelcases. Top is removable. |
| Cab-Bike | Developed by Reinhold Schwemmer in Germany as a commuting and errand-running vehicle, with good weather protection. Modified after consultation with Flevobike about aerodynamics and componentry, and sold since 2000. | Cab-Bike | Germany, Netherlands, and Canada | Germany | fully-enclosed velomobile with Rohloff hub gear, extremely large luggage capacity. |
| Cab-Bike Speedster | The head-out version of the Cab-Bike was developed to allow faster speeds and easier communication. | head-out version of the Cab-Bike. |
| go-one3 (carbon) | Beyss fabricates the bodies for the Mango and Quest and also makes this carbon-fiber velomobile, which shares many mechanical features with the Alleweder family of velomobiles. The go-one3 body was designed by Michael Goretzky, who was also involved with the "smart" car. | Beyss | Belgium and Switzerland
recently also in the US. | Germany | The go-one3; is a stylish velomobile with a full-enclosure option. |
| go-one3 (fiberglass) | The carbon-fiber version of the go-one3; was too expensive for many potential buyers, so in about 2003 or 2004, Beyss introduced a fiberglass version that is also available as a kit. The short supply and high price of carbon fiber also led to development of a hybrid chassis composed of carbon-fiber, fiberglass and Kevlar, known as the “Modified Fiber” chassis. |
| Leiba | Making its first appearance in 2003 was the Leiba, by Eduard Ganske and Vasili Gess (from Kyrgyzstan, but now living in Germany). | Leiba | | Germany | The Leiba is a teardrop-shaped VM with a front-opening full fairing. |
| Leitra (small) | Carl Georg Rasmussen in Denmark began developing the Leitra in 1979 and began commercial production in 1983. A Canadian licensee plans to bring production to Canada.
| Leitra | Partners in several countries | Denmark
| The Leitra is a trike with a frame to which a lightweight fairing is mounted. The two front wheels are outside the fairing. |
| Leitra (Sport and medium) |
| Leitra (extra long/tall) |
| Mango | Introduced in 2003 by Velomobiel as a smaller and less-expensive "little sister" of the Quest, the Mango has been built since 2006 in cooperation with Go-Mango. | Go-Mango | Germany and Canada | Netherlands | Mango is a head-out VM entered through a hatch on top. It is shorter than the Quest and has open wheelwells. |
| Quest (26" - current model) | In 2004-2005, Velomobiel began developing a version of the Quest with a 26" wheel in back (26" in front on one prototype but 20" on the production models). They also eliminated the mid-drive. | Velomobiel | Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany | Netherlands | Quest is a head-out VM entered through a hatch on top. It is longer than the Mango, and generally has closed wheelwells, although open wheelwells are available as an option. |
| Quest (20" - low floor) | The Quest dates from 2000, when former Flevobike employees Ymte Sijbrandij and Allert Jacob founded Velomobiel.nl to produce their improved velomobile design. | Older Quest velomobiles are available on the used market. | | Netherlands | Quest is a head-out VM entered through a hatch on top. It is longer than the Mango, and has closed wheelwells. The older Quests have 20" wheels. |
| Quest (20" - flat floor) |
| Sorcerer | Tri-Sled in Australia has built the Sorcerer since 2003. | Tri-Sled | | Australia | The Sorcerer is an extremely narrow VM that is available in a closed racing version and a head-out street model. |
| Stormy Weather | Canadian Reg Rodaro worked on the Stormy Weather through the 1990's and by the 2000's had developed a stable design that was adopted by Lightfoot Cycles in Montana. | Lightfoot Cycles | | Canada/Montana | This delta (two-wheel in back) VM gains its full enclosure from a cloth cover over the mid-section. |
| Sunrider | Aerorider showed a prototype of the Sunrider in 2006. This velomobile shares many design features with the Aerorider but is "head-out" and "pedal-only." | Aerorider | | Netherlands | The Sunrider has been shown only as a prototype - a lower, lighter, pedal-only head-out version of the Aerorider. |
| Thunderstorm | Thomas Seide in Austria began work on this velomobile in 2006. It combines a modified Leitra fairing with a Stein Trike base. Formal introduction at SPEZI 2007 (German bike show). | BikeRevolution | | Austria | The Thunderstorm looks like a lower version of a Leitra, but with the wheels inboard. |
| Versatile | Flevobike in the Netherlands was involved in velomobile development from the early commercialization of the Alleweder. Flevobike employees went on to build the C-Alleweder and later the Quest and Mango, while Flevobike itself worked on a new generation of velomobiles. The Versatile incorporates several innovations in design, production, and manufacture. It was introduced in 2004 after a long development period. In 2005, Ligfietsshop Tempelman began co-producing the Versatile. | Flevobike
Ligfietsshop Tempelman | | Netherlands | A head-out VM with a front-hinged canopy for easy entry. The Versatile is designed for larger-scale production. |
| WAW | Frederik Van De Walle designed the WAW and Dries Callebaut of Fietser.be has been building it in Ghent, Belgium since 2003. | Fietser.be | In Europe, Elmar Maier (Germany), Ligfietswinkel Amsterdam (NL), and Pedalkraft (Denmark)
in North America, Bent-up Cycles and Bluevelo | Belgium | A long, low VM with top entry. Fast, stable, and maneuverable, it has been updated recently (late 2006, early 2007) in response to rider feedback. |
