Velomobile Construction (Body)
Velomobile bodies are either monocoque (with the chassis comprising part or all of the fairing) or attached to a trike base. The monocoque bodies are self-supporting and more solid than the fairings that are mounted on trikes, and the trike-based fairings tend to be lighter and easier to transport. Leitra and Thunderstorm are trike-based European velomobiles. The Stormy Weather velomobile is also built on a trike base. The Aurora was prototyped as a trike-based model but was soon changed to a monocoque design. Most velomobile bodies are made of glass-fiber reinforced polyester (fiberglass), the the Versatile uses Twintex, and some velomobiles are built of carbon fiber or a combination of materials. The Alleweders have aluminum bodies. Velomobile color has a large impact on interior temperature as well as on visibility. Yellow is common because it doesn't overheat and is easy to see.
updated 3 February 2007
| Velomobile | materials | repair issues | colors available | type of fairing | versatility |
| Aerorider | glass fiber-reinforced polyester | ? | (has been seen in yellow, red, and white) | monocoque, head-in | |
| Alleweder (Alligt A3) | pop-riveted aluminum | repairable by owner (assuming some metal-working skills) | Natural aluminum color; can be painted in automotive colors. | monocoque, head out; many owners have built roofs, and the Versatile fabric roof can be adapted to fit.
| |
| Alleweder (Alligt A4) | |||||
| Alleweder (Alligt A5) | |||||
| Alleweder (Flevobike) | |||||
| Alleweder (US Flevo) | |||||
| Aurora | Vacuum bagged or infused shell using Graphite, Graphite/Vectran, Kevlar, Glass/polyester and Glass laminates. | ? | (prototypes in yellow, red, and orange) | Monocoque construction with graphite central beam to which all the bike parts attach; head-out | optional roof |
| Butterfly | ? | ? | both of the existing copies are light blue | front-mounted canopy opens with hydraulic assist; head-in, can be ridden head-out | |
| Cab-Bike | Fiberglass/Polyester | can be repaired by owner. | white | monocoque; head-in | several configurations possible - removable windows and canopy; can convert between regular Cab-Bike and Speedster versions. |
| Cab-Bike Speedster | monocoque; head-out | ||||
| go-one3 (carbon) | carbon fiber | may shatter | many color choices | monocoque; head-in | can ride without roof |
| go-one3 (fiberglass) | glass fiber | repairable by owner | many color choices | monocoque; optional roof | |
| Leiba | glass fiber | repairable by owner | many color choices | monocoque; head-in | |
| Leitra (small) | glass fiber | repairable by owner | many color choices | Bare trike, with front fairing and rear-tailbox available separately; very light-weight, fairing opens on a front-mounted hinge; head-in | Can be ridden head-out. Size reduces enough to transport as luggage by air. |
| Leitra (Sport and medium) | |||||
| Leitra (extra long/tall) | |||||
| Mango | glass fiber | repairable by owner | yellow, white, or red | monocoque; head out | can use Versatile fabric roof or optional racing cap. |
| Quest (26" - current model) | glass fiber | repairable by owner | yellow, white, or red (molded-in color - other colors can be sprayed on) | monocoque; head out | can use Versatile fabric roof or optional racing cap. |
| Quest (20" - low floor) | |||||
| Quest (20" - flat floor) | |||||
| Sorcerer | e-glass polyester | ? | blue? | monocoque; head-out with fabric cover. | optional roof for racing |
| Stormy Weather | carbon-reinforced fiberglass, gel-coated | ? | white | trike base; head-in with fabric top/side cover | body bolts together from four sections; very light weight. |
| Sunrider | glass fiber reinforced polyester | ? | ? | monocoque; head-out | |
| Thunderstorm | glass fiber | repairable by owner | many colors | front-hinged light-weight fairing derived from Leitra design, fitted on trike base. | removable fairing. |
| Versatile | Twintex | recyclable material, probably not repairable by owner. | all automotive paint colors, including SIKKENS special-effect paint (chameleon effect) | monocoque; head-out | optional roof |
| WAW | carbon and aramide fiber with epoxy resin | resists scratches; modular construction allows replacement of sections. | RAL, MOTIP (including metallic) and SIKKENS (pearl effect) | monocoque; head-out | optional roof, body separates into 3 parts for transport |
| new 2007 WAW |