| Road Test | 
Versatile | 
Mango | 
Quest | 
WAW | 
Cab-Bike |
| Amount of noise: total level & quality and source of noise: | Excellent - no chain noise, no body rattles etc. | Some body noise (constant vibration picked up by road wheels). Some chain noise | Very quiet. No real body noise - some chain & machine noise (see note) | Quite noisy - some road generated noise, especially if the head is placed within the head roll-bar area. This is basically a 'rumble.' Some unfaired recumbents with hard seats make a similar noise - many drivers do not seem worried by this kind ofnoise. | Actual rumble from road noise not too bad (compare Waw). However, noises from bumps are terrifying. |
| Ride quality: vibration from road - general comfort, potholes & bumps etc | Good | Somewhat rougher than Quest | Good | Generally very comfortable. Handles potholes & bumps superbly. Is able able to
cope with all manner of surfaces and obstacles smoothly | Quite rough - in fact so rough in Ghent that I was beginning to assume I had a flat tyre. |
| Steering: 'feel' at moderate speeds - is there adequate feedback? | Very good | Yes | Yes | The best steering of a vehicle I have ever driven (including my own long wheelbase
machines) - totally predictable and controllable. | Good |
| Steering: Is it possible to take the hands off the steering at 30 Kmh? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Stopping - Is it progressive and gradual? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes excellent. There is a single brake lever on each of the steering bars for for the corresponding hub brake. This simple arrangement gives a tremendous efficiency and also allows skilful riders to do the equivalent of a handbrake turn. | The brakes on the (well used) example I tested were not very good but I don't think is necessarily representative. |
| How easy is getting in and out - Is it possible to get in or out on a 10% slope? | Easy - 'bonnet' lifts forward. Effective rear handbrake. | Yes - actually getting in and out is much easier than other reviews had suggested. Area around head opening is strong enough to sit on and from there one can lower oneself onto the seat. | Yes - actually getting in and out is much easier than other reviews had suggested. | The lack of a real handbrake is felt here (needs fixing). In terms of getting into the vehicle, this is no more difficult than a Quest or Mango. | I found this much harder than I expected - much more awkward than entry to the Quest or Waw |
| Absolute performance - speed versus effort - | | | | | |
| What does 3Km covered at 30Khm feel like? | Easy | Probably OK but very difficult to see speedo | A 'gift'. It is difficult to go that slowly | No speedometer was fitted to the vehicle under test so this was very difficult to properly assess -however the vehicle felt extremely quick and 'glided' very well inthe same way as the Quest. | Not really tested (No working speedometer) |
| What about 4Km covered at 40Kmh? | Just about possible for me | Unknown (too difficult to see speedo) | Easily possible | No speedometer. However if in central Ghent it was possible to keep up with small
motorcycles/ and mopeds which are limited to 45 Km. | Not really tested |
| How does the machine perform in cross winds? | Excellent - this was well tested on a windy day in open country. | Copes well but some effect | Not bad, some roll effect but vehicle goes in straight line (This was first vehicle with tiller steering I had ridden so I was very much learning at the time!) | There was no wind on the day of the test so this is untested. Given that the steering is so good, and the body small, one would expect good handling in cross winds. | Not really tested |
| What kind of visibility is there from the rider's position? | Versatile | Mango | Quest | WAW | Cab-Bike |
| forward | Excellent | Good | Good | Very good | Good |
| sideways | Excellent | Good | Good | Very good | Good |
| aft | Excellent | Good | Good | Very good; two mirrors were fitted to the test vehicle. | The mirror, which is positioned in the roof, is rather peculiar; I think with time one could get used to it. |
| Are there potentially dangerous blind spots? | No everything is well covered with two mirrors | A trifle difficult to see the two 45% degree quadrants to the side of the vehicle - with intelligent use of mirror should be ok. | A trifle difficult to see the two 45% degree quadrants to the side of the vehicle - with intelligent use of mirror should be ok. | As with most vehicles care has to be taken to make sure that the mirrors and direct line of sight cover all the available angles. | The driver must learn to use the mirror effectively |
| What cornering is possible? | Good within my modest test limits no hard corners tried | Good - some moderate corners attempted | Adequate - I wasn't going to push this test. | I did not test the limits of any of the vehicles in this sense. However the low centre of gravity and a relatively widetrack encouraged me to make an number of quite
abrupt turns on test - all of which the vehicle did superbly | Firm and controlled |
| Other impressions (if any) | Feels safe and steady. Steering by two steering handles- in normal use can be steered using one finger or thumb. | Somewhat rough ride - very similar to Cab-bike I tested. | Very fast and smooth. A 'road going canoe'. | This is the machine for someone who puts performance and safety above noise levels - no other mchine offers the combination of speed and cornering ability. However it is not an ideal machine for anyone more than 6 ft tall. I felt somewhat squashed; and it was difficult pedalling without catching part of the interior of the fairing. There are a number of rough/unfinished areas in the machine. The manufactuer, for instance, tells me there is a minor issue with water congregating along the top of the front fairing and dripping onto the driver. In addition the head opening in the fairing is somewhat 'unfinished'. it ends abruptly without any kind of seam or beading. This exposes the rider to the possibility of an unnecessary injury. (Both issues will be fixed soon)
In general, however, the construction is the most robust of any velomobile, as the body forms the entire framework, and the combination of various exotic materials (carbon-fibre,kevlar, etc) defend driver against all manner of impacts.
Note: I did not test the fairing part that turns it into a head-in machine. | The cab bike is simply massive inside and could carry a huge amount of luggage. However, on the road it rides a bit like a tank and has a very solid feel. I think going on a long journey on rough roads would be quite an exhausting experience; there is none of the beautiful floating motion one associates with a Quest, and to a lesser extent with a Waw or Versatile. |
