I purchased the Streamer fairing in October of 2008 and am now into my 4th season. I bought the fairing to help with my cold feet during winter weather. I also hoped it would offer some additional weather protection and help cut through the wind. Having had a fairing on my Mongoose utility DF bike and my Rans Stratus, I new it would not add any speed to my ride. According to studies done, fairings will increase speed over 15mph. I am a slow rider so this benefit was only possible on descents. It does offer some protection in the rain but a good bump will shoot the droplets onto my face. On my trike I do get some protection for my cold feet, but not being fully enclosed, it still is quite cold. It does help with head winds. It is not that I am faster but it seems to make pushing into the wind less strenuous. I decided to keep the fairing on when I went on Bikefl this year as I thought it might be windy. It was not terribly windy, but quite rainy. The fairing kept my lower half dry which was a nice plus. When I returned home in late March I removed the fairing. It is much easier to get on and off the trike without it. It is also easier to transport. I keep mileage logs with average speed on my rides. I noticed this year that with the fairing my average speed increased by 1/2 mph consistently. This is not earth shattering, but when you are a slow rider, this becomes a significant increase. I have had the fairing on for the past 1 1/2 months. The weather has been surprisingly warm, but we have had many gusty days. The fairing has proved to be a nice asset. It also adds quite a lot of "Bling" and I get more "Cool Bike" remarks. Although I much prefer warmer weather, the trike and fairing help me get through the winter months with it's stability and protection.
KEEP RIDING!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment