Sinner has introduced the Mango Sport a 60 lb Velomobile. I am blown away by the idea of a 60 lb velomobile. This is 15 or so lbs lighter than the Quest Velomobile. Just yesterday I was dreaming about the Musashi as a go-fast bike in my stable since my raptobike has commuter duties now. And now today, I really want a Mango Sport. I spent a few hours talking to other Velo owners (Zyzzyx) and debated the pros and cons of the Mango Sport, the Quest, the Glyde and the Go-one and the Versatile. In the end for me it comes down to the Mango and the Quest. With the Mango Sport edging out the Quest due to the weight. I want to talk to David Hembrow, he has been riding a Mango the past year and works for Sinner so I can get some indirect feel for it, but I am smitten.
I could stand to lose 40lbs from my engine right now. So if I shed the weight and have a mango, I should be as fast up the hills with the Mango as I am today with the Raptobike. I can handle that, especially since that means I can take any hill, any road etc. Suspension and three wheels stability means I can ride the gradually worsening Seattle roads with aplomb in nearly any weather. The Mango Sport will allow me to race, to do fast century rides and commute in the same vehicle. I can use the Raptobike for brevets, hot weather and fun.
So it is time to sell the pile of stuff in my garage so I can afford a Velomobile. I don't think I can resist the allure of this siren call.
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13 comments:
Hello Duncan --- sounds like you and I are just about in the same place over the Mango Sport. I think this is the velo that is going going to push me past the tipping point.
After speaking to a mutual friend who has a quest, I think I am going to pull the trigger. I just need to put aside the money and do it.
Sinner already confirmed to me that they can put in turn signals. That is the last bit of practicality that I need before going for it. Now I just need to work out what gearing I need. I am going to talk to them about the SRAM dual drive. If they can do that, then it will be a go.
I'll still leave ya with the suggestion to be sure to think about it long enough. But it does sound like the Mango Sport is a good choice. Looking at the options list for the standard Mango through Bluevelo lists a SRAM drive. Also lists a Schlumpf, which I think should be considered if you're looking for gear range. And looks like you can get a Rohloff as well. ;)
I have been on the Velo sidelines for a year or so. And it will still take some time to make sure the finances work out properly. I don't expect any issues with a Dual Drive or a Schlumpf. I just want to get the entire thing priced out.
I also find myself liking the base color scheme for the Mango Sport. It is elegant.
Duncan:
Have you considered the trisled sorcerer? or avatar?
http://www.trisled.com.au/sorcererIV.html
I owned a Trisled trike which was fairly fast but not nearly as zippy as my ZOX z frame. I sold it. I did not like the rear wheel drive long chain power loss and the wide trike footprint was difficult on the road.
Anyway Ben Goodall at Trisled makes great trikes!
-Brad
The Trisled Avatar and Sorcerer are very nice Velomobiles but they aren't quite as practical. They are also heaver than the new Mango Sport and more expensive (for a US buyer). Standard equipment doesn't include turn signals, lights, etc.
The Glyde has similar issues, though it does have all the practical bits figured out. On the Glyde subject, I want the design to mature a bit first.
I found myself dreaming about Velomobiles last night. I do wish I could convince a few locals to make the leap with me. It would make group rides more fun :)
Duncan.. a thought regarding gearing: I believe this Mango Sport runs a 20" rear wheel with option to mount a disk brake caliper. While it might be a small hassle, would you consider just running the front wheel from your Rapto in the rear on this Mango? You'd need some hardware (brake caliper, Rohloff tensioner, idler arm and shifter) that would stay on the Mango... but you could just hot-swap this wheel from one bike to the other. Brake adjustments, etc.. would be static on either bike! The Rohloff would seem to me to be the highest-quality gearing option and offers lower complexity than a SRAM dual drive setup.
Hi Duncan, just yesterday me and my friend Wouter arranged a test ride with the Mango (classic and +) at Ligfietsgarage Groningen (just about 160 km away from our homes).
Folks over there were very kind to us, allowing for a free test ride of 40 kms!
Check here and here for some onboard videos.
As owner of a RaptoBike (#0057), I can state that a Mango is an excellent addition to the RaptoBike. The Mango is very comfortable (suspension!), a little more noisy inside (chain, derailler), and a very good experience overall. I've ridden the 32 kg Mango classic and found it rather light already (easy acceleration), so the Sport (which looks beautiful) should be even faster.
Marc
That is excellent news. I will check out the videos ASAP.
-Duncan
denk je er wel over om een velomobiel aan te schaffen? ik rij zelf in Quest389 en vooral op lange afstanden is het zeer aan genaam. als m'n knietjes het toestaan rij ik vandaag even op en neer naar Arnhem dik 200 kilometer voor de boeg. 200 kilometer in een Quest is als 100 kilometer op een normale ligfiets zo is mijn ervaring zelf heb ik geen ervaring met de mango....
groetjes marcel,
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