Comparison Bambi M1562 vs Rolly Toys rollyKid-X

Appearance is usually described based on which vehicle inspired the design and construction of the velomobile.

— Kart(bodyless). Karts are called four-wheeled racing cars that do not have a body. Accordingly, in velomobiles of this type, the basis of the design is a special frame on which the driver's seat is installed. Cards are simple in design and handling, yet quite durable and reliable and can even be used for universal purposes (see above), which makes this type of design very popular.

— Automobile. Models that mimic ordinary cars. Usually, such a similarity is rather arbitrary. The basis of the design is the body, the role of the seat is played by a part of this body, made in the form of a platform, and the pedals are located under the "hood". For a number of reasons, this appearance is used mainly in children's velomobiles and is not typical for other destinations.

— SUV. Models imitating off-road vehicles (in addition to SUVs, they are also called jeeps). In design and practical features, they are similar to the cars described above, differing from them only in their characteristic design with the corresponding wheels (see "Wheel type"), imitation of roll bars (not to be confused with real roll bars — see below), additional headlights and other "off-road" accessories.

— ATV. Quad bikes are called cars on four wheels, on which the driver sits astride, li...ke on a motorcycle. Velomobiles in this design also have an appropriate design — only the pedals play the role of footboards. ATVs are found mainly among children's models, less often among teenagers.

— Trike. In this case, a trike means a rather peculiar kind of three-wheeled vehicles: the driver is reclining in them, the pedals are placed in front and the drive from them is brought to the front wheel (in models of the younger age category — directly, as in tricycles, in older ones — through a chain drive) , and there is no steering wheel as such — the rotation of the front wheel is carried out due to the effort of the legs. Thanks to this, trikes develop balance control well. On the other hand, non-standard control can cause certain difficulties, so such machines are relatively rare.

— Tricycle. Design based on a three-wheeled motorcycle — one wheel in front, two in the back. The layout of tricycles is more traditional than that of the trikes described above: they have a motorcycle steering wheel, and the rider's position is a classic sitting position.

— Special equipment. Models that copy various specialized equipment that does not belong to the categories described above. The most popular option is a variety of tractors and bulldozers, but other varieties can be found, such as fire trucks or combines. Some of these models, in fact, are classic cards, only in a specific coloring and with tractor wheels (see "Wheel type"), others have an original design, more reminiscent of real tractors or other equipment. Another feature of the "special equipment" is the extensive use of trailers (see below) and various additional equipment — excavator buckets, bulldozer blades, etc. This gives the little driver additional features for games (in fact, the purpose of this type of velomobiles is mainly for children).

Possibility to adjust the position of the seat in the velomobile. Usually, we are talking about moving the seat back and forth — this allows you to adjust the distance to the pedals, optimally adjusting it to the height of the user. This feature is especially important if the car is purchased for a child for several years of use — the seat can be moved back as the young driver grows. Also, the adjustable seat is useful in cases where the car is used by several people with different heights — for example, brothers of different ages.

The ability to use the pedals of a velomobile to move not only forward, but also backward. Note that the simplest type of drive — to a rigidly fixed driven gear (when the pedals rotate and when the velomobile is idling) — does not provide reverse, this requires certain design tricks. Therefore, if it is important for you to be able to freely ride not only forward, but also backward, you should choose a car in which such an opportunity is directly stated.

Note that most often the movement back is carried out simply by rotating the pedals in the opposite direction, however, some models may include the inclusion of a "reverse gear" with a special lever, usually located on the frame.

The presence of a hand brake in the design of the velomobile.

Unlike the car “handbrake”, which is regularly used as a parking brake, such a brake, usually, can also be used while driving (although there are other options). Its presence is especially important for "high-speed" velomobiles — this version of the brake system is considered more reliable and more convenient than pedals (in particular, because it allows the use of high-performance disc brakes).

The presence of a sound signal (horn) in the design of the velomobile.

In children's velomobiles (see "Purpose"), the horn primarily plays the role of additional entertainment: the speed of such machines is low, and the plastic wheels often used in them (including options with rubber, see "Type of wheels") create quite a lot when moving. noise that notifies others about the movement of the machine. Therefore, there is practically no real need for a warning sound signal. But more “adult” velomobiles can move quite quickly and at the same time quietly, and the ability to give a sound signal in a timely manner (in order to attract the attention of others and prevent unpleasant incidents) can be far from superfluous from a practical point of view.

The presence of a front spoiler in the design of the velomobile.

The front spoiler is found mainly in karts and special equipment made in the form of karts (for more details, see "Appearance"). It is a shield that almost completely covers the steering column from the front. The role of this device is mainly decorative: it is designed in the same style as the whole car, while the spoiler is one of the most noticeable details, and its presence makes the design more expressive. However, the matter is not limited to this: at high speeds, the front shield somewhat improves the aerodynamics of the structure and reduces air resistance.

The diameter of the front wheel(s) of a velomobile. In fact, this parameter is important, first of all, taking into account the fact that large wheels have a higher cross-country ability than small ones. In addition, data on the dimensions of the front and rear wheels make it possible to evaluate the appearance features (see above): for example, some "special equipment" may have small front wheels and large rear wheels, like in real tractors.

The diameter of the rear wheel(s) of a pedal car. The value of this parameter is the same as the diameter of the front wheel (see the relevant paragraph).

The design of the wheels that the velomobile is equipped with.

— Plastic. The simplest wheels made entirely of plastic — in some cases they do not even have a pronounced tyre. The hardness of such wheels does not allow them to be used on surfaces with serious irregularities, and even on smooth asphalt, the level of vibration and noise is quite high. In addition, such structures are not very durable. Therefore, plastic wheels are found mainly in models for the smallest (see "Purpose").

— Plastic with rubber. A modification of the plastic wheels described above, supplemented by a kind of "mini-tyre" — a strip of rubber in the middle of the rim, where the wheel is in direct contact with the ground. This provides a softer ride and somewhat reduces the vibration experienced by the machine, but otherwise these wheels are completely similar to conventional plastic ones.

— Rubber. In this case, wheels are meant having a solid (not inflatable) rubber tyre. This option is a kind of transition between plastic and inflatable wheels: solid tyres are not as passable and “hardy” as inflatable ones, but they are cheaper, do not require monitoring the level of inflation and are absolutely insensitive to punctures and scratches, while their smoothness is much higher than plastic ones.

— Inflatable. The most advan...ced version found in modern velomobiles: in accordance with the name, such wheels have a rubber tyre filled with air — like on an "adult" bike or a real car. Inflatable wheels are far superior to all the varieties described above in terms of softness, easily “work out” road bumps and are suitable for even the heaviest or fastest velomobiles. Of their shortcomings, in addition to the price, we can mention the need to monitor the pressure inside the tyres and periodically pump up the wheels. In addition, damage to the tube makes the inflatable tyre unusable, so it is recommended to have a repair kit for such a velomobile just in case.