Velomobile Seminar, Kobenhavn, October 15-18, 2009

 

Presentations of the Velomobile Seminar are to be found on the Internet. They can be read in English at:

http://www.liggecykelforeningen.dk/Designseminar/Proceedings

 

Thus, I do not deal with them now, I rather describe my experiences about the few days spent in Kobenhavn. I am happy to send the Hungarian or English version of my presentation entitled „The Possibilities and Situation of Velomobile Riding in Hungary” to those interested, via e-mail.

 

Preparations: It was one year ago that I found the programme of the 6^th Velomobile Seminar to be held in Kobenhavn in 2009. Without taking everything into consideration, I made my registration which was accepted. Further, without being careful enough, at the request of the organizers I accepted the subject suggested by them, entitled „The Possibilities and Situation of Velomobile Riding in Hungary”. Well, what can be written about that? I did not think about it either that I would have to travel to the venue. My favourite vehicles, such as a bicycle, or perhaps a train, were out of the question, and I am not keen on cars, buses or airplanes. In a word, I had to write about something which does not really exist, I would have to present in a language I do not master well and the venue can be reached only by air or by car in a reasonable time. Once or twice it turned over in my mind that I should give up the plan. Finally, in spite of all these, I wrote the presentation. It was translated by Judith Simon and my son, Gábor (nicknamed „Prof” in the family) undertook to hold the presentation. I had booked hotel accomodation and air tickets well in advance. In the meantime, Prof obtained a scholarship in Spain, thus, we could not travel together.

 

Travelling to Kobenhavn: I boarded the plane in Budapest, and Gábor in Valencia. I awoke him by phone at 5 in the morning on October 15 as there runs only one train to Valencia from Alcoy in the morning, and his plane takes off for Zurich only at 14.40 p.m. After changing planes there, he landed at 19.20 in Kobenhavn. I do not want to make a mistake, i.e. that I do not practice what I preach. Therefore I went to Ferihegy Airport by public transport instead of by car. From Balatonalmádi I started by bus. There we had a quarter-hour delay which was further enhanced to 45 minutes due to the rush-hours in Budapest. From the „Népliget” (Public Park) I went by the blue underground to the terminus at Kőbánya-Kispest, there I changed for the bus 200E. (It took about 45 minutes, and it was somewhat inconvenient as I had to buy tickets, carry luggage because I also had to take some winter clothes and some home-made food for Prof.) I had some delay but fortunately I reached the plane. I just had to get away from the marketing action of a forceful bank clerk and I was aboard. The bank clerk seemed not to comprehend that I did not want either silver or golden credit cards (at that time I was not aware what I was missing).

 

On the plane I was sitting beside a nice Swedish couple. The sky was overcast all through the flight. However, on landing, the sea and the buildings of the city could be clearly seen. From above, the Swedish couple showed me the bridge connecting Kobenhavn and Malmö, through which they would reach Sweden soon. It is not merely a chance that I went into details concerning the „blessings” of the Hungarian public transport. Let us see how this is organized in Denmark. The airport is connected to the underground and the railway network. Both of them are in direct connection with the city centre. The train runs every 10-20 minutes and the underground every 2-3 minutes. You can buy tickets from slot-machines but also at a booking office, you can pay either by a credit card or in cash. The credit card is not taken away, you have to draw it, but it is compulsory to use the PIN code. It was at that moment, i.e. when I wanted to draw the credit card, that I did not have it on me, the limit of which I had carefully increased before my travelling. I thought there was no problem, Gábor would be sure to have one, so I would settle everything in cash until then. I decided to go by  train. It took 12 minutes to reach downtown, I am repeating: 12 minutes, without having to change trains! That means you do not need to change trains, do not have to travel 45 minutes, the distance can be covered in 12 minutes, you can use credit cards, you can choice either a train or the underground. And not to forget, the compartments are clean, the trains run in time. When will the Hungarian competent people awaken to these facts? After a while I found the hotel at Vandkunsten 5.

 

An  unsuccessful exploration: I agreed with the receptionist that I would pay in the evening. I just put down my belongings, and off I was to find the venue of the seminar to be held the following day. I wanted to find it quickly as Mr Carl Georg Rasmussen, the main organizer of the seminar, had sent us a message that we would be the first presenters. Not to be late, to arrive earlier by about a quarter of an hour. I was wandering about four hours but I did not succeed in finding the conference room in „Fabrikken” Christiania. Whoever I asked about the way, replied me very friendly that they did not know where it is, they wanted an  exact address. I did not have a more exact address. I gave up because it was getting dark and I had to meet Gábor at the airport. He had turned off his mobile so I did not have an idea whether he received my message that I would be waiting for him at the ticket office of the train. I had been  waiting for quite a long time, then, out of a sudden, he greeted me. I was very happy to see him again as we had not seen each other for more than a month.

 

The hotel accomodation: We went by train downtown. After dinner we went to the reception desk. Gábor had a credit card but his limit was low. In addition, when paying by a credit card, 5 percent is deducted, and the price of the room did not include bedlinen, and towels etc. Well, it did not matter, the only disturbing fact was that we had not been informed of these when making the reservations. Fortunately, no fee were charged for the beds, the door, the window and other accessories of the room. We withdrew Danish corona from an ATM machine, and as early as 22 o’clock we were already in our room! Everything can be opened by cards only (not credit cards, fortunately). The beds are comfortable, the room is small, the bathroom is 1.5 sq meter, in this space you can find the shower, WC and washbasin. The heating is excellent, it can be adjusted just as you want, the window can be opened and closed. The window was overlooking a delightful and rather noisy square. We saw a fountain and the terrace of a cafe. It was pleasant to listen to the splashing fountain, however, the noises at night and at dawn were quite disturbing. At night we discussed the details of the presentation, and we were dog tired when we went to bed.

 

The venue: As I had not found the conference room the previous day, we set out early. To some extent, the road was familiar to me as I had seen it the day before. I told Gábor what funny places I had visited. Fire was flickering in large barrels, people were chatting around them, I saw shabby sheds, wooden cabins, desolate and neglected nooks and corners everywhere. In many places there were „No Photos” signs. I did not have in mind to take any photo, but the forbidden fruit is always sweeter... We arrived at that weird place. As a matter of fact, I can say it was forbidding but the people were friendly. So, I felt safe. „Prof” did not like that surrounding. He said it was impossible that the seminar be held there. An Indian-looking man saw that we were loitering there not knowing what to do. He came up to us and asked whom we were looking for. „Oh, I see, you came to the Climate Conference. Come along with me”, he said. We followed him. We did not want to attend the Climate Conference, but it seemed that „velomobile conference” did not mean anything to our guide. He led us to an old factory building. We went up to the second floor. There were many young people waiting, drinking tea and chatting. „Prof” thought they were hippies and I said in my opinion they were not. Then it became clear that those people did not gather to attend the velomobile seminar. Off in the street again. At last, we caught sight of a velomobile, that is it! We entered the gate of a factory building, in front  of which there were several velomobiles waiting. Both of us were astonished at seeing the circumstances. However, the disappointment soon disappeared, we were happy to find what we had been looking for. The flooring of the room was covered by fine sand, the ceiling of the darkened hall was supported by two rows of iron columns painted in white. They made, at least visually, a border to the auditorium. In the first few rows there were a bit worn, blue settees and easy-chairs. Further on, you could see tilting chair rows which had presumably been discarded from an old cinema. After this point, the auditorium was gradually elevated, as is the case in good theatres, the seats are upholstered by red plush cover. In several places, even the row number was lighting though they were placed in a disorganized way. There were two enormous candlesticks on the stage, at the back a screen was placed. Behind the auditorium there was the screen cabin with windows. You could get here by an iron ladder from behind the auditorium, through the refreshment room. On both sides of the auditorium there were huge piles of woods, partially cut into logs, partially they were railway sleepers, cut into several pieces. The unplastered brick wall was whitewashed. There was a refreshment room behind the auditorium where you could get some tea, coffee and beer. And there was, on the left back side of the auditorium, the chief attraction: an enormous, horizontal shape iron stove. But it was not the type you have ever seen, this was unique! The diameter was about 1 meter, the length 1.5-2 meters, in the big mouth you could feed one half of a railway sleeper. It was very hot around it, but you could do with it because the hall was very large and it was drizzling outside, the temperature was about 6-7 centigrade. At the entrance a table was serving as a reception desk. The registration fee amounted to € 20, however, the presenters did not have to pay. On the next table there were some publications lying, it was a question of honour to pay for them. On the right side of the auditorium there were the names of presenters written on large white paper sheets. There were German, Swiss, Dutch, English, French, American, Danish presenters, and two of us Hungarians. People were gathering slowly. There were about 80 people in the room, the iron stove struggled with the huge space and finally won, mainly if the doors were not frequently opened. When that happened, the damp cold weather stroke in our faces. The conditions reminded me of the industrial districts in England in the last or rather previous century, about which you can read in the novels of Dickens. The difference is that the industry, or, to be more precise, the military forces, once stationing in Christiania, already left.  Wild vine is creeping on the factory chimney, it nearly reaches the top. The adverse conditions had some symbolic message in themselves: I think at present the situation of velomobiles and velomobile riding are as adverse as the circumstances we could see there. The motorcar industry is still, in spite of the crisis, the largest employer of the world, and, at the same time, it is the motorcar industry which contaminates the environment at the largest scale. I wonder if it is a beneficial solution to save the motorcar industry, or should we be heading for some other direction?

 

Now remembering, this spot is very precious to me, there was some weird, some formidable and some funny there. You can see such things only in art films or on paintings. And in Kobenhavn. In the evening, during our dinner, it turned out where we had been.

 

The Seminar: October 16, 2009. We were friendly met by Carl George. Despite being 70 years old, he was bustling about like a teenager and he was always smiling. He himself served us some tea. Hans, the technician, placed the overhead projector on two railway sleepers, in correct style. Carl George welcomed those present. Afterwards, „Prof”, as the first presenter, stepped onto the stage. He gave the presentation in good English, in a well audible way, and mixed with some humour. He was skilful to utilize the local conditions. Then he was asked several questions and he replied to them in fine style. He is living proof that the apple can fall far from the tree. The main value of our presentation is not that it shows the situation of the velomobile riding in Hungary as that does not really exist for the time being. It is not a considerable exploration either that the conditions of the bike lanes and the railway are in sorrowful conditions in Hungary. The traffic culture is at low level. The legislators only discuss about the environmentally friendly means of transportation, but no measures in merit are taken. The real value of our presentation is that it demonstrates how the manufacture of various types of velomobiles and their sales have been formed since the beginnings through to these days, almost covering the whole world. The presentations can be read on the Internet, I just underline two main ideas. For me, the most marvellous accomplishment was made by Mr Harald Winkler from Germany. Even the introduction was funny as he did not bring a presentation but a real velomobile over his head. Not as if he would have made a good acrobat, weighing only 60 kgs... but because the velomobile made by himself weighs only 11 kgs. This is not a misprint! It is well-known that even the lightest velomobiles weigh 30 kgs. Harald broke with the old velomobile constructing conceptions. He worked out and realized very creative, simple and light solutions. As he told us, the value of the materials used amounted only to € 500. This is very considerable having in view the average € 6000 price of the velomobiles. The carbon frame, the driving device, the polyethylene foam cover and its welding, the propellers, which remove the precipitation and revolve against one another and the removable luggage carrier etc. are worthy of note. It was reassuring for me to listen to the presentation of Carl George on his trials concerning wind velocity, all the more so because I often use my velomobile in high wind velocities and gusts of wind. However, I would not like to test where the limit is, i.e. when I would turn over with it. During the lunch break it turned out that there were not only two of us Hungarians, there were also Mr Viktor Győri with his friend present. Viktor is the editor of the single Hungarian website and blog dealing specifically with velomobiles.

 

I was surprised by the participants of the seminar in two respects. First, there were hardly young people among them, second, most of the manufacturers did not attend the seminar. However, Mr Ymte Simbrandij, manufacturer of Quest, came to attend.  What is more: he pedalled from Holland to Kobenhavn. He covered the 700-km distance by the Quest velomobile, manufactured by himself, in two days.

 

About 30 people were gathering in the RizRaz Restaurant after the presentations, at seven in the evening. From our table companion, Ole (Denmark) we learnt that he was thinking about constructing a velomobile on his own. Furthermore, we were informed that the district we had found so strange is the drug user district in Kobenhavn. What did we miss?! We wanted to try some Danish dish. According to Ole, maybe there are three restaurants in the city where we could eat some. Well, RizRaz was not that sort but it was very pleasant. Globalization made itself felt, wherever you go in the world everywhere you find the same. On taking leave, we agreed with Carl George that he would help us in renting bicycles for the demonstration the following day. When we parted in front of the restaurant in the darkness, Carl George got into his Leitra type velomobile and drove off so quickly that by the time I took my camera I could only see the lights on the trailer at the next corner. Yes, he had even a trailer connected to the velomobile. That evening he went 28 kms to reach his hotel. It is true all that he could do on good roads and not among „wild people” and „wild car drivers” like in Hungary. We went for a walk and then returned to our hotel.

 

The demonstration: On October 17, at 10.30 a.m. we were going to the bicycle rent shop when the blue Leitra of Carl George turned into the street at high speed. We hurried after him. The shop was in the basement. In the street there were about 20 bicycles waiting to be rented. Willy-nilly we witnessed a conversation. Carl George said to the owner: „Did not come here two Hungarians?” „No”, was the reply. „Well, if they come, lend them two good bicycles and at a reduced price, if possible.” It was only at that moment that they noticed us. The owner chose us two really good bicycles, one red for Gábor, and one grey for me. That means Carl George did not phone there, he pedalled right to the spot in order that we could get bicycles once we had not taken our velomobiles from Hungary. Just in time, at 11 o’clock we reached the central square of Kobenhavn, in front of the city hall. We were also witnesses to a marriage ceremony. Altogether 14 velomobiles (mainly manufactured by the Danish Leitra) and several sympathisers gathered. Among them there were some two- or three-wheeled recumbent bikers, three-wheeled, closed tricycles, some on rollers, some people by collapsible bicycles and two of us by our rented bicycles.

 

Suddenly, Carl George cried out loudly, and the demonstration started. Thank God there are traffic lights in Kobenhavn which show red sometimes because Carl George shot forward at such a speed that I had no time to take photos of him. This went on for more than  2-3 hours. We covered about 30 kms, passing by the most beautiful tourist attractions of the city, mainly all in a row. The weather was fair, the sun was shining. When we stopped at the aim, I tried the Leitra velomobile of Hans. It was „dancing” on the cobblestones of the square but one could turn with it easily in a small place. On taking leave we agreed that the next seminar would be held either in Holland or in Hungary. The whole demonstration was quick and boisterous. Neither the car drivers nor the pedestrians hooted, or cried, or behaved like crazy. They were just standing and waiting as the long marching column passed by. Carl George had not informed the police that there would be a demonstration, it just took place. People were looking around, wondering, they were interested and smiled. The same thing could have happened in Budapest only if escorted by policemen, with the roads closed, and with hooting, shouting, waving... The only unpleasant incident occurred near the embassy of a paranoid great power. One of the participants dared to take photos in front of the building. „Prof” and I pedalled back to the renter’s, took a walk in the pedestrian zone. We were looking for a book shop and finally we found it.

 

One more day: On Sunday, October 18, we joined a sightseeing tour by bus. However, this could not be compared with the frantic velomobile ride of Carl George at full speed the previous day. That day we saw much less sights, on the other hand, we heard some facts from the guide about the city but the information was rather scarce. Among other things, we got to know that there are golden figures of a girl on bicycle and of a girl with an umbrella on the top of a building opposite the city hall. Depending on the weather, you can see one or the other. That day they may have quarrelled because they could not decide which one should appear. So both of them remained in their recesses. Seriously, Kobenhavn is a very delightful city. The streets, canals, buildings and the squares on the shore are neat. There are not or there are hardly any digging, or detour. It is a real paradise for bike riders. There are bicycle lanes everywhere in the streets, some with border, some painted. We covered only 30 kms of the bicycle lanes, but there are more than that. The pavements and roads are eliminated from obstacles, you can find bikes and bike sheds everywhere. In several places you can get bicycles free of charge, in one place you get on it and in another place you just leave it. Those participating in the traffic treat one another with respect, no cars are parked on the cycle lanes, and the bike riders do not cross when the lights are red. People are calm, cheerful, nice and helpful. The Danish, or rather, people I have met, have „nice faces”, the shapes and features of their faces are soft and fine. Even if they could not show me the way they added: I hope you find it. The sightseeing tour ended soon. Since my arrival in this city I had been curious to see the bridge over the sea. We discussed whether we should go to Malmö or as far as Göteborg. Then we agreed on the former. The running-time to Malmö through the bridge is 35 minutes, the  train is accurate, the railway station is clean. We went into the tourist information office. They ticked off what we could see in 3-4 hours. We set out to see the city, the downtown, the castle, the modern quarter, the seaside. We walked about 10 kms, we admired the highest futuristic edifice of Sweden. „Prof” warned me not to go under it because any of the nine cubes, put on one another and turned in an angle of 90 degrees,  could fall on me any time. There are small ponds, parks and greenhouses among the modern buildings. We found three large stone balls, which were revolving in the water stream in a dignified manner. The sun sets here later, but finally it sets, so we started our way back to the railway station, had a dinner and off we were for Kobenhavn. After getting off the train, in the twilight we made some photos on the roundabout of the „Tivoli” amusement park. This roundabout not only turns round and round, but it moves up and down at a rather high speed. According to „Prof” this can be tested only after a few days’ fasting otherwise your stomach does not stand that straight movement up and down. We left it at that, and we were satisfied with only taking a snap of the sight. We packed, and slept till 5 next morning.

 

Travelling home: Now we were experienced in travelling. We knew if we missed a train, another would come. Gábor’s plane took off two hours earlier than mine, so I had plenty of time left at the airport. As soon as it was possible I also checked in and automatically put the boarding card into my pocket. I wandered about the quite large airport, and I also passed a check-point. I found a nice corner with a black Boston piano in it. Though nobody was sitting there the keys were moving as though invisible fingers tapped on them. Sweet, enchanting melodies were played by the invisible pianist. I made myself comfortable, I was reading for a while and enjoyed the music. Then I took the boarding card to look up which gate I had to go to. I could not believe my eyes, the card was issued for a Mr Johsson Bjorn! I turned it over in my mind what would happen if I arrived at Budapest as Johsson Bjorn. Should JB not travel then no one would ever find it out. On the other hand, if JB would travel, then it would be spotted when boarding the plane. After imagining all that, I went up to an information desk and asked if it would cause any problem, because this name was good for me after all. They wondered, then phoned somewhere, and apologized several times. At the gate I received a boarding card issued for my name. Though, in secret, I had hoped that I would return home as a new man. Yeah, it is quite difficult to turn over a new leaf. J  From the Ferihegy Airport as far as Balatonalmádi I could enjoy the great possibilities of the „excellent” Hungarian public transport, such as changing, waiting, etc. But who cares for minor inconveniences after such a trip...

 

 

 

http://www.archive.org/details/6th_European_Seminar_on_Velomobile_Design-Presentations-Joo_Gabor_Riding_in_hungary

Look at the pictures on the page of  TWIKE FÖLD (on the left)

 

Translated by Gábor Joó

 

A TWIKE in Hungary

And what is more in Balatonalmádi. Sometimes occurs in one’s life that the mountain goes to Mohamed. This happened on the 17th of may 2008, when a TWIKE came to us to Balatonalmádi. According to an earlier article < One day in the country of the TWIKEs, See down! > I had been in Bern to admire these small mice shaped odd machines. The TWIKE while it is two seated carried three visitors: Klaus (who I got acquainted via the internet), his son Matthias and Gilroy the nice dog. Their journey took 5 days from München to Balatonalmádi. They crossed the border at Szentgotthárd. The engine (3 kW) can accelerate the two seated with pedal and electromotive manufactured vehicle up to 85 km/h. The range is about 70-80 km (the effective range depends on the lie of the land), after this the batteries need one and a halt hour charging. This is the vehicle that the Hungarian Traffic Authority does not allow (not so far) to be used in Hungary but I have already written about this regrettable fact. Klaus originally intended to travel to Debrecen but then he thought that it would take too many recharge in Hungary thus for the present he made a try only to Almádi. He arrived on Friday afternoon thus remained only the Saturday to show him his son and Gilroy something of the countryside. We travelled on The Római út (Roman road) up to the peninsula of Tihany there we show them the abbey then we were walking a bit in Füred. On the way home we visited Peremarton. The midday meal dragged so the climbing of the mountains of Almádi had been cancelled:) Thereafter with the Antibringa H2 we went to the pier of Almádi. There I tried out the three wheeled wonder and after taking some photos we said goodbye because our guest wanted to depart early in Sunday to be able to leave Hungary with only one charge. Hopefully they return soon.

 

One day in Twike-land

 

For a long time, I have been dealing with the question how I could have a vehicle which can meet the following requirements: 1. Besides going to work by it, even my daily movements in the open should be ensured. 2. It should be combined with some kind of environmentally-friendly resource. 3. The vehicle and its master should resist the changeability of the weather.

I was able to realize the first and second points as my bikes combined with various electronic cranksets fulfill these criteria. From September to April, it is quite chilly in the mornings and in the afternoons. Thus, only three or four months in the summer are suitable for biking, but even this period is limited sometimes by wind or rain. Of course, I tried several clothings to become acclimatized to the weather, but with little success. In principle, there is a solution for everything. But, if you put on warm and thick clothes, soon you will feel like being in a sauna, or, if the wind is blowing, you can be completely frozen. That was the reason why I decided on the closed recumbents or velomobiles, resp.

 

All these motivated me to take a short trip to the International Twike Meeting held in Switzerland (Bern). Twike is a two-seater, three-wheeled car with hybride driving. The maximum speed is 85 km, with 5 kW electrical motor driving, but it can be driven also by foot. There is no internal combustion engine in it! .... When driving on a slope, or when braking, it  charges back to the battery. The performance varies, depending upon the built-in battery and the road conditions, between 50 and 200 kilometres. The consumption equals to about 0.5 litres of petrols per 100 kilometres. It means maximum 1.5 HUF/kilometre, when taking into account the petrol price to be 280 HUF/litre. It is really environmentally friendly, and it is ideal for urban or short-distance (25-30 kilometres) travels.

 

Experiences of the Journey

Kate, my daughter, accompanied me on the trip to Bern. On September 21, 2007, we went to Győr by car. There we got on the Wiener Walzer train at 19:18. We arrived at Zürich at 6:20 sharp next morning. The corresponding non-stop train left at 6:32 and it took only 58 minutes (about 120 kilometres) to reach Bern. We went on a short sight-seeing tour in the older parts of the town. Back in downtown, we came across several Twikes. In the square in front of the Parliament and behind the market, there were several "mice" waiting for the interested people. Other kinds of cars operating by electric current or biogas, recumbents, trikes and electronic bicyles could also be found there. We could see, when operating, a one-seater, pencil-shaped, oblong three-wheeled bike, on the top a large solar panel. This vehicle bears a registration number which means it is registered in the traffic. The stern Swiss regulations do not prevent the implementation of the ideas of creative people. This "pencil" can be used only by slim drivers as it is quite circumstantial to get into it. A young man showed us a wholly covered, low, two-wheeled recumbent, which he can drive at 94 kms/h on the average, the record being 130 kms/h. The record is meant, of course, not in the traffic but on the racing track. You could see here the Birkenstock stream-lined two-wheeled recumbent and a trike installed with Rohloff hub. There were countless electronic bikes. We found the brochures of BION X. It seemed I was the only one even among the exhibitors who had already seen and used it. We were suggested going to the bike shop nearby as it was distributed there. That was somewhat exaggerated, as the shop assistant told us once he had had one and sold it immediately. I several times missed the Twike test run, but in the end, I could get into one of them as passenger. We were going with the nice owner up and down the steeple streets in the centre of Bern. He showed me how we can move on if we ride only by foot and the battery does not help. From the driver, living in Biel, I got to know the following: He purchased it one and a half year ago, and went already 23 000 kilometres. It is not cold in winter either, you just have to cycle more intensively then it is quite warm. No problem if the battery is flat, there are sockets in the streets, you just plug into and in an hour the battery is recharged. We were also shown a Toyota Prius, which is a hybrid computerized wondermachine. I was a bit disappointed because we did not find a single velomobile of bike-size at this meeting. Well, that day was devoted  to the Twikes. The reason may also be the fact that this day a meeting of velomobiles was held in Giessen. We slowly set off to Grenchen, where we met the owner of a Leiba.

 

Testing of the Leiba and Inspectioning of the Cab-Bike

The owner of the Leiba demonstrated us the machine from every side and gave us a detailed description of its advantageous  and disadvantageous properties. This machine is the 16th, which means not too many have been manufactured yet. In his opinion, the polycarbonate "glass" is getting scratched, you cannot look out well when it is raining. He plans to exchange it for a usual glass and put it in more verticular direction and a windscreen wiper will also be put. Then came the test run. He was going in front of me by his own-manufactured two-wheeled recumbent in the streets of Grenchen. In a place where there was no traffic I had the chance to test how I could accelerate Leiba. The record was 30 kms/h. Afterwards, we tested the springing on bumpy roads covered with gravel. I liked the steering, the springing, the outlook on the traffic. The indicator buttons are built at the end of the switch, the crankset and the chain are entirely covered from the inner space, it can be ventilated in the opposite and on both sides, the length is only 206 cms, it can easily be adjusted to one's legs (you can solve this with two imbus screws in  no time), there is a disc brake, the colour is attractive, it is possible to enhance the flexibility by the middle switch unit, and, last but not least, the flexible attitude of the manufacturers to customers' ideas and demands is worth mentioning. The following were less attractive for me: the weight (35 kgs), jolting of the switch, the seat is not adjustable, the shape of the seat and its rigid position, indicator lamps (two are not sufficient!), lack of the external chain protection, the finishing is not quite delicate (e.g. joints on the cover, the lead, finishing of the bottom plate etc.) as well as the 20-inch size of the rear wheel and lack of the going reverse. For all that, it was delightful to test it as I had not sat in such a machine before. Grenchen is also famous for the large number of velomobiles as there lives a Cab-bike owner as well. We could admire his vehicle in the street. At first sight, the obvious advantage is the enormous luggage space, probably the outlook is good from the bike, the seat is adjustable and seems to be comfortable. However, the problem with the polycarbonate exists as well. On the other hand, it has a windscreen wiper, the stick control must be more difficult to handle and there are drum brakes only on the first wheels.

Bound for Home

After leaving Grenchen, on the way to Bern we stopped on a characteristic Swiss hillside. There we could perceive the vague, snow-capped summits of the high mountains. It greatly appealed to me that already in the outskirts of the town it is signalled how many vacant places there are in the three parking lots. Well, Switzerland is not a flat country but much is done in the interest of the bikers. In the towns itself and out of them, the cycle lanes are painted, and I have not seen any car driver parking there. You can see several bikers, and apparently they do not use the bikes only for sport but also for the daily activities. Around 17.00 p.m. we got to the Parliament where the marching of about a hundred Twikes had just begun. The countless "mice" made a lap of honour and off they went to the next meeting place. Our train left at 21:02 to Zürich and the Wiener Walzer at 22.40 from there. On Sunday morning, at 9.53 a.m. we arrived at Győr and at 11.30 a.m. we were already in Balatonalmádi. That was our journey in Twike-Land, we were absent altogether 43 hours, and 13.5 hours of them were spent in Bern and surroundings, full of unforgettable memories.

 

Some Grumbling

As a matter of fact, TWIKE would be ideal for my purposes. There are two difficulties to tackle. The first is the relatively high price, but this can be solved by sparing for a few years. The other is the confused Hungarian regulations and attitude of the authorities. I think here several fighters, like Don Quijote, will  be needed. What is this all about? According to the Hungarian authorities, this vehicle cannot be listed in either vehicle category that is why it cannot be used in traffic. If they say that such an animal does not exist, then it really does not. Though I am not interested in the blessings of the mass media but I, too,  often hear or read the empty slogans and phrases we are unceasingly encountered with: "... an EU regulation stipulates..., introduction of environmentally friendly technologies..., reducing the environmental pollution caused by traffic..." etc. The funniest thing is that the Twikes have registration numbers and so can be used in traffic in Germany, Netherlands, England (are they not EU-countries, pray?), and in Switzerland and the USA as well. As Prof Popper, a popular contemporary Hungarian psychologist and thinker says, "there exist free nations and freedom-loving nations". And I add, there exist chattering and rancorous nations and there are nations capable of acting and joining forces. Well, it is quite ridiculous to see this diligence in work, or more precisely, its lack, how we resist every good idea. Why do we want to be Sir Oracle? Or, is there a large fresh supply of let-George-do-it men? Or, maybe, somebody is interested in retarding these environmentally friendly solutions? Thus, the revenue from petrol would be decreased? Or, what is reason that we follow far behind the events whereas  we could as well be a great power regarding our creativity and great ideas?