This photo shows an old, way-old flyer for the Raingo Stay dry rain shield system. I’ve googled and can’t find this system, but it could inspire some SUB riders to develop their own. As much as I love Bettie, she’s a cold ride, on a cold day. It’s sitting upright, high on the bike, with your face in the wind and rain.
I also like the Jetsons aesthetic of the stay dry rain shield. Also, noting how it’d really pick up a tailwind and conversely a head wind.
http://accurateventures.com/?q=node/21
Excellent — you must have strong Google foo as I tried several ways to find that. Have you seen a Raingo out in the wild?
Apparently, the company that produced it is out of business. The patent is available at the US Patent Office website so with that you could probably make a good go of building one yourself.
United States Patent 4,045,077 Inventors: DeVone; James Milton (Durham, NC) August 30, 1977
USPTO
I remember this one - the inventor himself brought one into my shop so that we could try it out. We had it for a month, and decided not to carry it. It’s well designed, but much more cumbersome than the rewards would justify. Headwinds are not a problem, as it is a well designed fairing from that direction. Sidewinds are awful, and the whole thing flexes and bounces with every bump in the road. For me, the worst aspect was the claustrophobic “sealed off” feeling caused by the side windows. The sound of my own breathing echoed unnaturally inside, and the audible traffic cues that I rely on for maximum awareness were muffled and indistinct. It was like riding inside a diving bell. Looking at the bulk, set up hassle, cost, “bubble effect,” and general goofiness (usually a plus for me) in comparison to the advantages led everyone we showed it to to conclude that it was just not worth it. Something more minimal might be good. Have you checked http://www.zzipper.com/ ? They mostly make fairings for recumbents, but they should have some for “normal” bikes, too. Also, there is http://windwrap.com/ It might seem that these would give little protection from the rain, but the effect of establishing an “envelope” at speed can be astonishing. Makes a huge difference in headwinds, too.
I prefer the term Kung Google, sounds more aggressive ;)
The whole thing about putting yourself in a bubble is a little counter intuitive to riding a bike, a bike is supposed to get you out.
That said I have sympathy for bikers who commute daily and having a bubble in your bag of tricks may not be a bad thing.
How about a sunshade version without the side panels, this would be good for bikers wanting a little UV protection and wind cooling at the same time.
Hello.
The RainGo was my invention. There is no enforceable patent. Mr. Devone got his RainGo from me - over the net! Lotsa e-mails to prove it.
I’ve got many pole sets left but no skins. The polesets are still (of course) Easton aircraft 7075 alu. My stupid marketing idea was to have a lifetime guarantee. I would charge you an arm and a leg to get a box out of storage.
I withdrew from this project from lack of marketing experience and I may pull it out in the future. I would include a “SunGo” alternate skin.
If anyone would like to run with it all I would require is true acknowledgment of the idea.
Bob. My ph# is on the listed web page.