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    Why aren’t bicycle windscreens a thing?

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    27 Comments

    1. kicksledkid on

      I ain’t about to push my fat ass *and* a sheet of plexiglass against a headwind

    3. penguinolog on

      It’s a thing on “mamafiets” in Netherlands, but it’s for kids in front of adult. Windscreen is affecting bike balance and behaviour in the case of wind.

    4. I_Do_nt_Use_Reddit on

      This is why I wear goggles and a full face helmet to keep the wind from knocking the wind out of me.

    5. aaasy on

      motorcycles go up to speeds of 90-200 kph.

      max safe riding cycling speed is around 60kph. if your bike had a windscreen at that speed, it would add a lot of drag, making you pedal harder and have an overall inefficient experience.

      also at 60kph, the wind on your face isnt enough to feel like you’re being pulled back, unlike in motorcycles.

      also, acrylic or fiberglass is relatively heavy to be on bicycles.

    7. Fun-Dragonfly-4166 on

      bicycles are underpowered relative to motorcycles

      1. the increased weight and wind resistance are going to be a significant factor
      2. the bicycle is rarely going to go fast enough so that wind will bother its rider

    9. MacintoshEddie on

      Man, you’d have to be really cranking it at a significant gear ratio to get fast enough you’d need a windshield.

      Like maybe only very specific routes along a lengthy stretch of downhill roads.

    11. RichSPK on

      There are rare situations when a windscreen might be nice on a bicycle, but usually I depend on the breeze to cool me when I’m pedaling.

    12. Legitimate_Outcome42 on

      I would like bicycles to make noises like motorcycles so people hiding between cars can hear me coming

    13. Fast-Penta on

      They exist. I’ve seen exactly two bikes with windscreens in my city in the last twenty years.

    14. Candid_Industry_9580 on

      Sorry, I’m not fast as you are. And I’m sort of used to rain pouring in my face.

    16. Chew-Magna on

      They are, they’re just *extremely* niche. We don’t really go fast enough to benefit from them, and the drag would make them more detrimental since we’re human powered and not engine powered. You also don’t want a big wind-catching sail on a bicycle, some places, like where I live, that would just get you thrown to the ground.

    27. supergingerdave on

      Is air resistance significant at commuting speeds?

      This website seems to suggest that air resistance is significant even at 20-25kmh

      https://ridefar.info/bike/cycling-speed/air-resistance-cyclist/

      What benefit will a windscreen provide?

      Well I’ve yet to see an aerospace engineer “inspired by nature” designing something that looks like my big Irish head balancing on a sack of lard. So I’m going to say a windscreen is more efficient.

      Verdict: do it

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