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Jim Howell

How can I help you?

Hello! My name is Jim Howell and I am excited to be a Bülk velomobile ambassador, providing representation in colorful Colorado, USA and the surrounding Rocky Mountain region. I would love to talk to you about the benefits of a velomobile and perhaps arrange for a test ride if you are near Denver.

 

Email: [email protected]

 

Useful links:    YouTube Channel    Blog    Technical Support    Create account

About me

As a kid in Southern California I went everywhere on my bike, it was my ticket to freedom and adventure. School, career and family steered me away from cycling for several decades until around 2010, when I dusted off my 1983 Cannondale road bike and started riding again. I rediscovered the joy of riding in the fresh air and experiencing the sumptuous beauty of my adopted state of Colorado. Over the ensuing years I started increasing ride distances and was quite proud when I was able to ride 50 miles! Then I started wondering how far I might be able to go and discovered randonneuring, a long-distance cycling sport where riders attempt courses of 200 km or more that include check points and must be completed in a specified time. I remember my first 200k, wondering if I could make it. It was hard, but I did it! What about 300k? Or 400k? 600k? or even 1200k? Crazy, but possible! I have now been involved in randonneuring since 2017 and have completed many long brevets, racking up a total of over 30,000 km, including several 1200k Grand Randonnees, the most memorable of which was Paris-Brest-Paris in 2019.

 

When not riding brevets I still enjoy extended days on the road and have ridden up Colorado’s two ‘fourteeners’ with paved roads- Pikes Peak and Mount Evans- which top out at over 14,000 feet (4270 m) and make for an exhilarating but oxygen-starved climb and a spirited descent! On hot days I head for the hills to enjoy the cool mountain air and beautiful alpine scenery. The cold but generally dry winters in Colorado allow continued riding all year, albeit mostly on the roads at lower elevations.

 

As you might imagine, riding for long hours on an upright bike can lead to discomfort and potential for permanent physical damage to your body. Hands, neck, arms, shoulders, back, and ‘down below’ all suffer, and I’ve experienced nerve damage that took many months to (mostly) recover from. Needless to say, this isn’t sustainable- I can either reduce the amount I ride or change what I ride (and I’m not going to reduce the amount I ride if I can help it!). Time to look for alternatives to an upright bike. Enter the velomobile.

 

The Bülk is my first recumbent bike and I am excited to use it to continue my cycling passion in more comfort and also introduce others to the advantages of velomobiles. I hope to share my experiences online @BlueSparkVelo, so please check them out and say hi!

Bülk MK1 Velomobile

After Eggert Bülk and Jens Buckbesch started the Milan project in 2005 (which is still running successfully today), they started a new velomobile project in 2021, the Bülk-MK1. It implements a new space utilization and aerodynamic concept. The findings from various wind tunnel tests were also taken into account. Jens documented every step of the Bülk-MK1 project, then he sent us very detailed info to create a page where you can discover the philosophy of the Bülk-MK1.

WHAT IS A VELOMOBILE

A velomobile is a human-powered vehicle related to the bicycle, for everyday use, with a body/shell that provides comfort, weather protection and luggage space. Due to the aerodynamically shaped bodywork, you can achieve a decent speed with little effort (30-50 km/h on flat road). Velomobiles are very suitable as commuter vehicles, for shopping or holidays, also are a good way to clear your mind while taking a tour or a road trip with your friends.

Why you will love one

● Fun to drive with little effort on long distances

Environmental friendly transport

● Very suitable for commuting, shopping, holiday travels

Comfortable to drive

You are independent, needs only your force to work

Good for training and sport, good for your health

HOW TO ORDER YOURS

If you live in USA or Canada, please create an account, so you can order your velomobile. After you create your account on our website, you can access the configurator to create the velomobile after your needs, you will see also the final price and other details, if you follow the steps. Do you need help? Please contact me!

People. Experiences. Reviews.

Werner Klomp, one of our clients, took some time to share with us his experience over the years with a few models of velomobiles.

I just want to write something positive as a customer of VelomobileWorld.com; In one year, I drove about 16.000 till 20.000 km with a velomobile made by VelomobileWorld.com in Romania, and that’s already over 10 years with a lot of fun and almost no problems.

The velomobiles are getting better and better, lighter and lighter, faster and faster. Therefore I thank the Romanian producers and off course the designer Daniel Fenn and also the distributor Ymte with whom I have also good connections. If there is a problem, what normally is small, the help from all three of them is very fast. I never had a problem that big in the last 8 years that I couldn’t drive on to the destination I want.

The first Velomobile was a Strada, which I drove in two years about 50.000 km and the only problem was the broken suspension on the back. This part made from aluminum was on the post after two days at my place to repair it. Strada was a little bit big for me, that is when Daniel came to Velomobiel.nl and started to work there. At that time he designed the DF, which is like a smaller Strada, with the complete team from Velomobiel.nl. The DF velomobile came and I drove it with a lot of fun and speed, over 50.000 km in two years. By driving so many kilometers you’ll always find something to make better. All those experiences I offered to the team to make it even better than already was. The time goes on, people want to do their business to work, not always together, so Ymte started Intercitybike and Daniel is working for himself in southern Germany.

Daniel designed a new model called Alpha 7, which is a bit bigger than DF but a bit smaller than  DF XL. This velomobile is about 21 kg, which is 3 kg lighter than the normal DF, so as you can see, it is still getting better and better. This Velomobile is made in Romania of course, and at a really good quality. Also if the new velomobiles have some problems, they always fix them very fast and the customers are getting help. The Alpha is now also produced with tank steering, which is made from carbon fiber and very light.

At this moment I have an Alpha with tank steering at home and a DF that was specially made for me with special parts and special carbon fiber to make it lighter for me. This one made me happy and I drove 500 km already, with a lot of hill meters in it the last 5 days. The speed between Alpha and my special DF is almost the same, but for me the DF fits very well to my body, so I am very lucky to have this part built for me in Romania.

So I want to thank the whole team in Romania for their work, the good parts and the deliver … thanks a lot guys.

Velomobiles on world roads

We have happy clients that are delighted about the velomobile experience, in over 20 countries around the world.

Germany, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, England, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France, Portugal, Spain

China, Japan, Korea, Saudi Arabia

USA, Canada, Brazil

Australia & New Zealand

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