GREAT THINGS ARE HAPPENING NEAR YOU! VELOMOBILES HAVE “LANDED” IN MINNESOTA.
Welcome! I’m Ben Parke, from Minneapolis, Minnesota. If you’ve arrived at this page, it’s likely because you saw a velomobile for the first time and wondered what in the world it is. Perhaps you live in the Minneapolis, MN area and have seen me out riding/cycling in one of my velomobiles or one of my many friends, colleagues, and clients out for a ride. Or perhaps you saw a video or an article about velomobiles and wanted to learn more. You’ve come to the right place. Not only can you learn more about velomobiles and how fun and practical they are, but you can also find a dealer or velomobile ambassador near you to see one in person, schedule a test ride, and purchase one of your own!
The recipe is quite simple: start with a free consult, continue with a test ride, and then you’ll have all the answers.
Do you wonder "What is a velomobile"? Extend this section "+", to read a short description.
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.
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THE VELOMOBILE "REVOLUTION" IN AMERICA (HOW IT STARTED)
Velomobiles have been in commercial production in Europe for several decades now. There are increasingly larger groups of riders taking advantage of the comfort, efficiency, weather protection, and crash safety offered by velomobiles for their daily riding. More and more European riders have been turning to velomobiles as an alternative form of transportation. However, due to the logistics and import costs, the North American market has not had this same opportunity. Jan Wijnen, founder of Velomobile World, the largest velomobile factory in the world, wanted to change this, so that more people could enjoy riding a velomobile, either every day for commuting, for running errands, grocery shopping, for trips to discover the most beautiful places in their country or in group rides with other velomobile/cycling enthusiasts in the community. In October of 2022, he put together a bold plan to bring a large number of velomobiles to North America.
“Plans become reality when people with the same passions join forces.”
For those of us in North America, purchasing a new velomobile has historically been a challenging and expensive process that felt daunting and financially out of reach to the majority of us. In the fall of 2022, Jan from Velomobile World launched the Velomobile Ambassador program. Through that ambassador program, I got involved helping Jan bring his vision to life. After receiving my Bülk MK1 in the spring of 2023, my passion for helping others get an exceptionally built new velomobile increased. Not only did I want to see more people be able to get such a great new velomobile, but I also wanted to see a larger active community of velomobile riders built up in North America. To help make all of these goals possible, I opened a dealership, Northland Velo where riders can test ride a variety of models including in stock velomobiles ready for immediate delivery, place custom orders, and get help setting up their new velomobile.
NORTHLAND VELO DEALERSHIP AND THE CONTAINER
It has never been easier than now to bring a velomobile in your life if you live in the USA
The main driving factor to starting my dealership was Jan’s bold plan to send a 40 foot container packed full with 24 Velomobiles. To my knowledge, that is the largest one-time delivery of Velomobiles to the USA. We had several goals with this shipment. First, to reduce shipping costs. Shipping with a container can be as much as $1500 in savings. It even reduces import costs for new owners. The second goal was to have a delivery weekend so buyers would have a chance to meet and network while getting help dialing in their new bikes.
The container shipment overall went very well. I had great help unloading from fellow velonauts Paul, Andy, Don, and Nick. Neil and Don generously offered their time to help the new riders set up their bikes. We did run into some issues with having the container delivered to my dealership that required some intense negotiations and unloading of the truck at a nearby parking lot, a portion of which happened in the rain, but we got it done and now have a better idea of how to arrange logistics in the future.
MINNESOTA GROUP RIDES AND LOCAL COMMUNITY
We had a full day dedicated to setting up the bikes, and then most riders opted to hang around for a group ride the next day. I took the new riders out on a 15 mile loop near my dealership. We had a lot of fun making our way down the local trail and zooming down my favorite out and back course. We even had some spectators along the way cheering us on. In the afternoon we had a second longer ride through Minneapolis with another group of riders. I’d like to see more group rides happen in the future, and that’s something to work on as part of my dealership. It’s a lot of fun to ride with so many riders.
I enjoyed seeing everyone get to network and ride together. One of the best things I’ve found as a velomobile rider is the sense of community. It was important to me for everyone to experience that as part of this shipment. We are a small and passionate community and I think that is a big draw to riding a velomobile.
As for the acquisition process, my hope is that with reduced shipping cost, the new Bülk 4 More, a growing community, and the opportunity to get help setting up at my dealership, more people will be able to realize their dream of owning a new velomobile. It’s been a wonderful experience for me and one I want to help as many others realize as possible.
DISCOVER THE VELOMOBILES AND COMFORTABLE CYCLING
1) VELOMOBILES ON STOCK
now at Northland Velo dealership (Minneapolis, MN)
There are 2 options if you want to get a velomobile and enjoy a special cycling experience. FIRST OPTION is to access “Velomobiles on stock” and see the models that are on stock at my dealership in Minnesota, US. SECOND OPTION is to access the “All velomobiles models” section, where you can discover all the details about every model, then you can go to the configurator and configure your velomobile with your desired options. Of course I can help you with configuration and order, or if you have questions about the options, just schedule a consult with me.
The main difference between these 2 options: A custom configuration can be ordered through my dealership Northland Velo or directly through Velomobile World website/store (Option 2). Since custom configurations are built on demand, wait times are typically 3 months or longer, depending on how many orders are in the queue. But perhaps you need something more quickly and are not particular about specific options or the color? You are in luck because there is “Option 1” with pre-built velomobiles in stock. Stock velomobiles can be ready for delivery very quickly, sometimes the same day and many come with a discount.
To find out all the details about both options and test rides, please schedule a consult with me.
WE WERE PRESENT AT CYCLE-CON 2024 (XENIA, OHIO, USA)
ADVANTAGES OF CYCLING WITH A VELOMOBILE
To discover all the details, just click on the images below!
HOW YOU CAN USE A VELOMOBILE
To discover all the details, just click on the images below!
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