VeloCast

There used to be many ways you could turn heads in the UK. Generation after generation sought to subvert the prevailing mores with their own ideas on fashion, music and language. Everyone from the Teddy Boys in the 1950’s through the Mods and Hippies of the 1960’s to the 70’s Punks and 80’s New Romantics, they all rebelled against what had gone before in order to say; “Look at me. I think differently to you”.

However, the 21st century seems to have finally caught up with Cole Porter’s sentiments 75 years earlier: now it seems that, really, anything goes. Currently sporting a foot-high, pink mohican? Meh, so what? Not even church-going octogenarians bat an eye-lid. Living through the latter half of the 20th century they’ve seen it all before.

Strange then that taking the Velorbis Mobii 3-wheeled tricycle out for a spin draws the kind of attention once reserved for the mini skirt. Heads do turn, and they follow you as you glide past; expressions of intrigue and amusement drawn in equal measure. As you park it up on the high street, brave members of the general public will take the opportunity to ask; “What is it?”, “Where does it come from?” and, most interestingly, “Where can I get one?”

The Mobii is hand-built in Denmark and, like the Churchill Balloon I tested a few months ago, the quality of the workmanship is outstanding. And it would have to be. Those following sporting pursuits think nothing of spending upwards of two and a half thousand pounds on a bike where top of the range models can cost three times that. However, this is an urban bike and, certainly in the UK, most people are not used to spending that amount of money on a bike.

It’s only when you stop looking at the Mobii as a tricycle and frame it in the context of a small car that things start to make much more sense. Indeed in the conversations that I was having with those I met around town whilst on the Mobii, I had to do precisely that. When I informed them that prices start at £2,599, unfailingly, there was a sharp in-take of breath. But when you ask them to consider that the average person spends that every year on petrol alone – of course you can also factor-in other costs attendant to car ownership, such as; insurance, vehicle licensing, parts, maintenance and there’s the cost of the car itself.  All of a sudden the Mobii starts to look like a very attractive proposition for getting around town.

So if you do decide to dump the European Super Mini and plump, instead, for a Mobii, what can you expect?

First of all it’s incredibly comfortable thanks to the Selle Royal saddle and an upright geometry that affords fantastic visibility on the road – the lofty riding position allows you to see what’s going on up ahead much more than you would in a small car. Of course, being a tricycle you don’t need to put your foot down or embarrassingly attempt to track stand at junctions! The frame is steel and is powder coated with the colour of your choice from the options list. Our review model was finished in a fetching charcoal grey which made it look very cool and very modern. The colour options also extend to the carrier box and also whether you would like it decorated with a printed design.

Our model was fitted with the carrier box for 2 children which was finished off with upholstered black, harness-equipped seats. Cargo-only and large, 4 child box options are also available. Gears come courtesy of a 5 or 7-speed internal hub from SRAM. The changing was excellent, save for the usual niggle that comes from internal gearing where the shift won’t happen while the pedals are under pressure. After a day or two, though, the slight easing of the pedal stroke required to change gear almost becomes second nature. However, this issue with gear changes highlights the Mobii’s biggest problem: it’s weight. According to the Velorbis website the bike tips the scales at 36kg and you are reminded of this whenever the road develops more than a gentle incline. That ‘easing off’ on your pedal stroke required to shift down only serves to further reduce your speed as gravity bites on the hill. Oftentimes, by the time the hub has shifted down, the bike has slowed so much that you need to shift again.

Options on the Velorbis website allow you to upgrade the Mobii with an electric motor and make it in to an e-bike. The target market for the Mobii is not going to blessed with the climbing ability of Marco Pantani so if you don’t live in spirit-level-loving Amsterdam this is an upgrade I would seriously consider. The cost of this thigh-saving conversion comes at a premium but, again, the Mobii needs to be viewed as viable alternative to the city car – not as a cheap health-kick impulse buy, destined for a neglected existence, rusting away at the back of the garden shed.

The Velorbis Mobii is tailor made for those people that genuinely want to ‘walk-the-eco-walk’ (or should that be pedal?!) and not the fashonistas whose green credentials extend no further than their drive to the bottle bank in the BMW. Be radical; drive a Mobii.