Since I managed to get the very small Milan SL configured to fit my long legs, I began wondering if I could downsize my DFXL velomobile to the smaller standard DF. So I’ve recently picked up this previously crashed standard DF velomobile to see if that would be possible. The owner did a decent job on the carbon fiber structural repairs, but didn’t complete the cosmetic repairs. Here are a few photos of DF141 showing the repairs done by the previous owner.

The owner then applied some gel coat to the repaired areas to hide the repairs a bit. This is how it looked when I picked it up. From 10 feet away, the repair to the head fairing area is not so noticeable.

The plan was to do the cosmetic repairs and to see if I can get it to comfortably fit. If I can, I’ll sell the DFXL. If not, then I’ll sell this DF.

I’ve made the cosmetic changes, giving it a two tone paint job. Mechanically it was is in great shape so I really only had to clean things up and make adjustments. I played a lot with seat positioning and bottom bracket positioning to get a comfortable fit. As I had hoped, I was able to get a comfortable ride with a few millimeters of space around my knees, shoes and shoulders. I’m pretty sure that this will be a keeper. The DFXL will probably go on sale soon. Here are some photos of the work in progress.

Here you can see the size differences between the DF and the DFXL.

New rear wheel fairing installed…

Here are some later photos with pants on…

Some later photos …

Later photo with tail extension, vented hood and Snoek-inspired mirrors.

New Paint Job

The DF was starting to look a bit shabby after a couple of years of using it as a work bench for developing aerodynamic body parts. Besides scratches, the paint seemed to have interacted with the adhesive of the tape used to mount the body parts. As a result, I decided to give DF 141 a new paint job. I chose a different, brighter shade of blue and eliminated the 2-tone paint scheme. I also made my own knock off graphic stickers in non-standard reflective orange vinyl. Note that the front stickers are intentionally mounted upside down compared to the stock orientation. Here are some photos of the new paint job (as of 6/2023).