Vielo is partnering with another business manufacturers to perform a little good. Utilizing airplane components from retired plane, the model created upcycled cargo bikes to assist flood survivors within the Valencia area of Spain. The cargo bikes are superior, burly, and weigh solely 13kg (~29lbs).
Valencia, Spain, October 2024
On October 29, 2024, the conventional yearly whole rainfall for Valencia fell in simply eight hours. The city of Chiva, for instance, acquired over six inches of rain in a single hour. Totals for the Valencia area reached almost 20 inches, overwhelming rivers and drainage methods. This led to devastating flash flooding all through the area, even in areas that didn’t obtain the torrential rain.
Because of the catastrophic downpour and flooding, a lot of the area was totally devastated. A thick, muddy slurry carrying micro organism coated communities. Hundreds misplaced their houses, companies, and far, if not all, of their possessions. Over 100,000 vehicles have been destroyed, wedged three vehicles excessive between buildings.
However the largest tragedy of all is the 230 individuals who misplaced their lives.
Restoration after the devastation throughout the realm was fully overwhelming and slow-moving. With a lot particles and vehicles blocking entry, help groups discovered it very troublesome to entry completely different communities.
Vielo-sponsored endurance athlete “Empty” Juan Twin started accessing hard-to-reach areas on his bike. Navigating the mud and particles, climbing over vehicles, Empty Juan discovered he may get assist to these in want a lot ahead of on his bike. Merely, he didn’t want to attend for cleared roads.
Quickly, different cyclists joined Empty Juan, and a military of roughly 200 riders dispersed via the realm, offering help the place they might. And slowly, the clean-up of Valencia started.
Vielo Athlete Empty Juan Twin
Juan Twin is really “empty.” As a teen, docs identified Empty Juan with a uncommon hereditary situation that put him at an unusually excessive threat of most cancers in his digestive tract. As a younger man, he would have a number of preventative surgical procedures, eradicating inner organs resembling his abdomen, gallbladder, colon, and rectum.
Regardless of these huge surgical procedures, Empty Juan went on to be an ultra-runner and ultra-cyclist, catching the eye of manufacturers like Vielo. It could be on his Vielo gravel bike that Empty Juan delivered help to the devastated communities of Valencia, the place Juan can also be a local.
“So lots of my family and friends have been affected by the floods. Photographers with their gear ruined, eating places and companies destroyed. It was like a Godzilla film however with out the monster.”
With out hesitation, Empty Juan started to assist in any method doable. Whereas this is able to be an unbelievable enterprise for anybody, it was particularly dangerous for Juan. Having had lots of his inner organs eliminated put him at a better threat of an infection. Slogging via the bacteria-laden water and dirt may have value the athlete his life.
“We began distributing no matter we may right away. With my bike, I used to be a lot faster than the vehicles or these strolling. So I did many journeys.”
Whereas the cleanup was extra immense than anybody may think about, folks like Empty Juan and his military of cyclists made an affect in these early days.
Vielo Helps within the Aftermath
Within the aftermath of the flooding within the Valencia area, Vielo wished to discover a significant solution to help what could be a whole begin over for a lot of. Vielo’s engineer, Jens Buder, who can also be a professor at Chemnitz College of Expertise in Germany, had an concept that stemmed from a college challenge he was presently engaged on.
Buder and his engineering college students had just lately undertaken a challenge to make the most of supplies from a retired Airbus A380 airplane and rework them into one thing significant. The crew’s concept was to upcycle sure components of the airplane and construct a cargo bike.
Understanding of the devastation in Valencia, they determined that the residents of the impacted communities may profit from as many cargo bikes as the scholars may construct.
The college engineering crew used 55mm diameter carbon fiber struts used to help the ground of the airplane. Not solely are the tubes a lot bigger and thicker than what would historically be utilized in bicycle carbon tubing layup, however in addition they have a flipped fiber-to-resin ratio. Whereas bikes are usually 30/70 fiber-to-resin, the upcycled struts have been 70/30.
This might make them very robust. Nonetheless, the added energy and emphasised tubing don’t add a lot weight, as accomplished cargo bikes are below 30lbs. Whereas remaining mild, they’ll carry a load of over 150lbs.
They reduce the tubes and machined them to dimension, finally tacking them along with epoxy. Body joints are then wrapped and bonded utilizing particular carbon strands and epoxy.
With the frames full, Vielo now needed to construct a motorcycle with unconventional sizing. To do that, they’d particular parts, resembling backside brackets and headsets, made. Vielo then partnered with different business manufacturers resembling WTB, Cambrian, Token, Satori, and Tektro. These manufacturers helped with tires, wheels, drivetrains, brakes, and touchpoints.
Try the brief movie Vielo made on the challenge.
Vielo.cc
