Leitra is a Danish company and also the name of the

velomobile A velomobile (); velomobiel, velo, or bicycle car is a human-powered vehicle (HPV) enclosed for aerodynamic advantage and/or protection from weather and collisions. Velomobiles are similar to recumbent bicycles, pedal go-karts and tricycles, bu ...

it produces. In Sweden designs for a two-person, four-wheeled velomobile called the

Fantom FANTOM (Functional Annotation of the Mouse/Mammalian Genome) is an international research consortium first established in 2000 as part of the RIKEN research institute in Japan. The original meeting gathered international scientists from diverse bac ...

were sold as blueprints in the 1930s and 40s. Many thousands of sets of

DIY "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and semi ...

instructions were sold, but very few vehicles were actually built. The body was made of plywood. The oil shock of 1978-9 inspired

Carl Georg Rasmussen Carl Georg Rasmussen is a mechanical engineer with a PhD in physics; an ecologist specializing in noise pollution; and a light aircraft pilot. He is the designer and manufacturer of the Leitra velomobile. Velomobiles were produced in the 1930s, bu ...

, a Danish engineer and pilot, to design and build the first practical velomobile. A tadpole

recumbent Recumbent may refer to: * Recumbence, the act or state of lying down or leaning * Recumbent bicycle, a bicycle, tricycle or quadricycle which places the rider in a reclined or supine position * Recumbent effigy A tomb effigy, usually a ...

tricycle A tricycle, sometimes abbreviated to trike, is a human-powered (or gasoline or electric motor powered or assisted, or gravity powered) three-wheeled vehicle. Some tricycles, such as cycle rickshaws (for passenger transport) and freight trikes, ...

with full glass-fiber fairing, it was dubbed the Leitra (''

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

'': Let individuel transport, meaning "light individual transport").

About the company

Carl Georg Rasmussen initially formed the company as a limited partnership with ten investors – mostly friends and intending customers. He also received some of his early funding from other customers who, while not wishing to risk a direct investment in the company, were nevertheless prepared to make an advance purchase. This enabled Rasmussen to start work on an initial run of twelve Leitras in 1983.

About the Leitra velomobile

The Leitra is a three-wheeled, non-motorized vehicle designed for commuting, shopping, distribution of light goods, recreation, and touring. The international term for this type of vehicle is a ''velomobile''. It is fast, but not designed specifically for racing. The primary considerations for the design of such a tricycle with full fairing were: * Safety in normal traffic, * Cycling comfort in cold, windy, and wet weather, * Sufficient payload for touring and shopping, * Reliability in daily operation – including in wintertime. For fair weather use the fairing can be removed in moments by means of a toe-activated snap coupling. The two luggage compartments can also be removed quickly without tools. The Leitra was approved by the Danish authorities for general use after systematic tests in 1982. Approval was given on the condition that the cyclist must be able to give unhindered arm signals for turning and stopping. This explains the characteristic open design of the fairing with soft fabric on both sides. The design of the built-in rearview mirror on top of the fairing was also approved by the Danish authorities. The first Leitra was built in 1980. Since 1982 it has successfully participated in many tough rallies in Europe, such as Trondheim - Oslo (1983) and Paris-Brest-Paris (1987). It has proven to be a real practical vehicle for long-distance touring. Several million kilometers have been covered without personal injuries. As of 2015, approximately 260 Leitras have been produced. Production is on an order-by-order basis, as each Leitra is built for a specific customer, and has currently slowed to about one Leitra per year, but renovation and repairs continue on velomobiles that make their way back to the company's workshop in Herlev – a suburb of Copenhagen. In 2013 development began of the Leitra Wildcat – a detachable fairing designed to fit most any kind of recumbent trike. Currently the Steintrike Nomad, Terratrike, TW Bent, and Leitra Sport have all been adapted to use the Wildcat fairing.

References

External links

Leitra official page
Or if it should become unavailable the web.archive.or
copies

Official FaceBook page
{{cycle-manufacturer-stub Cycle manufacturers of Denmark Danish brands Velomobiles