Quadracycle

Quadracycles have been in use since 1853 and have grown into several families of vehicles for a variety of purposes, including tourist rentals, pedal taxis, private touring, mountain and industrial use.

[38][39] Quadracycle use diminished in the late 19th century as a result of improvements in bicycle technology that made their four-wheel cousins largely obsolete, although small numbers were manufactured through the 1950s for rental use in tourist areas.

The Velocar proved quite popular, especially during World War II when the French population was under German occupation and gasoline was virtually unavailable for civil use.

[37][40] During the 1970s and 1980s, there was a resurgence of interest in quadracycles as personal transportation, driven by the 1973 oil crisis, environmental concerns about air pollution from automobiles and the search for emission-free alternatives.

Also like the rental surreys, pedal taxis are often constructed to resemble early 20th century cars and often feature awning coverings for protection from the sun.

Examples of this type include: Touring quadracycles are constructed specifically for the personal ownership market and are built to be lighter and faster than rental surreys.

They have disadvantages compared to bicycles including that they are heavier, require more storage space, typically have slower cruise speeds, are more complex to maintain, and have a larger turning circle.

[49] Unlike bicycles (but like tricycles) they are vulnerable to being rolled over on fast corners, and a very low centre of gravity and/or weight transfer by the riders to the inside of the curve is needed to avoid this.

[citation needed] Examples of this type of vehicle include: There are also plans available as well as some amateur-designed touring quadracycles made by combining two bicycles.

An example of this type is: There are quadracycles designed for local delivery of goods, such as spare parts in a factory environment or laundry at spread-out hotel complexes.

[63] The El Arbol quadracycle was built as a portable stage and sound system to make a point about the use of fossil fuels for transportation.

A tourist rental quadricycle: Quadricycle International Q-Cycle-6 [ 1 ]
A Rhoades Car 4W2P 4-Wheel Bike parked on a Canadian urban street
Boy on pedal car
1885 Coventry Rotary Quadracycle in Washington DC [ 8 ]
Coventry Rotary Quadracycle (1885) in the Dutch national cycling museum, Velorama, Nijmegen, Netherlands [ 8 ]
A 1945 model Mochet Velocar
A common rental surrey - a 2008 model International Surrey Company DX Series Surrey designed for 3 adults and 2 small children, equipped with 7 speeds. [ 34 ]
A tourist rental quadricycle, a Quadricycle International Quad-3 [ 1 ]
Quadricycle International tourist rental quadricycles, Old Montreal , Quebec , Canada [ 1 ]
A modern touring 4-wheel bike - a 2007 model Rhoades Car 4W2PCP Coupe two seater [ 13 ]
A modern german touring 4-wheel bike - a 2021 model