This is one of the most frequently asked questions and the one that is the hardest to answer. Many recumbent manufacturers make wild claims about recumbent performance that are difficult to substantiate. In standard trim a normal rider should cover ground faster on a Windcheetah than he/she would on a conventional `machine`. The difference will be noticeable but not dramatic and is due to a variety of factors, such as aerodynamics and the ability to remain clipped into the pedals at road junctions' etc. These points are covered in the section about the merits of trikes versus other types of cycles. Fatigue will be less, which should enable the rider to perform at a given level for longer; it will also be great fun! Once our road fairings are fitted then Windcheetah rider moves onto another level altogether. These provide a serious performance enhancement, expect to see as much as a 12% improvement in speed. A well-ridden Windcheetah equipped with the Airflow system is a very hard act to follow…

Normal lead-time is 4 to 5 weeks. Occasionally we may have one in stock, but this is rare as Windcheetahs are normally built to order. If you've just got to have one and you can't wait speak to us and we'll see what we can do. We'll always do our best for you.

All cycles respond to regular maintenance and the Windcheetah is no different. It is no more complex than a `normal` bike, in some ways its upkeep is actually much simpler. Keeping it clean, oiling the chain and making sure the tyres are correctly inflated is the limit of weekly maintenance. The Windcheetah has been designed by an engineer and is manufactured by engineers. Common sense and practicality are a feature of its design. You will find that the machine can be disassembled simply and quickly with a minimum of tools being required. All the wearing components are off-the-shelf items available from bike stores or engineers supplies, or of course direct from the factory. Windcheetahs are engineered to provide reliable high performance cycling for many years of ownership; we sell very few spare parts, which is testimony to the integrity of the design. Some of our customers have Windcheetahs which date back to the mid eighties and we are still able to provide an efficient spares back up for these classic machines. For more advanced servicing tasks please refer to the maintenance section of the website and when in doubt allways refer to the workshop for technical advice.

Is it safe in busy traffic? These are very commonly asked question, usually asked by wives or loved ones of prospective Windcheetah purchasers! The answer is yes to both questions. You will have no problem being noticed by other road users, in fact sometimes the attention can be trying [Windcheetahs are not recommended for owners wishing to travel incognito…]. Be confident when riding in traffic, take up your rightful position on the road, don`t ride in the gutter. Remember that you will most likely be traveling in excess of 20mph so take up a whole lane, I do. Regular Windcheetah commuters usually fit one of our high visibility flags which can be seen very easily by cars. A Windcheetah can accelerate very quickly from a standing start [remember you are clipped in and ready to go at road junctions, there isn't the normal 10 yard fumble whilst you struggle to get your second foot in the pedal] This allows you to accelerate away from potentially hazardous situations. I commute on one of the busiest roads in the country and have never experienced any problems that didn't occur on upright cycles.

The joystick is the single most important feature of the Windcheetah. By eliminating the need for underseat handlebars we can take advantage of a very low seat height. This resulting low centre of gravity is what gives the Windcheetah its legendary stability and handling. It also allows us to run a very narrow front track giving the Windcheetah the smallest frontal area of any production road going trike. To turn the wheels the rider simply twists the joystick around its own axis. This requires minimal movement and occurs almost subconsciously giving the Windcheetah an almost telepathic quality to its steering. Mounted on a universal joint the joystick folds forward allowing ease of access to the seat. The UJ also allows the joystick to move with the rider when transferring body weight during rapid cornering manoeuvres. One lever operates both front brakes and the gear shifters are also carried on the joystick enabling the rider to remain totally in control during ` spirited` riding! The dynamic handling qualities of the Windcheetah have always been the benchmark that other manufacturers aspire to.

The Windcheetah is built in a very uncompromising way. It needs to be to safely achieve the levels of performance it is capable of. With over 140 machining operations and dozens of hand made special components our manufacturing costs are significant. All our staff are skilled engineers totally committed to our products. We are proud to build what we believe is the best cycle in the world and as a customer you have our assurance that your machine has been built by a team of craftsmen. The AVD team know only one way to design and build something;….…..Properly. When specifying components for the Windcheetah we have to be 100% sure about their ability to perform. Quite often we can't source components that match our criteria so we design our own and manufacture them ourselves. This can be expensive, but in our opinion the results justify the extra cost. Our healthy order books demonstrate that our customers share our enthusiastic pursuit of perfection and are willing to accept that a beautifully engineered machine like the Windcheetah will always cost a little more than one built down to a price. In the words of Henry Royce " Quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten….."

Choosing the right size is fairly straightforward and similar to a conventional bike. Each Windcheetah is custom built to suit the rider, when ordering you will be asked your height and inside leg measurement. Once we have that information we can build your Windcheetah to exact size requirements. Each Windcheetah has a 3 inch (75mm) adjustment range in order to fine tune the seating position.

Please see technical specifications which detail the weight limit for each model of Windcheetah.

Glueing [bonding] a frame is a very efficient way of building a cycle frame. The main advantages are the absence of distortion during the manufacturing process, which provides exceptionally accurate frame alignment. Welded frames have a tendency to distort during manufacture, which can lead to alignment problems. The Windcheetah frame can be debonded safely and then reassembled. This is particularly useful if the machine has been damaged in an accident and needs localised repair.

The Windcheetah has a one year frame warranty. All the bought in components such as the transmission are covered by the original manufacturer's warranties. We operate a no quibble policy with our customers, we're not happy unless you are. If there's any aspect of the machine you're not delighted with let us know and we'll do everything we can to rectify it.

No I'm afraid not. We only sell complete machines.

Generally we prefer to sell machines with the factory-approved groupset. We select our groupset components on one criteria….performance. Groupset components are chosen because they function properly on the Windcheetah, not because they happen to be the most expensive part on offer. This is why you will notice that we sometimes fit components from across the range of a manufacturer's groupset. We will have carefully evaluated the component and made our choice accordingly. If you want something specific let us know, assuming it won't compromise the Windcheetahs performance we'll be pleased to meet your wishes.

No, we only supply our spare parts to Windcheetah owners for use on Windcheetahs. We have invested heavily in design and development and it's this commitment to R&D that helps the Windcheetah to stay so far ahead of the competition. We believe that selling our special components for general use will dilute the level of service, attention and exclusivity that our owners enjoy and expect.

Only if you have a similar leg length. It isn't practical to use the seat adjustment mechanism as a means of accommodating two riders on a regular basis. The transmission and parking brake cable are routed discretely through one of the seat castings. Moving the seat also involves adjusting these cables. This is acceptable during initial set-up of the machine but would soon become tedious if done on a regular basis. The only way to preserve harmony in the relationship is to order two Windcheetahs…..

Yes of course, Windcheetahs make fantastic touring machines. We have a variety of luggage options to suit every kind of touring from the casual weekend stopover to the long distance expedition. Windcheetahs are light and stiff, an excellent basis for any touring machine. We have designed the luggage carriers so that all the weight is carried very low promoting stability.

Yes, definitely. If you want to go racing we will be pleased to put you in touch with the relevant HPV organization in your Country. We have a factory based race team and if you'd like to join us to compete in UK events we'd be delighted to see you at the track.

We normally sell direct to our customers, this allows us to keep our prices down and offer a personal service. If it is important to that you have the backup of your local dealer then let us know and we'll see if we can arrange to deliver it through them. We do have a small network of dealers and if one of them is local to you we can put you in touch with them. The majority of our customers prefer to deal direct with the factory.

Japan has a designated distributer. Please contact the workshop for details.

All Windcheetahs are fully assembled and test ridden at the factory. To ship them we remove the seat [4 allen bolts] the three wheels [ 3 nuts] and the two kingpins [2 nuts] Once unpacked from its box your Windcheetah should be ready to roll in less than 10 mins. You will need a half-inch socket to replace the 5 nuts and a 5mm allen key to replace the seat bolts. The transmission remains undisturbed during these operations so no setting up is required. You will need a set of pedals. Obviously the assembly time will be increased if accessories are ordered with the Windcheetah.

Normally none at all! Because of the wide choice of pedals on the market we let riders choose and fit their own. If you would prefer us to fit pedals for you we will be pleased to procure some on your behalf and add them to the bill. We recommend most strongly that you fit the Windcheetah with some form of clipless pedals or at the very least toestraps. Under no circumstances should any recumbent be ridden with ordinary platform pedals, the consequences of having your feet slip off the pedals can be catastrophic, I know this because I've done it…… Single sided clipless `road` pedals are what we recommend.

We require a £400 [$600 U.S.] deposit with order. The final balance to be paid 48 hours prior to shipping unless you are collecting personally from the factory in which case you can pay on collection. Once we have your order instructions by fax phone or email we will issue your invoice. All transactions are in sterling unless by special arrangement. A lot of overseas customers pay the entire invoice at once to save on currency charges. This benefits our cash flow and to show our appreciation we give a credit for £50 or $75 of accessories to customers who pay in advance. This is redeemable immediately on any accessories you may include with your Windcheetah order. Our preferred method of payment is direct wire transfer from your bank, this being a secure and traceable method of payment for both parties. We also accept credit cards. Our bank details will be clearly displayed on the invoice.

Occasionally we do get used Windcheetahs in stock but it is rare. Most Windcheetahs are `life` purchases and they kept almost indefinitely by their owners. This lack of used machines on the market reflects in the price, pre-owned Windcheetahs have a high resale value. Windcheetah depreciation is about as low as its possible to find in the cycle world. We do have a small demo fleet that we sell from time to time, please ask about availability.

From time to time Windcheetahs appear on eBay and understandably interested bidders want to find out as much as they can about the vehicle in question. For a variety of reasons this creates numerous conflicts of interest for us. Because of this potential conflict I have decided to have a policy of not commenting or responding to questions about Windcheetahs which appear on eBay or other internet auction sites because;
A] the vehicle might belong to an existing customer and so I would be reluctant to comment on it for fear of causing offence to a valued client Not everybody looks after their Windcheetahs in the way I would like them to!
B] It might be an old Windcheetah and I just haven't got the time to trawl through old records looking up information
C] I might be bidding on it myself!