Influenced by our positive experience with the TWIKE 3’s soft top, we didn’t question it at first. However, if you list the advantages and disadvantages, you will find solid reasons.
The appearance of the roof surface, whether in soft top fabric or with a carbon fiber shell, for example, is more a matter of taste and should not be judged. Reliable watertightness also played a subordinate role in the assessment; it must be ensured in any case, regardless of the variant. The decisive requirement is uncomplicated stowability during the journey. If a large hardtop would require a sufficiently large storage space to be kept free in the vehicle, a fabric top, for example, can be rolled up in the vehicle in several places to save space. This means that the roof can be opened for a topless ride during a tour and closed again if the weather suddenly changes.
While we therefore pursued the implementation with a convertible top material for a long time during development, we also recognized the challenge of a reliable seal over the service life. Upon further analysis, we realized that the same advantages and more could be achieved by dividing the roof shell into two wind-resistant individual elements: Reliable tightness, better aerodynamics, lower wind noise and even lower weight.
The upper window well seals for the side windows are integrated into the top shells. If the shells are removed and the side windows are lowered, the window and roof space opens to the maximum. The view upwards is then only restricted by the central bar of the roll bar.
The suggestion to possibly remove the side top surfaces came from the TWIKE community and we are very grateful for it.
We look forward to your feedback on our TWIKE blog.
