Freth's Recumbents

Mach2 in Blue

2011-12-27T11:19:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time at D.I. in St. George, I bought a "Giant" mt bicycle. Eventually I cut it up and welded it into a Mach2 frame. A.D. Carson's Mach2 Instructions
And then it hung on the wall in the shop for a long time. So, the other day I decided to cut apart the rear end of my TE Clone and straighten the angle of the rear wheel. Which means I needed to pull down the Mach2 and throw it together so I have a LWB recumbent to ride. Anyway, at the moment I scrounged up enough long cable to connect the front brake and the front derailleur ... still need some really long ones for the rear. That means I only have a 3 speed (the one tiny one on the rear, varied by the 3 crank rings on the front.) It's not really up to hill climbing yet. But I'm having a great time racing around town on it. Foto follows:

It has a sticker on it from when it was registered in SLC onetime.

(Just back of the upside down word "Giant".)

Cargo Bay

2011-09-06T09:48:00.000-07:00

I put in 1/2" EMT support bars in the cargo bay area

to provide more even support under the thin plywood decking that I intend to attach in this area.

In conjunction with all the tubing underneath,

This area should support a fair amount of weight.

If the wheels can support it, that is.

I've placed my entire 250 lbs standing vertically on this area and the only sag I noticed was in the front shocks and front wheel.

Freighter Cart 2

2011-08-06T05:04:00.000-07:00

The materials list and information here is nice to have.

This is the really important part ...

making the bends.

Using this information from page 150 you can make any number of different carts. The axle plates are made with plain electrical box covers that have no punch-outs, and have corner slots for screws (which in the diagram have been cut off).

Scrounging Lumber

2011-08-06T04:58:00.000-07:00

I've located scrap lumber for 1/2 the cargo box ... Now I just need to get some more 1/4" lumber to finish the box

The Cart Book With Plans & Projects

2011-07-17T18:09:00.000-07:00

I bought the hardbound edition of this book back around 1983 when it was published. Like so many good books, it is long out of print. I scanned the pages talking about how to make the Freighter bike cart and have them in a PDF. This is a really great cart. I think the Bicycle Touring Cart is also a very handy cart as well. I've made one of those too, but my cousin has it now, so I need to make myself another one.

More Like a Cargo-Trike ?

2011-07-15T08:14:00.000-07:00

No box or steering bar yet, but it is starting to look like something.

Right-side view

Box goes up front between the wheels.

frontal view

left-side view

This is an example of how it works when finished.

Another example of a finished one .. in use.

Wheels?

2011-07-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

This needs explanation:

I used flat electrical panel plates to make the parts that support the wheel axles. 2 of the plates I took and inch off the top. The other two plates I drew a line across one (1) inch from the top. I placed these plates in the vise with the line even along the top of the front jaw, with a piece of 3/4" round tubing clamped behind it. Then I used a hammer to wrap the top of the plate back around the tubing. Those are like the one you see clamped around the tubing closest to you. The straight ones are clamped to the cargobox square tubing. At 1-5/8" in from the bottom edge, and centered side-to-side, I drilled a 3/8" hole, then used a hacksaw to cut a 3/8" slot from the edge to the hole. Then I placed a piece of 1/4" angle Aluminum (just a handly piece of scrap) to line all these up as I clamped them for welding. These aren't centered on the sides, but located just aft of the pivot point. Why? I don't know. Just because most of the cargotrike frames I have looked at, had it that way.

Here it is with the plates welded on to hold the axles.

Notice the 3/8" slot cut down to the drilled hole.

Here it is with 24" wheels

Looking at the bottom with 24" wheels on.

The rope is because I was trying drag it to the house to show my wife, and it just kept pivoting back and forth. So, I had to lock it down with the rope in order to tow it behind me. It will be okay once I weld the aft portion of the bike to the main tube and attach some kind of steering bar to the cargobox frame.

Needs Wheels

2011-07-13T17:43:00.000-07:00

To the cargobox frame, I have added the outside support tubes for the wheels. These are large enough to contain 26" wheels. Designed for the use of front wheels only. I marked the 3/4" tubing at 4" and 37". I aligned the 4" mark with the arrow on the tubing bender and gave it a 45° bend. Then I cut the tube at the 37" mark, measured back 4" and put another mark to align with the arrow in the tubing bender for the other 45° bend. Before doing the second bend, I eye-balled the tube to make sure both bends would be in the same plane of reference. Rotated the bent end until it lined up straight, then made the second bend. Make sure the tube parallel to the box frame, is 4-1/8" out from the frame along the middle straight side. Also check by laying the tubing down on the frame and supporting it with a bit of scrap to make sure the outside of the tube ends don't extend beyond the cargobox frame. If necessary, you may want to tighten the bends a bit. Draw extensions of your frame line and cut off the tubing at an angle for welding to the box frame.

This definitely won't roll through a door now.

Base All Welded

2011-07-05T07:27:00.000-07:00

After walking the dogs this morning, I went into the shop and welded up all connections and then used the 4-1/2" grinder to smooth them off.

Welded and ground smooth (well, sorta)

I leaned it up against the door so you can see the cargo box bottom attached to the pivot unit.

A closer view of the pivot unit - you can see the chainring and plate welded together and two 1/4" bolts attaching the cargobox bottom to the pivot unit.

Here it is, back clamped in the vise.

A side view across the cargobox bottom.

Next up are those outside pieces to hold the wheels ...

and then the vertical corners.

Cargo Box Base

2011-07-04T17:44:00.000-07:00

This frame is 62 cm wide x 100 cm long.

I clamped an end and a side to a 90° square and tacked it ...

then repeated for that side and the other end,

followed by the other side

and finally that side to the original end.

Corner-to-corner measurement comes out about the same.

Which means it is fairly rectangular ... not a parallelogram.

I measured center of each end ... then measured out 3-1/2" to either side for placement of the middle bars. Again clamping them with the square while I tacked them into place. I wanted them to fit just so, on the pivot plate.

Here I've welded in cross bars the width of the pivot plate.

Kind of supports that area where the wheels will be added on the outside, and makes the middle more rigid. This was all constructed with 3/4" square tubing. Now it needs to be ground smooth, then flipped over and welded on the other side.

Cargo Trike Progress

2011-06-30T05:14:00.000-07:00

Here's the bottom bracket welded onto the main tube to act as the box pivot. I had to weld-in (close) a 1/2" hole left over from where a tube connected to the BB.

This is with the pivot mechanism mounted.

You'll notice that it is not a 90° angle to the main tube.

The diagrams and fotos that I've found show it at a slight angle ... probably so that when there is weight in the box, the rear of the box doesn't drag on the main tube. This angle on mine is the width of the Sharpie marker line (no more than 1/8" wide). I drew the lines to make the "fish-mouth" cut outs for the BB. After clearing out the excess metal with a 4-1/2" grinder, The BB was vertical. Then on only one side, I ground to the back of the Sharpie line. You have to file each side between the fish-mouth cuts to get a line that will allow the BB to seat. And this was the resulting angle.

The next questions is 3/4" tubing or 1" tubing for the bottom box frame?

We'll just have to see how it all works out.

Cargo Trike - Box Pivot

2011-06-17T16:27:00.000-07:00

I welded a 7-1/8" square plate to the chainring - sprocket

to give me more surface and a thicker base for attaching the box frame.

This will be inverted and the the box frame will attach to the other side of the plate you are looking at.

The sprocket is held in place by this base of the pedal shaft.

So I kept it and cut a hole in the plate for it to poke through.

Here the bottom bracket is disassembled.

This allows for bearings and cups to be serviced or replaced.

I trimmed down the pedal shaft ...

So when I mount the box frame to the top of this plate,

it won't interfere with the box.

The Cargo Bay

2011-04-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

I'm working on the cargo bay for the Long-Tom. Tom thinks that only 24" wide is good for going through doorways. I decided to go with 26" wide. I only wasted a bit of EMT tubing in the process of figuring out How to get each side 13" wide with two 90° angles and a total length of 23" (or 23-1/4"). Once I had two of those that matched, I put them on the floor and welded them together. Then cleaned off the welds with the grinder. I centered the frame, clamped it in place on the bicycle frame, and tack-welded it into place.

You'll notice that the cargo frame isn't exactly flush with the bicycle frame.

So there will be a slight backward slant to the floor.

However, it butts up against the bottom of the top tube

and firmly up against the headset tube in the rear.

It's not going anywhere.

This is looking at the bottom of the cargo frame ...

before 45° braces were installed.

There it is out in the sun with handlebars.

You can also see the 45° support bars that I welded to each end of the cargo floor.

Oh yes, I cleaned and re-greased the bearings for the bottom bracket and put the crank back in.

HOWEVER, I don't yet have the steering rod attached ...

Which makes the bike a little awkward to move around.

(the handlebars just spin

and the front wheel goes any which way)

Steering Headset

2011-04-01T09:06:00.000-07:00

Foundation for the cargo section.

The top tube fits the headset cup. But the headset extension tube is larger in diameter than this tube ... so I cut a piece of 1/2" EMT tubing and split it down one side, cut across to make two pieces, then spread them open to make 1/2-moon pieces to go around and shim the larger tube. This centered the larger tub inside the headset extension tube.

Looking down inside the headset extension tube, you can see the end of the short piece of tubing that the cup fits into.

Looking from the side ... what you can't see are that the shims were even with the top of the headset tube extension, while the inner tube protruded 1/8" above. I then welded the inner tube to the outer tube. And tapped the cup into place. This allows for replacement of the cup and bearings as they wear.

This is the extended tubing for the headset.

It was cut, and a 3/4" EMT tubing was welded in between the two pieces.

Upper end

lower end.

If you can differentiate it from the parts in the background ...

There's the frame temporarily on wheels.

Another view from a rearward angle.

Gotta work on steering rod and brakes next.

More Long-Tom Photos

2011-03-26T19:33:00.000-07:00

Notice that one of the tubes welded above the bottom bracket (where the crank goes) is narrower than the other one. I had to flatten it so it wouldn't interfere with the gears. These welds look pretty good even without grinding. Ha!

Here are the two tubes that go around the extended headset tube.

The welding is almost decent.

I had lots of clamps trying to hold these tubes down by the bottom bracket so I could weld them. I welded them at the bottom bracket area, made adjustments in the line-up of the front end, then welded the tubes around the extended headset.

Instead of welding a tube on top of the platform tubes ... I welded it to that big tube underneath the platform.

The 1" diameter tube wouldn't bend to match-up, so I cut a wedge out of it, bent it, slid it into the big tube, and welded it in place.

Once all that was welded in place ...

I shortened the extended headset tube.

With a front wheel stuck on there ...

this is what it looks like at the moment.

I place my hands on the front cargo floor area and pressed down

until I had lifted myself off the floor ...

It didn't buckle under 245 lbs. of direct weight in that small area.

I think it will work as a cargo bike.

Long-Tom Frame Work

2011-03-25T17:08:00.000-07:00

Hard to see much about it ... but there is the basic frame

I'll end up shortening the extension of the headset tube a bit.

The 20" front headset was slightly diagonal to the rear bicycle frame,

so I pushed a helper bar into the neck hole to tug with while I pushed

on the bottom of the forks ... and tweaked it into lining up.

Then I welded it down into place.

It's coming along.

More detail fotos tomorrow.

Progress on Tom's Design

2011-03-05T19:27:00.000-08:00

This piece of EMT conduit fits over the headset ...

extending it down below the cargo platform.

As I've said before ... I stick things together with my MIG welder and clean them up with the 4-1/2" grinder. Above is the extension for the headset. And it is solid.

No beautiful beads or even edges.

I just tack it, tack it some more ...

then try to fill in some of the gaps.

Slow Progress

2011-01-28T20:20:00.000-08:00

I need to get 2 feet of 1-1/2" tubing

to connect to the headset of the rear bike.

So why am I dragging my feet?

Bakfiets Cargobike -- "Long John"

2010-12-31T19:17:00.000-08:00

Tomscargobikes.com/BUILD_YOUR_OWN

On his website, Tom, tells how to make a simplified two-wheeled, Long John style, cargo bike. So, while I am waiting around to get the metal to make the cargobox for the other bike ... I cut up a couple of spares and started making this bakfiet cargobike.

This is from a little girls 20" bike. The two tubes connected to the headset are cut off just short of the seat tube. Then a wedge is taken out of the underside of the top tube so that it bends down parallel with the bottom tube ... narrower than 3/4" EMT tubing.

5 ft. lengths of EMT are bent at a 45 degree angle ... on my bender that looks closer to 60 degrees ... but according to the compass that I compared the tubes against, it was only 45 degrees. Maybe I need to re-check that and bend them some more ... hmmm??

Anyway, they are placed in the gap alongside the tubes connected to the headset ... and the whole thing will be welded (at least tacked) together. Now I need some 1-1/2" tubing to extend the headset on the rear frame.

Rear Section

2010-12-28T20:43:00.000-08:00

Needing a rear section, I cut this out of a cheap mountain bike.

I think that I will use it at about this angle.

My concern is the angle of the seat tube.

Now I need tubing to make the box.

Cargotrike Plans = Cargo Trike Plans

2010-12-27T05:50:00.000-08:00

All of the above measurements are in centimeters (cm)

The approximate inch (") measurements are:

88 cm = 34-5/8" (35)

127 cm = 50"

208 cm = 74"

50 cm = 19-11/19" (20)

36 cm = 14-3/16" (14)

62 cm = 24-7/16" (25)

85 cm = 33-1/2" (34)

The numbers to the right i.e. (35), are what I'd probably round the inch measurements off to. That's what happens when you don't have a nice metric tape measure ...

Here's another view of a cargo-trike frame without the box

Of course this is a modern one with 20mm axles ...

it takes something heavy-duty like that to only support the axle on one end.

To build one of these, the simplest would be to use a single-speed bike (donor, trash, or thriftstore) with a Bendix brake on the rear. Cut off everything in front of the Bottom Bracket (BB) -- that's the part where the crank connecting the pedals goes through the frame. And everything in front of the seat tube. That leaves you with a rear triangle, seat tube, and bottom bracket all in one piece. The cargo box and new main tube (which you will make) will connect to the front of the BB.

I decided to start on a cargo trike. I needed something for the box out front to pivot on ... I looked at headset bearings and decided they were just too small. So I cut a large bottom bracket off a bicycle that has a single-piece steel crank. I cut most of the crank off on the side with the sprocket gear ... leaving just enough to hold the gear in place. I figure to tack a thin metal plate to the single gear. And that will then bolt to the frame of the box. (see 6/17/11) Once I'm done welding the plate to the gear, I'll cut off the left-side crank leaving just a nub. That should give me a good sized bearing. And it will be serviceable ... to re-grease the bearings and change bearings & cups.

This unit will be the pivot base of the cargo box.

The box frame will bolt to the gear unit.

The steel tubing will be welded to it ...

the other end of the tubing will be welded to the BB on the rear of the bicycle.

Christiana Cargo Trike - Other projects have had priority ...

2010-12-18T06:05:00.000-08:00

Most bike builders do their work in the summer. Mine has actually been moved to the winter when it is too rainy to work on outside projects. DMV has grounded my wife for awhile, so I am considering making a cargo trike that she can ride to the local store. Something along the lines of a Christiana trike.

I'm thinking of using a bottom bracket from a single-piece crank as the pivotal foundation for the cargo box. And attach that to the end of of a large square tube running from the BB that the rider pedals. Although that round handle is nice, if you had more than one-speed, how would you replace a broken twist-grip shifter? I'll have to think about that when I get to that point. I think I'll start with the box frame and the rear frame and see what I have to do to connect them together. :)

Current Ride - Foldable

2010-08-04T18:34:00.000-07:00

Fortunately it folds down so I can slip it into the back of my car.

It's a 7-speed ... notice the rear derailleur.

Bought it online at the following website:

http://www.greenzonebikes.com/

So, this is my current ride ... most days.
Since most of my riding is with kid clients.

Summer 2010

2010-07-29T06:28:00.000-07:00

Now that the summer is half over ... it's about time to start doing something with that corner of the shop. It's a bit overcrowded with bicycles. :-p

Winter Hibernating

2010-03-04T07:27:00.001-08:00

The Warrior Trike is hibernating in the shop ...

pending further work when the weather and motivation

warm up ... :-)

Steering 1

2009-12-04T06:19:00.001-08:00

The frame is upside-down in this foto.

I've tacked on the steering headset

for the Under-seat steering.

Ugly ... but it sticks.

Had to jack up the amperage for this.

Decided to Progress

2009-11-26T15:44:00.001-08:00

I measured in various directions ... stood it on the floor and looked at it ... and decided that I'd go with it. So welded it up, put the seat on, and sat down. Now I need tie-rods and steering. Maybe I'll get those done on Saturday or next week.

It is looking so much like it's "for real" that it makes me want to finish it to a functional point, and take a ride.

Still Thinking About This ...

2009-11-24T17:20:00.000-08:00

At this point I have the steering arms tack-welded onto the main tube. It stands up all by itself. It isn't tack-welded good enough that I would dare sit on it yet. I'm still thinking and measuring to make sure that everything is aligned the way I want it to be. This is kind of a critical point in the project. The success of the handling and steering is dependent upon this one phase being properly assembled. It may take a few days before I go on from here.

Here's looking from the rear towards the front.

The opposite view - front to rear.

I stood on a box to shoot this downward diagonal foto.

STEERING -- Argh!

2009-11-18T12:52:00.001-08:00

I've got one tack welded on ... but it just doesn't balance with the other one. Nice as it seems, I am going to have to take it off and try again. Drat!

Seat Issues

2009-11-18T12:36:00.001-08:00

I built the wooden seat with the closed-cell foam cover as specified in the plans. It was just a little too hard for me (think -> Papa Bear's chair). So I made brackets and mounted a web seat onto the frame. I really like the feel and don't mind the slightly higher CG. (Center of Gravity)

Drive Wheel Clearance

2009-11-09T15:45:00.001-08:00

This fork was made according to plans. But the plans didn't take into consideration putting a wheel in there with a drive-ring on it for a GEBE engine. I thought I had about 1/4" clearance, but it turns out that I only have 3/16" clearance between the drive-ring and the fork. So, it is workable ... provided nothing goes wrong. I think that next time I will make the front end of the fork about an inch wider than called for in the plans. That would give an extra 1/2" on each side.

Maybe that is too much. Perhaps only 1/2" wider at the front ... giving an extra 1/4" on each side. ( 1/4 + 3/16 = 7/16") That sounds better now that I think about it ... don't want to make it too wide if you are mounting a "V"-brake on the rear wheel (what with posts and all that).

Steer Arm

2009-11-04T14:50:00.001-08:00

Here it is with all those things stuck together.

Wheel attached to steering arm. ...

The left end of that arm has to be attached to the main tube.

That will be a compound mitre thing to tear hair over.

After I make the seat ... or something like that.

:-p

The most Traumatic so far ...

2009-11-04T04:52:00.001-08:00

You have to weld the headset part to the mounting tab ... and you're supposed to get the angle just right by visual, a straight-edge, and a prayer. Because you are gestimating that everything is lined up properly while you hold your thumb at arms length and go "uuhhh-yup!"

Anyway, after welding the hole closed and filling in any other gaps ... it looks somewhat like this ... in desperate need of the grinder. That poor grinder wheel is just about worn down to a tiny nub. I'm going to have to buy another one soon.

This is what it looks like after grinding.

I agree. Nothing that some bondo and covering it up with paint won't fix.

Whatever they are called ...

2009-10-29T18:15:00.000-07:00

I was in the process of making up 2 of these ...

One for each front tire.

When my MIG welder ran out of flux core wire!

I've only been using that big roll for the last 2-1/2 years.

Why did it have to run out now ... in the middle of a project??

Decision Finally Made

2009-10-24T18:43:00.000-07:00

My hubs have these protrusions that looked like it would keep the headtube unit well away from where the disk brakes needed to go. SO, I decided to trim down the hubs a bit. Which meant that the 160mm axle bolt would be too long. The next size I could acquire was 140mm.

So I had to hope that would work.

I cut sections like this off of both sides of the hubs.

Here's a top down view with the brake rotor mounted.

This is a side view ...

You'll jave to scroll down the page to find a previous side view to compare it to.

Another top angle view with the axle bolt and other parts.

Now I can start progressing again ...

Axle Mounting Tabs filed Out

2009-10-09T19:22:00.000-07:00

This is what they look like now with the holes filed out.

Ok. It's on the axle ... Do you see a problem here?

What about how far away the disc brake rotor is going to be from where you attach everything to that tab?

Maybe I can remove 3/8" from this side and 1/4" from the other side ... then look for a die to thread the bolt more ... or just start looking for shorter bolts ... or different bolts ... or ...

I guess I have to sort that out before I start welding onto the tabs and creating that un-changeable angle running down to the center bottom of the wheel.

Filing out holes ...

2009-09-25T10:57:00.001-07:00

Here you see two 5/8" holes ...

but I need 20mm holes ...

Having finally filed the top hole out large enough to fit the 20mm bolt ... I am pondering the effort required to file out the other one. I WILL do it ... eventually. But I think I'd rather go get a haircut right now ...

If the option was to go to the dentist ... I'd start filing again. It really takes time to do this, my T-shirt soaked in sweat, I come home all filthy and my wife wants to know what I've been doing ... just filing ...

Axle Mounting Tabs

2009-09-23T16:59:00.001-07:00

12" x 2" x 0.5" steel plate

Cost me $3 at the local scrap yard.

You don't see both at the moment ...

but I drilled two 5/8" dia. holes ...

after I laid out the two mounting tabs across the steel.

BEFORE I cut the tabs off ... because my little fingers wouldn't be able to hold that little tab when it wanted to start spinning ... and I am allergic to messy blood and missing finger parts.

(Been there ... Done that!)

Why 5/8" (15.875mm) and not 20mm?

I don't have a drill bit that big.

The large rattail file and I will have to enlarge the hole slightly to accommodate the 20mm axle bolt. (sigh) Jack tried to teach me better than to do all that manual labor ... but sometimes you just don't have the appropriate tool ... :-)

The Wheels Came!

2009-09-23T16:46:00.000-07:00

This is a 20mm diameter bolt that will be the axle.

IT IS HUGE!!

That is a 1/4" diameter bolt below it.

I purchased it at my local Industrial Fastener store.

Big-Box and TSC don't carry something like this.

I'm thinking of getting the center turned down a little bit.

The Mickey Mouse ears just arrived today.

The top one has the 20mm axle bolt in it.

The ring on the rear drive wheel is for my GEBE engine.

I've got it leaning up against the tree so you can see the 20mm axle bolt in place. I'm sure the two of them will handle A LOT MORE than 300 lbs. (which is more than I weigh) ... just a little engineering overkill. Next time I'll use 15mm axle bolts and hubs.

Still Waiting.

2009-09-22T17:13:00.000-07:00

I'm waiting for the wheels to show up ...

they were shipped ... so, any day now.

In the meantime I need to scrounge up some thick scrap metal to make the axle mounting tabs.

FINALLY -- The Bottom Bracket!!

2009-09-17T17:56:00.001-07:00

Here are the headsets dismantled so that you can see the welds ... after I cut out chunks in the middle to shorten them.

Finally ... at long last ... I gave up procrastinating

and worked on finishing the adjustable bottom bracket unit.

This is what a mess it looks like after I finish welding it.

spatter, lumps, and everything.

Here it is after I've sanded off the paint

and smoothed it down with the flap disk.

Yes, I smoothed both front and back.

It looks like I even managed to center

the front derailleur tube on the BB.

In Between Shifts

2009-09-16T17:39:00.001-07:00

Here's what you wanted to see ...

Okay, so this is where I was starting from today.

in between my work shifts ...

I was able to work on the trike.

I didn't have 2 identical headset thingies ...

But I do have 2 black ones ...

And since they aren't going to be right next to each other ... maybe it won't be so obvious.

Still haven't finished the adjustable Bottom Bracket.

However, the two headsets have been cut-down, resized, welded, and are ready to use on the two front wheels on the tadpole Warrior trike. The wheels are in the mail ... a friend of mine had them made up. Now I just need some scrap 1/2" plate ... to make two small parts.

In Between Work

2009-09-15T06:48:00.000-07:00

Ok. So I haven't finished the bottom bracket unit ... yet.

But I did get started on the two headsets for the front wheels.

You can see the two little tubes at the top left ...

The two headset tubes still need to be cut down to size

after I put the cups in the little tubes and measure ...

so they both turn out the same.

One of the head tubes was sitting around ...

the other I cut out of a small front fork that was laying around.

I'm a little thrashed after 14 hrs of work that finished at 1:30 a.m. this morning ... the trashed part came because I got up at 6:30 a.m. yesterday morning ... and drove 516 miles last night. I'm just not recovered even after 5 hrs of sleep. So, I'll get back to this later.

Under-Seat Steering (USS)

2009-09-08T05:41:00.001-07:00

For my own information as well as yours ...

I took some fotos of the steering on a trike made by S&B Recumbents. This steering has also been modified for the use of a tiller-stick over-seat steering.

This is an overhead view of the steering mechanism.

It uses a round tube at 90 degrees to the main tube.

I believe it has 15mm axle Phil Wood hubs. It is definitely NOT very massive ... quite petite almost, but designed to carry a 250 lb. person.

Here's a view of a hub with the arm and both linkage rods.

This shows the connection between the steering and the linkage arms. There are additional tubes that are actually frame support members and not related to the steering. Pay attention to how the 90 degree arm is connected with the steering headset.

Note the chain routing ...

As wells as the linkage.

Here's a close-up view of the axle connecting with the headset. Notice the grease fitting.

With everything straightened up ...

This is a view of the bottom of the linkage.

A Little Progress

2009-09-05T17:12:00.001-07:00

Looks pretty straight down the length.

The hammer is NOT part of the frame ...

just a weight to hold the frame in place.

Looking from the rear wheel end.

The next step is to make the adjustable bottom bracket.

I clamped a hacksaw blade on each side to allow a little space for paint. See, even dull dead blades are good for something.

It's been welded up ...

only on the outside edges.

I need to "fish-mouth" this tube and weld it on.

Sanding and Things

2009-09-03T19:28:00.001-07:00

They tell me that when sanding pieces of metal tubing with a flap-disk attached to a 4-1/2" grinder ... you should clamp the metal in the vise -- instead of holding it in your hand. Otherwise it is very easy to sand away a few layers of skin faster than you can let go of the grinder switch.

There's the current frame configuration.

I'm trying to decide if I want to make any alterations (such as boom vertical angle) before continuing on ...

Angles & Framing

2009-08-31T16:53:00.000-07:00

When it comes to framing and angles ...

You shim it up with anything that is handy.

In this case it was a couple of 5 gallon buckets

and some wood scraps ...

as long long as the parts all match up ...

I sure hope I got this angle correct ...

because it is all welded up now and I'd hate to have to cut it apart. I sure wish I made lovely welds like Jack or Brad ... but I don't. Which is a good reason for me to own

a 4-1/2" hand grinder!

Hey, this angle looks pretty good!

One out of three isn't too bad ... :-)

Fork & Wheel

2009-08-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

Here's where I'm at now.

I probably should have made the fork a bit wider at the top ... if this wheel ever warps, that nylon drive-ring will be hitting the fork. Maybe I can scrounge up some more 1.25" square tubing and make another fork ... and another pair of dropouts.

My intention is that I will mount that GEBE 32cc Tanaka engine on the rear wheel ... wait, I think I told you this already ...

Okay, well there it is ... clamped to the work bench.

by-the-way ... it's upside down at the moment.

Not much today

2009-08-28T19:07:00.001-07:00

I didn't get as much done today ...

There was walk-the-dog, check email, answer email (respond to another one of those bogus Koran 9:11 things ... whatever is being claimed it says ... it doesn't), check tinyhouseblog, send another email, breakfast, a little work in the shop, then a meeting to attend, some groceries to shop for (Pork Spare Ribs for $1.09 a lb. !!), a daughter to visit and split the ribs with, paid off the guy who isn't getting back the bicycle that I chopped up for parts (like I said, all other projects are taking 2nd priority), back home and about to go in the shop when my neighbor says lets go to the big city and buy fasteners, cutting wheels, and visit Harbor Freight. That blew the time until 7 p.m. when I made it back to the house.

Anyway ... I was making dropouts ... took them outside to photograph ... and had a visitor who wanted in on the picture ...

So, here they are ... incomplete.

You may notice one little oddity ... the thing sticking out of the top side of the one on the right ... Thats so that I can attach one of those screw-in derailleurs. Don't believe me? Just wait and see. Tomorrow is another day ...

Warrior Trike - Other Things on Hold

2009-08-27T16:24:00.001-07:00

AtomicZombie has just released the plans for the

Warrior Racing Trike

http://www.atomiczombie.com

I want to build one!!!

I already have enough square tubing for it.

Construction process for the rear forks ...

I deviated from the original plans ...

they called for square tubing all the way to the end

With just a 45 degree cut/taper.

After reading the plans completely thru one time. I knew that what was intended for the rear dropouts wasn't going to work for me. I needed to make thin sections at each end so that my GEBE 32cc Tanaka engine could mount to the rear axle. I also had to bend them slightly so that they would have a straight even area to attach the dropouts and rear wheel. I clamped them on either side of a 5-1/4" wood block for the wheel spacing.

The plans called for 1-1/2" tubing ...

Which I considered major overkill. Besides I had some 1-1/4" tubing left over from the DeltaWolf trike I built ... So I made the rear forks out of the smaller tubing. And since I used up all the smaller tubing, I'll make the rest of the frame out of the larger tubing.

So this is what I accomplished today.

All the ends are capped and the welds have been ground ... sort of smooth ...

Tomorrow is dropouts and the seat tube.

I'm considering changes to the dropouts to work with screw-in rear derailleurs.

One of the rear pieces is slightly thicker than the other ... I discovered that it worked just fine if I welded a 3/16" plate piece that was 3" long, and the width of the tubing. I cut away all but the inside wall of the tubing ... welded the plate onto the inside of that wall past the point of the slant. Then welded the slant cap on. The thicker one was the first one and I over-laid the plate with a tubing cap. NOT! Only cap the 45 degree slant after welding the plate in. It will be more than sturdy enough.

How to burn time ...

2009-08-22T19:28:00.001-07:00

I spent hours removing the car, cracked concrete,

and other clutter from the background of this

and several other fotos.

I received them from Jack ...

and when I am completely done with them,

they will appear on the S&B Recumbents website.

http://home.pacbell.net/recumbnt

This tadpole trike with the Over Seat Steering stick

is called the L.A. Lowrider

Doing Repairs

2009-08-16T13:37:00.001-07:00

This kind of got trashed by the boys ...

No one specifically admits to it ... that kind of story.

And their Dad couldn't repair it ...

So, it was sent back to Gpa on a permanent basis.

And I'm working on it and riding it a bit ...

and working on it some more.

As long as I keep my elbows out of the rear tires ...

I'm doing okay. :-)

Seat Support Rods

2009-08-07T16:19:00.001-07:00

I bought these at the big-box store ...

Try Lowes, Home Depot, TSC ...

They are aluminum -- 1/2" tubing & 3/8" rod.

used for the upper seat support.

The rod slides into the tube ... buy 2 tubes and 1 rod.

You will have to adjust these for length ...

One end of each tube is mashed down (use hammer & vise) to become a flat surface thru which you drill the hole for the bolt to attach it to the dropout. Use an 8-10" length of rod for each side ... mash down one end of each rod (use a BIG hammer and many hits ... ) The rods are attached to the upper seat support bar bracket (those things you welded on the bracket that poke down ...)

see brackets in the previous post below ...

Up near the top of each tube, drill a single hole. Mark your rod with 1" lines (use Sharpie permanent marker) ... slide rod into tube until line is visible thru hole and drill a hole through the rod

(large enough to accept a small/medium "hitch pin")

It helps if the rod is attached to the bracket & seat when you do this ... so it doesn't rotate on you ... (same same with the tubing - attached to dropout).

This part isn't explained really well in some instructions.

Anyway, it makes it adjustable for a more comfortable ride (no you don't want the seat to be vertical) ... you do want the seat leaning back somewhat ...

Seat Brackets

2009-08-04T06:57:00.000-07:00

Some people have had questions

about attaching their seat to their main tube.
Here are some ideas ...

Turn your head 90 degrees to the right if you have a hard time visualizing this ...

This is a bottom seat bracket to go on a round main tube.

The section to the right was made from 2 pieces of 3/4" EMT tubing ... or just one piece cut in half. The wall thickness is too thin otherwise.

I adjusted one piece to fit snuggly to the other ... then adjusted the whole thing to fit around the seat tube.

Tack welded the 2 EMT pieces together.

"Adjust" = use hammer to tap it around another tube or rod used as a mandrel to spread it slightly.

Here's a support bracket for the upper back of seat ...

It's upside down ... because the seat is laying on the ground.

You think the photographer could have taken the foto the other way around ...

bracket was made using the same "adjusting" technique.

Just to be consistent in upside-down fotos ...

This bracket was made by tack welding a "U" bracket

to a piece of tubing.

More Fixes

2009-07-07T10:39:00.000-07:00

V-brakes won't work normally on the front fork due to cable routing conflicting with the chain. So I mounted the caliper brakes and will have to remove the posts.

This is a sideview of the front derailleur.

Since the seat was too close to the steering stem ...

This was my solution ... a tilting stem ...

So you can get in and out of the seat.

What I am attempting to show you here is that I had to install a shorter length axle (or whatever you call the shaft that passes thru the middle of the Bottom Bracket). The original shaft pushed the crank gears too far out so that the largest one couldn't be reached by the front derailleur mechanism.

Now it works fine.

Further Along, but ...

2009-05-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

There it is with a mesh seat cover, rear derailleur, and crank & pedals on the front. Almost looking like a real recumbent.

The new owner has a 28-inch inseam ... which places the seat up very close to the steering stem. AND, he wants the seat almost vertical. It is tilted back just barely enough for the chain line to clear the bottom of the seat fabric. HOWEVER, I can just barely squeeze in between the seat and the steering stem. And getting back out (getting the bike to drop down off me) is very difficult ... it would almost be easier to flop over sideways onto the ground and crawl out (OUCH!).

SO, I have to do something about making a tilting steering mechanism.

Here is the rear derailleur attached to the dropout.

There are two other smaller holes that I had to tap threads into for use of the seat stays and a possible future rear rack or Golden Eagle gasoline engine.

Here's looking at the threaded holes from the inside of the frame.

Rear Derailleur Tap

2009-05-22T12:51:00.000-07:00

The Big Box stores around here don't have taps.

You need a tap to cut the threads in the 8.5mm hole that the rear derailleur threads into. It is a 10mm tap ... however, not just any 10mm tap will do. The upper tap in the foto is 10mm x 1.5mm (I didn't know what the thread count on it was since it isn't marked, so I tried it on a piece of scrap metal ... too course for the derailleur threads). At this point I searched the internet and on Sheldon Brown's site it specified that the tap had to be 10mm x 1.0mm. I went to the nearest BIG city (I live in a tiny town with cows) ... where I found an industrial hardware store ... that just happened to have the bottom tap in stock (this saved me about $6 difference from the cost of buying it and having it shipped from Amazon.com).

The new tap worked absolutely fine. I tapped the hole in the dropout and attached the derailleur.

More About Steering

2009-05-22T12:44:00.001-07:00

The seat tube clamp is not attached in any way to the tubing. I did cut 4 slots in the tubing so it could be clamped down tight on the stem that you see below. You have to tighten the bolt really tight to keep the tube from wiggling back-and-forth on the stem.

Once upon a time ... there was an angled section attached to the side of the stem ... which went forth and clamped to the handlebar. I cut that off with a hacksaw and ground it smooth. I inserted this like normal into the headset, tightened it really tight (doesn't matter which direction this faces ... only you will know what's under the tubing), then slide the tubing down over the stem top to the headset nuts, and clamp it (making sure the handlebar is perpendicular to the wheel).

The Skeleton stands

2009-05-08T18:48:00.001-07:00

Needs: Seat Cover, crank & pedals, chain, and cables.

I've been slow at figuring these things out ... so have procrastinated.
Read a book the other day about First-Borns and found there was a type like that ... it's always great to have an excuse ... altho they called it "frustrated perfectionist" ... frustrated yes. perfectionist ... are you kidding me?

Steering stem attachment.
a length of seat tube off a small bike that would clamp around the neck thing that usually holds handlebars ... maybe I should include more fotos and explanation. I had less than that to go on with the Bentech plans.

side view

welded posts and attached V-brake.
(20" front fork - thrift store bike)

Didn't have enough posts to weld on the rear ones too
so I simply cut this off a front fork and welded it on in one piece.

It has to go underneath due to chain routing issues.

view down the length -- it's straight!

Old Bike in the Jungle

2009-05-06T20:21:00.001-07:00

This is an old bicycle frame that I found in the overgrown jungle out behind an abandoned house here in town. Considering what has happened to the front fork ... I'm not sure that the bike is even restorable.

I'm still hacking away (every so often) on the recumbent SWB that I'm building for some guy ...

I offered to give him back his parts bicycle and forget the whole thing ... but he refused.

So whining and screaming, I periodically drag myself up to the shop and work on it some more.

Today I scrounged up some posts and welded them on to use a V-brake on the front wheel. I had mounted a caliper brake ... but didn't feel comfortable about it's stopping power ... particularly if he decides to mount a motor on this bike (he really wants a motor like mine on his recumbent too). I already had mounted a V-brake setup on the rear wheel. Dang! I think the cable with a few parts I need to use on the V-brake -- just fell down behind my work bench ... I'll have to dig it out tomorrow.

After reading the sparse instructions about steering in the BenTech construction plans ... I dug thru my scrap pile and found a tube to use as an extender between the headset and the handlebars. I slapped a set of bars into place and it almost looks like you can steer it.

Then I started working on the seat stays that run from the back of the seat to the rear dropout. The only problem is that the seat doesn't have a cover. I think I'll take the cover off my good web seat and put it on this bike. Then I'll have to talk someone with a heavy-duty upholstery sewing machine into sewing up another cover for my seat (once I buy some more of that Phifertex fabric).

I'll take fotos of all of this and post them tomorrow.

Procrastination -- and Frame Problems

2009-04-11T17:36:00.001-07:00

There was a problem with the frame ...
When you clamped the bare frame in the jig and looked at it straight on from the front to the rear, it looked like the front end and bottom bracket were twisted to one side.
The rear forks were SOLIDLY welded into place, so what could I do about it? I thought about it, and thought about it. Kind of a slow thinker. And PROCRASTINATED, because I was so upset with the frame. Finally I cut a piece of stock main tubing about 2" long. Clamped it sideways in the vise and started cutting strips out of the length ... creating quite a gap ... until it would squeeze tightly together and just barely slide into a piece of main tubing stock.
Then I took my hacksaw and cut perpendicular across the main tube of the frame about 3" up from the rear forks. Using a round file, I filed in little half-round chunks out of the edge of the main tube. Slid the insert into the main tube and tack welded it into place. Then I slid the insert into the rear section ... put it in the jig ... and made sure the entire frame flowed straightly from front to back ... before finishing welding it all back together.

Now it is straight.
I feel so much better about it !! Now I can finish it!
with No major structural flaw.
Just small things and the steering before I get
it powder coated.

Drop-outs Welded

2009-03-20T15:16:00.001-07:00

Drop-outs are those things that connect the wheel with the frame.

This is the side that the derailleur attaches to ...
after I get the correct tap to thread the big hole.

AND, they have to be attached evenly so the axle is straight across and the tire is centered between the forks and is vertically straight.

Seat Support Update

2009-03-17T18:56:00.000-07:00

Notice that this time around, we have clearance for the chain.

Here's the sideview a.k.a profile

Building Seat Support -- Twice

2009-03-17T13:10:00.001-07:00

I made this seat support piece and mounted it on the frame.
Then I stood out to the side and looked at it ...
Then I went inside and brought out a long length of chain ...
Put the chain around the large gear on the back and stretched it up over the top chain roller ... there's a problem ... it's pushing upward against the seat support unit.

I also saw that I couldn't mount the brakes on the top of the frame ...
same problem -- chain conflict.
Which means I'll have to adjust the rear dropouts forward ...
I haven't welded them on yet.

Here are the two seat support units side-by-side.
The one on the right will provide enough chain clearance.
If you are wondering what all the little tack-welds are for ...
I found that if I use a single layer of EMT tubing,
it bends when you sit in the seat and move side-to-side.
So, I split the tube down the center ... took one half and using a hammer to tap on it on a round section of tubing. This flairs the outside piece so that it will fit snugly against the other half. Then I tack-weld them together and they make a much more rigid seat support tube.

Here all by itself is the seat support unit that I am going to use.
Good thing I didn't start drilling holes in the main tube yet ...
I'll use this as the jig to drill the holes for the bolt that will lock the unit firmly in place at the proper distance for the new owner.

Rear Forks

2009-03-13T12:35:00.001-07:00

Clamped to weld on rear forks ...

With the front forks, the rear forks, and a couple of wheels mounted, it is starting to look somewhat like a recumbent bicycle ...

Now it just needs dropouts, derailleurs, crank & pedals, A SEAT, handlebars, and a chain.

Start of Rear Forks

2009-03-07T10:04:00.000-08:00

Here the main tube is clamped in the jig.
The black forks on the left will be used for rear forks.
Notice that I cut the head tube off about 3/8's inches below the bottom bearing support. This is so that I can use it for a steering unit in another project. And leaves enough room to weld the tab on it below the bearing to connect to the front forks.

I still have to mark and drill the holes near the rear of the main tube (on your right in this foto) ... and build the block to hold the axle-end of the forks in position when I clamp the main tube on the other side of the jig to weld the forks to it at the proper angle (those two empty "u" blocks over there will hold the main tube with the bottom bracket hanging downward over the right end).

All but the rear forks

2009-03-06T14:51:00.001-08:00

Here's the view from head on ...
You can see the front forks (purple), Bottom Bracket for the front crank (silver), the front derailleur post (blue), and the chain rollers (red).

Here's a 3/4 view ...
What's missing are the rear forks at the other end of the main tube.
The plans recommend chromolly tubing bent 90°.
I have EMT tubing, but that didn't seem very strong.
I'm still working on them ...

Here's a right side view ...
the rear forks attach to that left end of the main tube.

Bentech Step 2-1/8

2009-02-26T16:27:00.000-08:00

Main tube with head tube clamped in the jig.
The drill thing is what I used to drill the hole for the head tube.
White u-strip will be welded on for the idler wheels
to get the chain up and out of the way of the front fork.

Here the u-strip has been welded on ...
and you see the two chain idler wheels.
The idler wheels were skate wheels that I turn on my drill press.
the blue thing is just a temporary spacer ...
because I didn't have another 2" x 5/16' bolt.

Here's the current status of the main tube ...
the portion to the left of the head tube will be shortened a bit
when it is tweaked and bored for the bottom bracket.

Bentech Step 2

2009-02-25T11:25:00.001-08:00

The main tube has been shortened, I marked the centerline of the sides of the tube, marked the head tube points, center-punched them, used a 1/8" drill bit and drilled pilot holes, then used a bi-metallic holesaw with a 1/4" center bit to drill from each side ...
to drill out the hole for the head tube.

Here I've tack-welded the head tube into postion. You may be wondering how the decision was made as to how much of the head tube would protrude above or below the main tube ... I took off the front end clamps, loosened the 2 clamps to my right, rotated the front end of the main tube 90° up, tightened down the 2 clamps to the right, inserted the head tube so it rested squarely on the surface of the jig ...
I tacked on one side, then directly 180°opposite on the other side. Then the two opposite ones for front & back.
The white u-bar will be the bracket for the chain guide idler wheels.

Here's a view of my welding ... dressed up by the hand grinder.
The head tube is now firmly in place.

Bentech starting

2009-02-20T11:30:00.000-08:00

Here's the maintube clamped in the jig.
This tube is a little long ... I could only buy a 10 ft. length,
so I had it split into two 5 ft sections ... a muffler shop did the bend for $2

This is just the start ... shortening & drilling comes next ...

Changed Front Crank/Gears

2009-02-15T05:49:00.001-08:00

The DeltaWolf trike had the the single speed front ... 38 teeth
which came off his sister's bike.
But there were all kinds of problems climbing hills.
So I ordered this new 3-ring front crank 152mm 48-38-28 teeth.

From this view you should be able to see the 3 rings of teeth ...
the chain is currently on the smallest one ...
Which should allow him to climb hills better.

Here you can see the added front derailleur ...
with 3-click twist-grip shifter on the handlebars.

Not Much Different ... But Changes

2009-02-12T17:16:00.001-08:00

The Mach2 doesn't really look much different from last time ...
Still waiting on cables ...
Having ridden it several times ... I made some small changes
that are important to me.

It seemed like a good idea that the steering could be moved up and down ... But after riding it several times ... all that movement really irritated me. So, I pulled out the delrin (plastic) plug and cut the middle out of some funky handlebars. This foto shows that piece welded in where the delrin used to be ... and clamped solid at a good ride-able height. Just one less moving thing ... and it rides better because of it.

Even though the seat support bracket was hose-clamped to the main tube ... it tended to rock from side-to-side. If you off-balanced, it would roll to the side (like a horse saddle that wasn't properly cinched) ... and down I'd go. I centered it where it felt right ... then tack-welded it at the corners so it wouldn't move anymore. Way much better!

Mach2 - First Ride

2009-02-06T14:59:00.000-08:00

At this point I finally put a chain on the Mach2. There's also a skate-wheel idler roller (red) to keep the return chain from flopping. I finally rode it for the first time. I like the way it handles.

No brakes ... No shifting gears ... Still waiting on cables so I can connect those up. I have some issues with the front forks ... may change them for another set. I'm going to make the steering solid so it doesn't move up and down. The seat base needs to be welded to the main-tube.

Its currently only for flat-ground ... no hills ... no speed ... yet. :-)

Jig - Update

2009-02-02T10:56:00.000-08:00

The blocks are mounted on the jig.
The tubing lays in the center of the blocks
and is clamped by screwing down the top half.

I've lifted the tops off ...
and you can the bottom half's are screwed to the jig surface.
Nest Step: get 1-3/4" muffler tubing

Bentech SWB Jig

2009-02-01T22:30:00.000-08:00

2 x 4's aren't necessarily 8 ft. long anymore ... so the foundation of the jig ended up being about 46" long. That was on the left side ... where the overlap won't matter all that much. The holes drilled in the plywood are used to insert clamps to hold the main tube firmly in place for little operations such as drilling or welding. There's one 2 x 4 block on top ... I need 8 of them. More about this later ...

Bubblegum drawings

2009-01-28T15:15:00.000-08:00

I spent a day with the Redondo lowracer ...
taking fotos and doing full scale drawings.
Ostensibly this is for Smitty to make one for himself ...
or plans for someone else to make their own.

The drop-outs were easy ...
I held the paper right up against them and outlined them.
The rest of the form (frame) was kind of iffy ...
because it isn't exactly flat ... I was sorta outlining it
with the pen ... then straightening the lines,
and getting the proper widths.
I did manage to get all the critical angles
with a large woodshop protractor

Mach2 - latest changes

2009-01-24T09:43:00.001-08:00

At this stage ... I have a different fork on the front ...
Not sure if it is raked too much ... have to ride it and see.
I used an adjustable angle pyramid neck.
And I stuck a seat on it.
I need to throw a few more parts on it, ride it, and see what to do next.

Rather than 90° bending a tube ...
I heat bent a "U" which connects thru a delrin plug/tube.
That's a 1" EMT tube welded to it.

At the top end of the steering tube ...
I inserted a smaller tube with an inside diameter of abt 7/8".
So I could insert the steering gooseneck and handlebars.

Here's a sideview of that front fork ...
I'm still thinking about that ...
may go with a different fork ... we'll see.

Done! _ Braking Solved ...

2009-01-10T06:30:00.000-08:00

Finally solved the braking problem with the trike ...

$50 plus shipping & handling

gives you this Avid BB7 disc brake ...

which will skid the rear wheel (much to grandson's delight).

That other disc brake just wasn't stopping anything.

At last! I am done with the headache of this project.

Now I can get back to working on the Mach-2 ...

and making the jig for a Bentech SWB recumbent.

I still have the tubing for another Lowracer & another DeltaWolf.

Fotos for A.D. Carson

2009-01-07T10:11:00.001-08:00

A.D. Carson sent me an email requesting some better fotos of the Mach2 ... particularly of the welding on the bottom tubes. The lines of the bottom tubes looks pretty good. My welding is NOT all that great. All I can say is that I manage to stick things together. And use a grinder to smooth the mess out ...

This is where the bottom tubes connect to the Bottom Bracket.

Needs more grinding ...

Topside view of bottom tubes connecting to the rear triangle.

Bottom view of the bottom tubes connecting to the rear triangle.

Side view of bottom tubes connecting to the rear triangle.

I like the way the lines flow without too bulky connections.

Mach 2 Update2

2009-01-06T17:16:00.000-08:00

I welded on the bottom tubes ...
This is an indoor shot at night so it isn't well lit and I couldn't reall get back far enough to get a good side-view shot.

This is a shot of the front end.

I ground off the stubs and welded the bottom tubes directly to the BB
This gives a cleaner line directly back to the rear.

I did some hacksaw cuts so the tube ends would overlap the portions of the rear forks. This made for a cleaner looking transition. Also tacked the seat tube to the bottom tubes.

Slow Progress ... Mach 2

2008-12-31T05:59:00.000-08:00

Several years back, I cut up this bicycle to make a Mach 2 designed by A.D. Carson. It's kind of like a Tour Easy clone, but with a lower frame profile.
Anyway, I've finally started to work on the frame ... It was all kind of rusted and such ... so I've sanded, still have to grind the welds, and add the bottom tubes. Then I'll make a seat for it ... bend up some EMT tubing and weld it together. Then I'll have to seriously experiment with USS (under seat steering).

This is the view from the end ...
It's not too far out of whack ...
I'll tweak it some more before I weld the bottom tubes on.

Here's a look at the front triangle.
You can see that I ground the former bottom tubes off the bottom bracket (BB). At the moment it has a Schwinn front fork which has been modified for a 20" wheel. And, from the decals, you can tell that it used to be a "GIANT" bicycle. The Salt Lake City registration decal reminds me that I bought this bicycle from the D.I. Thrift Store in
St. George, UT. As I progress ... I'll show more fotos.

Finished Product?

2008-11-29T19:01:00.000-08:00

This young fellow can't keep his hands off what is supposed to be his older brother's trike ...
Guess which one is most likely to ride this trike ...
2/3 rd's of the time ... probably this grandson.

This is a front quartering view.
16" front wheel
Geartrain from 24" bike

Right side view.
Pink steer rod from my "Bubblegum" lowracer.

Rear view.
S&B fiberglass seat with cover.
20" wheels

Here's a video of him riding by
just to show that it works.

Paint Job

2008-11-29T18:47:00.001-08:00

My wife and the grandkids kept insisting that I needed to paint the trike.
So here's the frame with an undercoating on it.

I dislike spray painting when it is windy ...
but that was the only choice at the time.
Which meant I had to get way too close and some areas
aren't as nice as I'd like.

Another view of my classy paint shop.
Grandson wanted fluorescent lime green.

Disk Brake Frame Bracket

2008-11-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

Okay ... the disc brake assembly bolts to that plate (see blog further down this page) ... the plate is screwed down onto these two tabs.

Of course, I couldn't mark where the tabs go without having the rotor disc mounted ... so I could get the correct spacing from the frame ... and the correct angle to fit the brake unit around the rotor. Anyway, I positioned it ... looked at it carefully ... marked it with a sharpie ... took the axle off the frame ... held the brake unit (with tabs) in place ... tacked each tab ... took the brake unit off ... and finished welding the tabs in place. Spent lots of time "truing" the rotor unit in hopes that it will rotate without side-to-side wobble.

Making an Idler Wheel - Roller

2008-11-01T10:54:00.000-07:00

This is my vertical lathe ... I needed some way to turn roller skate wheels into idler rollers ... This is being used on the return side of the chain on another recumbent that has a long swinging return chain. Anyway, I tack welded a scrap piece of pipe to a scrap length of strap ... clamped it to my drill-press table ... which provides me with a tool rest. I use my 1/4" straight chisel to "turn" the wheels (hollow out a chain groove) . Sweet!

Disc Brake Bracket

2008-10-27T20:43:00.001-07:00

Overhead view of the brake unit ...
in the lower part of the foto ...
diagonally left and up from the maroon knob ...
you see a slot (or part of one) that the rotor disc fits into.
This unit clamps the rotor disc between 2 pads
to force the axle to stop.

This is the disc brake unit off my EZ-Speedster ...
Needed to adapt it so that I can mount it on the DW trike.
I discovered that when properly positioned, I couldn't reach these allen head screws. So, I built this little 90 degree bracket which can be screwed to 2 other tabs that are welded to the frame. This allows me to place this unit vertically down over the disc rotor
and screw it in place.
The fun part will be getting it all to work together ...
without the rotor wobbling too much ...

Brake Thingies

2008-10-25T06:25:00.000-07:00

These are new brake pads ...

some of the caliper brakes had the "C" pads

and the "V" brakes have the "V" pads.

I'll try whatever to see if they work.

The "V" brake that I added to the Speedster recumbent ...

had "C" pads on it ...

and didn't seem to stop the wheel very well.

So, I changed to "V" pads ... now it works wonderfully.

(can't say the same about the caliper brakes ... )

(the ones on the trike ...)

This shows a disc brake rotor with an adapter on top of it.

I made the adapter to attach the rotor to the trike axle.

I just have to find nuts for the bolts ...

Here's a closer view of the adapter ...

a 5/8" collar tack-welded to ...

and chunk of electrical box cover.

Flag Avoidance

2008-10-22T07:11:00.000-07:00

When the flag is angled back and out to left ...
you find that drivers tend to go around the tip of the flag
and not try to crowd you and your bike.

Glitches & Mods #1

2008-10-21T17:08:00.001-07:00

There's been a major glitch ... the brakes won't stop the trike. I've tried sanding the paint on the rims ... I've tried grinding off the hard rubber layer of the pads down to a fresh layer ... and nothing works. DRAT!
It rides and moves nicely otherwise! The boys think it is fantastic ... even though they had to use "Flintstone" brakes (drag your shoes on the ground).
I did read that one message about a smaller wheel further forward to change the chain angle so things work better ... I LIKE IT! This roller skate wheel had a soft outer layer ... but a hard plastic inner core.

Here's another view of the chain angle and routing ...
And, in case you were wondering ...
One grandson did go flying up over the curb today ...

Main Tube Bracing

2008-10-20T15:48:00.000-07:00

Since this grandchild is known to "fly" off curbs ...
and in other ways test the limits of a bike ...
I figured I'd re-enforce the main tube.
Particularly since I only used 1-1/4" sq. tubing ...
(the plans call for 1-1/2" sq. tubing)

So, I tack-welded a piece of 3/4" angle iron
starting at the large gusset ...
running up to where the BB is set for kids.

Which places a triangular brace most of the length of the main tube.
I figure that should keep the grandkids from
bending the main tube.
I also re-enforced where the main tube and front up-tube meet.
(just in case ... )

More on Brake Brackets

2008-10-20T15:42:00.000-07:00

Here's a view in the sunshine

A look at a bracket ...
The bracket is only 6" long ... so it's very sturdy.
we leaned 230 lbs on the end of this bracket ...
and we weren't seeing much flex.

Here's what the brackets look like from a front quarter view.
If I had mounted them so they were horizontal ...
they would have been longer ... and I would have triangulated them.

DeltaWolf Trike - Fully Functional

2008-10-18T16:55:00.000-07:00

Here's rear-quarter view showing both the brakes and the gear train.

I decided to use caliper brakes ... base on
something Jack Baker made.
So I welded up mirror image brackets to hold the brakes.

Here's with the caliper brake mounted

side view of the brake mount.

Matching brake mounts ...
the left brake lever controls the left brake ...
and the right lever controls the right ...
might help in making high-speed pivot turns ...

Here's a side view ... with room for leg growth of the rider.

DW Trike Gear Train

2008-10-17T13:10:00.001-07:00

After I cut the axle into two parts ...
I removed one side and attached the free-wheel
gear cluster and adapter ... and 4" pulley.
Just trying the chain on for size ...
and I need to weld closed all those open ends ...

The 4 rear frames ends and the end of the main tube are welded closed.
I put the other axle and wheel back on ...
and welded a rear axle to the frame to use as a dérailleur hanger.
Still need to run a cable so it will shift ... put on a chain roller ...
AND ... brakes.
I did go ride it down the street just to verify it works ...

DW Trike Seat Mounts

2008-10-17T13:09:00.001-07:00

Here's a better view of the two seat mounts.

Lazy Man Bike

2008-10-13T06:51:00.000-07:00

This is your basic "lazy man" bike ...
I only have to pedal going up hills.

I have a rearview mirror attached to my glasses ...
I have an attractive bicycle helmet ...
and a safety vest for visibility ...
There are reflectors ... but I still have to work on the lights.

Motor Assisted Recumbent

2008-10-06T18:20:00.001-07:00

Here is the Sun EZ-Speedster with the GEBE (Golden Eagle Bike Engine) mounted on the rear. The disk brake is coming off because the engine frame wouldn't fit around it. And even if I had been able to attach the engine frame ... It would have clamped the disk mechanism so it wouldn't work.

I ran a ground line (soldered to the switch) ..
connected to the bolt securing the engine brace.
It works really well.

The kill switch lines weren't long enough to go to the handlebars ...
So it is held in place by the clamp that holds the water bottle.
The original throttle cable is shorter than desired ...
but is draped under the seat and functions
without reducing "free play" in the cable length.
When I get some more "bullet" connectors ...
I'll lengthen the lines and mount the switch on the handlebars.

Due to the chain on the other side ...
I opted to put the throttle lever on the left side.
Which doesn't conflict with the majority of my shifting

This shows the kill switch on my handlebar stem.

I had to cut one of these cable routing thingies
off of another bike and weld it in this position under the seat
to allow for optimum use of the cable going to the rear brake/

Since I couldn't mount both the engine and disk brake ...
And the rear fork area was too wide for "V" brake posts ...
I cut this unit off the front of another bike
and welded it to the rear.
The thought of going down hills with only a front disk brake ...
was too scary a thought for me to consider ...
and since I plan on riding this bike 11 miles to work tomorrow ...
attaching a rear brake became a HIGH priority!

EZ-Speedster GEBE 1

2008-10-03T08:22:00.001-07:00

This is an EZ_Speedster that I've mounted a Tanaka 32cc engine onto. I'm switching from a disk brake on the rear to a "V" brake ...
I'll post a foto when I've finished working that out ...

Since I don't have the usual bicycle fender connection point ...
this is how I connected the support brace so it doesn't move forward-backward ...

Closer View of a Few Parts

2008-09-29T17:28:00.000-07:00

Here it is with the pedals and steering.

That's a seat tube that is attached to the piece going into the headset.
This sits high enough to clear even my knees.

I copied the tilting setup that TrikeBuilder used on his DeltaWolf.

I changed out bottom bracket units ...
just trying to simplify my workload at this point.
Besides, this one is cleaner looking ...
(my welds are getting better)

Steering Complete

2008-09-29T16:51:00.001-07:00

Once the grandson got off it and went home ...
I managed to finish the steering.
Next up is the work on the gear-train

Steering Progress

2008-09-27T17:02:00.001-07:00

I'm making the Above Seat Steering (ASS or OSS) mechanism. This thing has 2 headsets ... one above the front fork ... the other in front of the seat. They currently are linked by a rod (which I borrowed off my lowracer). When the rear one is turned ... the front one turns simultaneously in the same direction. Monday I'll work on the short riser that connects with the handlebars. I'm also working on a different bottom bracket unit. You have to cut up multiple bicycles to get the parts you need to make one of these ...