New Homebuilt Trike for 13 y/o Daughter

[Freddyflatfoot]

Just thought I'd share some pics of my latest build, a trike for my 13 y/o daughter. Just finished it today (less paint and seat foam), but is ridable!
Only has a 5 speed rear cluster, and BMX crank up front.
Basically used up some odds and ends I had lying around, except for an idler and wheelchair hubs.
Here's the link, oh wait, that right, I can't post links just yet!
Ok, I'll post the link, with some obvious changes, I'm sure you'll work it out!
www.s281.photobucket.com/albums/kk204/freddyflatfoot/Melissas%20Trike/

(Link activated by mod)

[Kalgrm]

Nice job Rob. I see from photo 5 that you have another on the way ...

Cheers,
Graeme

[vx255]

Hi Rob, wow, that's really cool.

I'd be really interested in reading a "how to" unless you've patented it

Eddie

[Freddyflatfoot]

Nice job Rob. I see from photo 5 that you have another on the way ...

Cheers,
Graeme

There's another on the way! Same style seat, SRAM X-9 gearing, cantilever rear end, direct steer, SA drum brakes, and 26/20 format.
I have named her 'Goanna', and she is about 90% complete. Just need to do chain management, and boom extension clamps.
I wanted to get my daughter's trike fished first, so that I can get her out riding, while she is on hols, and I'm on leave as well.

[Freddyflatfoot]

Hi Rob, wow, that's really cool.

I'd be really interested in reading a "how to" unless you've patented it

Eddie

Eddie, just ask the questions and I'll do my best to answer! But my construction techniques are pretty elementary, just use steel and an arc welder!

[vx255]

Hi Rob, wow, that's really cool.

I'd be really interested in reading a "how to" unless you've patented it

Eddie

Eddie, just ask the questions and I'll do my best to answer! But my construction techniques are pretty elementary, just use steel and an arc welder!

Where to start, I'd be keen to emulate something similar, I like tinkering, pretty handy with the mig, but not strong on the MacGuyver (invention) skills though.

Thought owning a trike would be cool, I have a little one due, literally, any moment, and a trike towing a trailer around our ultra wide, under used local bike paths would be fun, but the cost of buying a commercially built one puts me off, even though I can see how they cost what they do (if that makes sense).

[Freddyflatfoot]

Eddie,
Are you a member of VicHPV?
There are a lot of guys there who build their own machines, and as you are in Melb, could probably get lots of good advice!
Having said that, we are blessed in Melb by having two very good manufacturers, in Greenspeed and Trisled.
Another good resource is fleetrikes dot com.
Once you get into it, its not that hard. Probably the most difficult bit, is building up the kingpins, and the front wheels (usually 12 or 14mm axles, for stub mounting). Otherwise the rest of the components are std bike parts!
A trike would be ideal to tow around one of those kiddie trailers!

[vx255]

Eddie,
Are you a member of VicHPV?
There are a lot of guys there who build their own machines, and as you are in Melb, could probably get lots of good advice!
Having said that, we are blessed in Melb by having two very good manufacturers, in Greenspeed and Trisled.
Another good resource is fleetrikes dot com.
Once you get into it, its not that hard. Probably the most difficult bit, is building up the kingpins, and the front wheels (usually 12 or 14mm axles, for stub mounting). Otherwise the rest of the components are std bike parts!
A trike would be ideal to tow around one of those kiddie trailers!

Cheers Rob, Having nothing better to do than sit at home and wait, I've spent the morning scouring the net. Greenspeed, nice stuff, great looking designs, but wow.. expensive.

[Freddyflatfoot]

Actually Eddie, if you have the cash, and don't mine stepping back a touch in quality/components, then there are some reasonable buys on Ebay, or even Flying Furniture in Canberra.
A half reasonable trike can be had for around $1600, and is a good way to get into trikes, if you don't want to muck around building your own.
Just search for recumbents on Ebay, and see what comes up!
Oh, we took Melissa's trike out for her maiden voyage today. Did about 24k's. Was a pretty slow trip, as Melissa is adjusting to riding her trike, and gaining her 'bent legs! She barely got out of 1st gear, and the cadence was pretty casual, so you can imagine the speed, or lack thereof!
My cycle computer had trouble coping with the slow speeds, and gave me some erroneous results, including speed and distance, so had to guess the distance, based on previous rides.
All in all, the trike performed well, with no issues. Now she wants it painted!

[Kalgrm]

Now she wants it painted!

Ingrate!

[vx255]

Actually Eddie, if you have the cash, and don't mine stepping back a touch in quality/components, then there are some reasonable buys on Ebay, or even Flying Furniture in Canberra.
A half reasonable trike can be had for around $1600, and is a good way to get into trikes, if you don't want to muck around building your own.
Just search for recumbents on Ebay, and see what comes up!

Took a look on eBay, cheap compared to some of the $5-6k examples that I've noticed during my surfing today. But still, homemade looks like fun. I have almost a full 2007 Shimano 105 drivetrain sitting in the garage and a few outgrown 20" bmxs in the corner.

Have found something interesting instructional wise on the ihpva website that I'll look into.

Now she wants it painted!

Paint it red, it's the fastest colour as we all know.

[Freddyflatfoot]

Yep, red would be nice! Might paint my old one that colour!
Anyway, its getting a bit too cold to paint, but we did go to Bunnings and picked up a couple of rattle cans. She chose a nice light blue metallic!
Now, I just gotta find some slightly warmer weather, strip the trike down and give her a lick of paint!
I decided to weigh the trike, just out of curiosity, and was pleasantly surprised that she comes in at ~17 Kg!
Not bad considering my first trike was around 22 Kg, bare weight.
I weighed the frame of my new build, including wheels, and she comes in at 13.5 Kg, so I am expecting a similar weight when this one is finished as well.
It just needs the crankset, FD, and chain, and she'll be ready for testing!
Exciting times indeed!

[Cyclaholic]

Love your work, Rob.

I'm thinking of having a crack at a homebuilt trike.

Cheers,
Gab.

[Freddyflatfoot]

Gab, All I can say is 'go for it'!
But be forewarned, it can be addictive!
I have now built my electric trike, which has been modded several times, and is my daily 'runner', a SWB recumbent, which has also received some 'improvements', a trike for an old mate of mine, (which wasn't one of my great successes, ), and now my daughter's trike, and I am about 90% completed on my current build. And all this since about Oct last year!

[vx255]

Love your work, Rob.

I'm thinking of having a crack at a homebuilt trike.

Cheers,
Gab.

Sorry to Hijack your thread Rob, but I came across this one today, I'm keen to try this one, perhaps Gab would be interested too.

http://www.ihpva.org/people/tstrike/trike.htm

Looks like a doable homebuilt similar in design to the one you made for Melissa.

Eddie

[Freddyflatfoot]

Don't worry about hijacking the thread!
Tim's site does have some useful info to get started.
But personally, I would have a good look at Ricky Horwitz's site, Fleettrikes dot com.
I personally don't hold to Tim's assertion that caliper brakes are no good!
I have used them on Melissa'a trike, but used V brake blocks.
90% of a trike's braking is in the front wheels, so rear wheel braking is really only good for 'wheel drag', going down hill.
Melissa's brakes are good enough that she can stop quick enough to cause the rear wheel to lift! That's good enough for me!
Generally, for the steering geometry, I use 15/15 degrees for the king pin inclination, and caster. Seems to work well, to provide enough trail for the steering, and next to no brake steer.
As for the rear triangle/chain stays, and main frame/boom, well I reckon whatever you can imagine! The rear of an existing bike is a good place to start, especially if it has existing derailleur mount!
Anyway, I wish you and Gab, well in your trike building endeavours!
It is a very worthwhile thing to do, and is very satisfying riding something you built yourself!