New Homebuilt Trike for 13 y/o Daughter
- Freddyflatfoot
- Posts: 237
- Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:50 am
- Location: Ballarat, Victoria
- Contact:
New Homebuilt Trike for 13 y/o Daughter
Postby Freddyflatfoot » Wed Jul 02, 2008 9:19 pm
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)
Rob
---------------------------------------------------
Homebuilt trike, with electric assist
26"/20" trike, "Goanna"
SWB recumbent, 700C/451 , "Kookaburra", homebuilt.
FWD project (Cyclone).
Optima Raptor
- Kalgrm
- Super Mod
- Posts: 9653
- Joined: Fri May 25, 2007 5:21 pm
- Location: Success, WA
- Contact:
- Freddyflatfoot
- Posts: 237
- Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:50 am
- Location: Ballarat, Victoria
- Contact:
Yep!
Postby Freddyflatfoot » Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:01 pm
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.Kalgrm wrote:Nice job Rob. I see from photo 5 that you have another on the way ...
Cheers,
Graeme
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.
Rob
---------------------------------------------------
Homebuilt trike, with electric assist
26"/20" trike, "Goanna"
SWB recumbent, 700C/451 , "Kookaburra", homebuilt.
FWD project (Cyclone).
Optima Raptor
- Freddyflatfoot
- Posts: 237
- Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:50 am
- Location: Ballarat, Victoria
- Contact:
Postby Freddyflatfoot » Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:04 pm
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 wrote:Hi Rob, wow, that's really cool.
I'd be really interested in reading a "how to" unless you've patented it
Eddie
Rob
---------------------------------------------------
Homebuilt trike, with electric assist
26"/20" trike, "Goanna"
SWB recumbent, 700C/451 , "Kookaburra", homebuilt.
FWD project (Cyclone).
Optima Raptor
- vx255
- Posts: 345
- Joined: Tue Jun 10, 2008 7:48 pm
- Location: Berwick, Vic
Postby vx255 » Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:35 pm
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.Freddyflatfoot wrote: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 wrote:Hi Rob, wow, that's really cool.
I'd be really interested in reading a "how to" unless you've patented it
Eddie
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
- Posts: 237
- Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:50 am
- Location: Ballarat, Victoria
- Contact:
Join VicHPV
Postby Freddyflatfoot » Thu Jul 03, 2008 7:48 am
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!
Rob
---------------------------------------------------
Homebuilt trike, with electric assist
26"/20" trike, "Goanna"
SWB recumbent, 700C/451 , "Kookaburra", homebuilt.
FWD project (Cyclone).
Optima Raptor
- vx255
- Posts: 345
- Joined: Tue Jun 10, 2008 7:48 pm
- Location: Berwick, Vic
Re: Join VicHPV
Postby vx255 » Thu Jul 03, 2008 10:35 am
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 wrote: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!
- Freddyflatfoot
- Posts: 237
- Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:50 am
- Location: Ballarat, Victoria
- Contact:
Thought about Actionbent?
Postby Freddyflatfoot » Thu Jul 03, 2008 12:52 pm
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!
Rob
---------------------------------------------------
Homebuilt trike, with electric assist
26"/20" trike, "Goanna"
SWB recumbent, 700C/451 , "Kookaburra", homebuilt.
FWD project (Cyclone).
Optima Raptor
- Kalgrm
- Super Mod
- Posts: 9653
- Joined: Fri May 25, 2007 5:21 pm
- Location: Success, WA
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Re: Thought about Actionbent?
Postby Kalgrm » Thu Jul 03, 2008 12:56 pm
Ingrate!Freddyflatfoot wrote:Now she wants it painted!
---------------------
Music was better when ugly people were allowed to make it ....
- vx255
- Posts: 345
- Joined: Tue Jun 10, 2008 7:48 pm
- Location: Berwick, Vic
Re: Thought about Actionbent?
Postby vx255 » Thu Jul 03, 2008 1:46 pm
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.Freddyflatfoot wrote: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!
Have found something interesting instructional wise on the ihpva website that I'll look into.
Paint it red, it's the fastest colour as we all know.Freddyflatfoot wrote: Now she wants it painted!
- Freddyflatfoot
- Posts: 237
- Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:50 am
- Location: Ballarat, Victoria
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Paint and weight!
Postby Freddyflatfoot » Thu Jul 03, 2008 6:09 pm
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!
Rob
---------------------------------------------------
Homebuilt trike, with electric assist
26"/20" trike, "Goanna"
SWB recumbent, 700C/451 , "Kookaburra", homebuilt.
FWD project (Cyclone).
Optima Raptor
- Cyclaholic
- Posts: 156
- Joined: Sun May 25, 2008 2:43 pm
- Location: south west Sydney
Postby Cyclaholic » Thu Jul 03, 2008 8:35 pm
I'm thinking of having a crack at a homebuilt trike.
Cheers,
Gab.
- Freddyflatfoot
- Posts: 237
- Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:50 am
- Location: Ballarat, Victoria
- Contact:
Trike building!
Postby Freddyflatfoot » Thu Jul 03, 2008 8:48 pm
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!
Rob
---------------------------------------------------
Homebuilt trike, with electric assist
26"/20" trike, "Goanna"
SWB recumbent, 700C/451 , "Kookaburra", homebuilt.
FWD project (Cyclone).
Optima Raptor
- vx255
- Posts: 345
- Joined: Tue Jun 10, 2008 7:48 pm
- Location: Berwick, Vic
Postby vx255 » Thu Jul 03, 2008 9:41 pm
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.Cyclaholic wrote:Love your work, Rob.
I'm thinking of having a crack at a homebuilt trike.
Cheers,
Gab.
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
- Posts: 237
- Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:50 am
- Location: Ballarat, Victoria
- Contact:
Trike build!
Postby Freddyflatfoot » Thu Jul 03, 2008 10:12 pm
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!
Rob
---------------------------------------------------
Homebuilt trike, with electric assist
26"/20" trike, "Goanna"
SWB recumbent, 700C/451 , "Kookaburra", homebuilt.
FWD project (Cyclone).
Optima Raptor
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