Home made trike Using of Karizma Engine and VW jetta Tyres And Made with available Resources and waste material demo drive - https://www.youtube.com/watch?. A few adjustments are a normal part of the process. Are you looking for a comfortable, efficient way to commute around town? http://www.cycle-frames.com/bicycle-frame-tubing/DROPOUT-WITH-DISK-TAB.html (pic 1) One side is made for attaching a disc brake and I whacked that part off so both sides matched and could fit inside the bamboo. The position allows for a more neutral neck . Its also fairly practical (if you have the time), as this is by far the least expensive option. When your ready to remove the plywood (your frame is assembled), just use a hot air gun to melt the glue and it comes right off. Again I used a 5/16" auger bit to drill out the holes and then tapped in 5/16" steel pins (pics 3-5). When using donor bikes, you can use a fork with the suspension from a donor bike. Part 5 Selecting and Building the Steering System. You can tell I'm enthused can't you? I used 6" /150mm 30 x 5mm plate x4 for the lugs as I could then weld to the Alu section in the future. I drill 1/8" holes in the electrical tape before applying it so that excess resin can escape during compression (pic 5). Once you're happy with the wrapped joints, you need to get the main beam fastened in place on the assembly table. Once you get a basic build, take the bike out for a spin and see what needs tweaking. When you consider that bamboo doesnt have a flat surface to orient it, it becomes difficult to precisely join cut pieces together in the same plane. The plastic spacer was cut from a 1/4" think black kitchen cutting board I bought at Wal-Mart. JetStream. I did not walk to spend $1000 on a commercial trike. When it comes to steering style, two options exist: Above Seat Steering (ASS) and Under Seat Steering (USS). There is a FB group on building VM from coroplast over a regulat trike or bike frame, you might want to check it out. The lower chain needs a guide but it doesn't necessarily have to be a pulley. Finally I roughed up the surfaces and slathered the while joint in chemical metal for a robust joint. Not only is wood easier to work with, but it also gives a ton of opportunities for custom design. Not good. If you are totally new to recumbent bikes (not just building them), then you may want to opt for a compact long wheelbase bike. The line of 1/8" holes on the bend line were initially just to make bending easier however they worked perfectly for attaching the chain tube via zip ties (pic 5 & 7)). It also means that they require more maintenance. Is suspension important to you? Sorry I overlooked your question somehow but it's supported on the inside only. A local bike shop can help you get the perfect fit for your trike. The electrical tape provides compression so there are no spaces within the joint. I cut the arms out of a scrap 10"/250mm 3x2. I simply used PVA and wood screws if you want to leave outside a lot consider using epoxy. In this set-up, the crankset is placed right behind the front wheel. After the resin dried, it was time to start cutting these crazy little pieces. Once the carbon fiber/resin had hardened, I coated it with 16 pound expanding foam and slid it into the bamboo. First I plugged the bamboo with a piece of foam (pics 1&2) and then poured 8lb expanding foam in the end. These 2 pieces of bamboo are about 10" long and I simply cut them where I thought they looked about right.   I purchased the plywood from Indirect steering. While great for long tours, these may not be the best for the everyday in-traffic commute. With my cuts marked on the bamboo, I then hot glue the bamboo to the plywood and press it against my miter saw fence until set. In the "V" shaped areas where it was difficult to wrap, I used short pieces of tow to fill the voids and let it dry. 1 Answer. Take a look at this guide from Wind & Water for exact dimensions and materials needed to build a recumbent bike. On the wheel end, a 1 1/4" hole is drilled with a Forstner bit (pic 4). Well, like it sounds, RWD is when the rear wheel is what is providing the go for your getup. While more upright seats do give you greater visibility, they can be harder on your hiney on long rides. The 20" wheel brakes can be kept for the front brakes. Not only are they far more comfortable than road bikes, and easier on your back, wrists, and caboose, but they are also faster - much faster. For that we'll need some dropouts. I later sculpted them so they would not catch on my calves. Send us an email or use our chat option for a quicker response! At Lightfoot Cycles, we love seeing the various unique recumbent bicycles and tricycles that people have created. Begin by straddling the "boom" of the trike. You will definitely need your PVC model for this part. Section 1) Fabricating the Drop-Outs. I used a flat handlebar for the steering which works well. I lopped a couple miles off the marathon by doing some trial and error. Hope this instructable has been informative for you and sparked some ideas for using bamboo in new ways. Your methods for accuracy are something I will take on board in this and other future projects. Either will work. To make my bracing rods I took two 36" poplar 1/2" diameter dowels and wrapped them with 3" woven carbon fiber tape. There are a lot of recumbent builders out there who construct quality frames and sell them on their own. After adding these braces I set down on the trike and rolled around the shop. Or, if a trike is what youre planning to attempt, Rikey M. Horowitz has put together detailed instructions on how to do just that. I made a wooden tool out of a dowel by sanding the end with my Dremel sanding drum (pic 8). So I decided to begin by putting bracing under the seat bottom and just in front of the rear tire and see how rigid the frame became. Keep in mind that most frames sold are just the frames. A short wheelbase bike or trike is one whose cranks are in front of the front wheel(s), with the front wheel(s) right around the riders knees. These are a great compromise between the SWB and LWB, and are probably the easiest style to learn to ride. Try looking on Craigslist or at local bike shops. Below I will go into more detail on the different types on kit available, and compatibility. With the DIY craze in full swing, recycling old objects and turning them into something new has never been more trendy. Another option would be to use carbon fiber composite. Some of these e-recumbent trikes are designed for everyday commuting around town and some of them "amplify" your I custom made 2 parts which were a drilled aluminum plate for the u-bolt and a plastic spacer. The arms angle forward at about 65 from midline and up to the wheel at about 15. Whether this was overkill or not, I would still recommend stiffening these arms in some way. That's because I built mine at 55 thinking I knew where my chain would be running. Thanks ! Typically this end of the arm would have a fish mouth cut and not a complete hole. 9.4. Since this frame is 3 dimensional, I struggled to come up with a jig and just fit my pieces to the wheels as I put it together. As I mentioned earlier, bamboo is not perfectly round across its diameter. On bikes and trikes with USS, the steering component is underneath the seat, and you steer using handles resting at the side of your seat. The first step to preparing the bamboo is puncturing the nodes inside the bamboo to allow air to escape during heating. The correct boom length is important so that you have proper leg extension. Reply 7 years ago, Yes, if you can please make a video. Remember these 2 pieces are not the same -- there is a right piece and a left piece. Deciding what style you will build, though, is vital to your entire construction process. Recumbent building is more than just engineering -- its an artform. Full disclosure here;) I would estimate that greater than 50% of the time it took to build this trike was spend on sanding and wrapping. Part 3 Fabricating the Frame Web Gussets. To accomplish this I made some wooden L-shaped channels that were slightly narrower than the inflated tire. It's a marathon, not a sprint. However, CycleSimplex offers a range of recumbent trike carriers that make transporting your trikes a breeze. The arm and tubing slide inside the bamboo and are then pinned which I'll show later. Takes a little bit of messing around with it to get it close, but I never got it perfectly fitted. I'm completely self-taught by reading as much as I can and I certainly don't know it all or have much experience. Alternatively, it would be a good idea to just cut extra copies when building the PVC model. From what I've heard, it's not something you'll do twice. I should say 6 screws each side, so two in the beam and two in bothe pieces of wood wcih you have on top. It sounds ideal, yes, but this innovative design can be less easy to set up, and isnt something a beginner would be comfortable taking on a hilly ride. (I'm getting a headache just remembering this part.) To me, it's just easier to get the bulk of the sanding done on the entire culm than to sand small pieces later. Even with a smallish car you should be able to get a platform rack that will take two trikes, one facing forward and one backward. When you mix the 2 parts it becomes a gooey sticky paste but it is easily sculpted using denatured alcohol. Adjustability is nice when you're figuring out where the pulleys need to go. Let's get some bamboo and get started. Share it with us! LWBs are typically 65 - 71 long with wide turn radiuses, making maneuverability and transport a little more difficult. aluminum tig an mig will work as well. Finishing the ends of bamboo can be a little difficult and I figured out a way to make the end of the derailleur bamboo look a bit better. This time however, I didn't want have the resin to glue my cups and axle in so I opted for large fender washers on each side secured through the middle with a bolt. Please let me know what you think about this trike and how I might improve it. Don't forget to vote in the Shopbot Challenge. Would love to have a velomobile so I may give it a shot once I catch up on what I was supposed to be doing the past 4 months! You can use the rear triangle brake to get you started. Don't worry about burning the bamboo, you won't (pic 4). My gearing range is 17 to 87 inches. A 14" beam made of 1" conduit is welded to the front of the bottom bracket. It took a while to build but it's all worth it. The hub weighs about 5 lbs but simplifies running the chain by eliminating the stack of gears. But with the information in this guide, you will learn how to build a recumbent bike from scratch. Recumbent building is more than just engineering -- its an artform. This was a little tricky because the carbon fiber tow wanted to slide off. www.mcmastercarr.com is a fabulous hardware resource for any project. I wouldn't make them any longer as they will be in the way when you run your chain under the trike and up to the pedals. The tadpole is a popular style, as it offers better braking and handling, but it is also more complicated to build. Kent, can you please send me all of the dimensions for each frame piece that you used to build this bamboo trike and include all angles used too. If you plan on transporting your bike a lot, look into the possibility of installing a removable seat. 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