Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Alt Bike Culture
Reload this Page >

Reverse Trike Questions

Notices
Alt Bike Culture Chopped, dropped, stretched, lifted, and otherwise cut up and put back together. The art and science of choppers, cruisers, lowriders and the vast world of mutant bicycles.

Reverse Trike Questions

Old 12-17-07, 07:43 AM
  #1  
Pants are for suckaz
Thread Starter
 
HandsomeRyan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Mt. Airy, MD
Posts: 2,578

Bikes: Hardtail MTB, Fixed gear, and Commuter bike

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Reverse Trike Questions

This seemed like the most logical forum to ask a few questions about designing/building a reverse trike type bicycle. I saw a contraption called the "Turf Trike" www.turftrike.com and decided that although I don't play golf, I love the upright reverse trike look. I want to design something similar to use for light cargo duty and just something different to ride around the local MUP's on. I have a few things I'm trying to work out:

• Where does one find bicycle wheels that have drum brakes buit into them? The TT uses drum brakes and this seems easier than trying to use rim brakes and cheaper than trying to use discs. (on the front wheels) Size doesn't matter becasue I'm going to start with the wheels and design backwards toward a donor bikes back half/drivetrain.

• I'm having trouble visualizing a simple but functional steering mechanism. I don't want to over engineer this but it seems most reverse trike and tadpole manufacterers don't like to post pictures of the steering mechanisms.

• How wide would 2 wheels that do not lean need to be mounted to be stable?

• If anyone has pictures or links to reverse trike's that might be helpful I'd appreciate it. I have done some searching and checked out some of the cargo reverse trikes but many of them are much larger than what I need.

Thanks!
HandsomeRyan is offline  
Old 12-17-07, 09:02 PM
  #2  
Uber Goober
 
StephenH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Dallas area, Texas
Posts: 11,758
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 190 Post(s)
Liked 41 Times in 32 Posts
" I'm having trouble visualizing a simple but functional steering mechanism."- If you'll notice on the cargo-type trikes, the "handlebar" just swivels the whole front end of the thing. The main issue is that you have to have the swivel vertical, rather than canted back like on a normal bike, or else things lean when you steer.

"How wide would 2 wheels that do not lean need to be mounted to be stable?" That depends on how fast you go and how high the load is- no good answer there.

One other item I've gleaned from reading about the cargo trikes is that they are not necessarily stable when empty. On a normal bike, you keep yourself upright by steering. On the reverse trikes, the steering response is much slower, but the load when empty (ie, yourself) is positioned over the rear wheel rather than the front. I noticed on the Husky web page, they don't even recommend riding them when completely empty.

Schwinn once upon a time made a reverse trike where both front wheels swiveled like on a car (and like on a turf trike). I saw one in Ebay a while back, think it went for $75 or something, with local pickup. But it would be cool to ride. It used handlebars and a tie-rod system.
StephenH is offline  
Old 12-18-07, 05:52 AM
  #3  
Sister Annie
 
Sianelle's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Hauraki Plains District, New Zealand
Posts: 1,519

Bikes: Retro Hercules adult tricycle, 1953 Hercules ladies roadster, 1950s Wearwell fixed gear 'Club' pathracer, 1980s Malvern Star 'Super Star', 1980s Healing GTX-105 Arabesque, 1980's Morrison Concorde & etc & etc.......

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts












Hope these pictures help. I'll have a deeper dig into my archives and see what else I can find.
__________________
OMNIPOTENS aeterne Deus, qui nos secundum imaginem Tuam plasmasti, et omnia bona, vera, pulchra, praesertim in divina persona Unigeniti Filii Tui Domini nostri Iesu Christi, quaerere iussisti, praesta quaesumus ut, per intercessionem Sancti Isidori, Episcopi et Doctoris, in peregrinationibus per interrete factis et manus oculosque ad quae Tibi sunt placita intendamus et omnes quos convenimus cum caritate ac patientia accipiamus. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
Sianelle is offline  
Old 12-18-07, 07:41 AM
  #4  
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 36
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I won't be much help here, but here's a link to the worksman:

https://www.worksman.com/frontload.html
discocarp is offline  
Old 12-18-07, 10:38 AM
  #5  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 467
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Also take a look at the Nihola
https://nihola.info/en/nihola+bikes/cigar+family/

I've test-ridden one, and the handling was brilliant. Very stable cornering, and you could easily recover from too-sharp a turn.
hairytoes is offline  
Old 12-18-07, 12:09 PM
  #6  
holyrollin'
 
FlatTop's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: L.B.N.J.U.S.A.
Posts: 1,324

Bikes: Raleigh, Rudge, James 3spds., and a cast of many

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Liked 9 Times in 4 Posts
Try to get the Ackerman right. It will prevent tire scrub, which will make your rig more efficient and pleasant to ride.

https://www.muller.net/mullermachine/docs/ackerman.html
FlatTop is offline  
Old 12-18-07, 03:53 PM
  #7  
Sister Annie
 
Sianelle's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Hauraki Plains District, New Zealand
Posts: 1,519

Bikes: Retro Hercules adult tricycle, 1953 Hercules ladies roadster, 1950s Wearwell fixed gear 'Club' pathracer, 1980s Malvern Star 'Super Star', 1980s Healing GTX-105 Arabesque, 1980's Morrison Concorde & etc & etc.......

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
__________________
OMNIPOTENS aeterne Deus, qui nos secundum imaginem Tuam plasmasti, et omnia bona, vera, pulchra, praesertim in divina persona Unigeniti Filii Tui Domini nostri Iesu Christi, quaerere iussisti, praesta quaesumus ut, per intercessionem Sancti Isidori, Episcopi et Doctoris, in peregrinationibus per interrete factis et manus oculosque ad quae Tibi sunt placita intendamus et omnes quos convenimus cum caritate ac patientia accipiamus. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
Sianelle is offline  
Old 12-18-07, 05:35 PM
  #8  
Pants are for suckaz
Thread Starter
 
HandsomeRyan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Mt. Airy, MD
Posts: 2,578

Bikes: Hardtail MTB, Fixed gear, and Commuter bike

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Wow!

Thanks for all the pictures and links. I'm in the process of looking for a donor bike for a back half and possibly some wheels to start off the front end design. That cigar family bike is very close to what I am hoping to build.

I know some ATV's use a disc brake on the axle rather than on each wheel, can that be applied to bicycles as well? I ride up a .25mi hill to get to the grocery store and then ride back down it to get home so slowing and stopping a loaded bike is priority 1 but I'm not sure i have the fabrication ability to do a custom disc brake setup for each wheel.
HandsomeRyan is offline  
Old 12-18-07, 11:55 PM
  #9  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Nor~Cal
Posts: 1,697
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Someone I know has a two-in-front trike that has seating for two people behind the front wheels (with functional handlebars for both people) and one person with just a seat and cranks in front.
mastershake916 is offline  
Old 01-01-08, 04:53 AM
  #10  
meb
Senior Member
 
meb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: arlington, VA
Posts: 1,764
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times in 4 Posts
Originally Posted by HandsomeRyan
This seemed like the most logical forum to ask a few questions about designing/building a reverse trike type bicycle. I saw a contraption called the "Turf Trike" www.turftrike.com and decided that although I don't play golf, I love the upright reverse trike look. I want to design something similar to use for light cargo duty and just something different to ride around the local MUP's on. I have a few things I'm trying to work out:

• Where does one find bicycle wheels that have drum brakes buit into them? The TT uses drum brakes and this seems easier than trying to use rim brakes and cheaper than trying to use discs. (on the front wheels) Size doesn't matter becasue I'm going to start with the wheels and design backwards toward a donor bikes back half/drivetrain.

• I'm having trouble visualizing a simple but functional steering mechanism. I don't want to over engineer this but it seems most reverse trike and tadpole manufacterers don't like to post pictures of the steering mechanisms.

• How wide would 2 wheels that do not lean need to be mounted to be stable?

• If anyone has pictures or links to reverse trike's that might be helpful I'd appreciate it. I have done some searching and checked out some of the cargo reverse trikes but many of them are much larger than what I need.

Thanks!
2 wheels in front on a trike is "tadpole" arrangment as opposed to "delta" which has 1 wheel in front and 2 in the rear and as opposed to travelling backwards.

Tadpoles are very common in the recumbent trike world:

https://home.mindspring.com/~kb7mxu/index.htm

https://www.bhsi.org/fourwhel.htm

https://www.recumbents.com/home.asp

https://www.autocanoe.com/

Upright tadpoles are often referred to as Welsh trikes:


https://www.roman-road.co.uk/conversions/index.htm


https://www.roman-road.co.uk/

Last edited by meb; 01-01-08 at 05:13 AM.
meb is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.