So after a two week wait they (2) arrived via UPS this morning at 8:30am.
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/BlueBuellFool/Boxes.jpg

This is how they're able to fit the trikes into these relatively small boxes. :p
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/BlueBuellFool/Packed.jpg

Talk about making it easy for you to put it together..... The "hard stuff's" already done for you (if you find that sort of thing hard) ;)
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/BlueBuellFool/PreFab.jpg

These are the small parts you have to mount yourself..
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/BlueBuellFool/SmallParts.jpg

These handy little 'guys' are going straight inot my tool kit. :D
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/BlueBuellFool/Tools.jpg

OK, it wasn't all good news, there was one problem I have to take care of. This is the back of the seat, the carbon fiber part, and *that* is a bash where some part of the frame came into contact with the seat during shipping. :(
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/BlueBuellFool/Bash.jpg

The only other "issue" I had with the trike was with the tie-rod ends. 'Most' tie-rod ends are designed with left-hand threads on one side and right-hand threads on the other. This is so you adjust the toe-in by loosening the locknuts and twisting the rod (like a turnbuckle). The ends both being right-hand threaded wasn't a HUGE deal, but it did kind of make things a *little* harder than they needed to be.

Anyway, here's the finished product in the Apple Green color.. I just have to trim the cables and adjust the derailers a little more.
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/BlueBuellFool/Finished.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/BlueBuellFool/Greenbydoor.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/BlueBuellFool/BigGreen2.jpg
I might replace the chain with something better, too. I'm used to motorcycle chains, so maybe all bicycle chains look like this, but I thought it looked a little flimsy and frail.
(bushingless, I think).

BTW... Here's what the "Burnt Orange" looks like.. It's really Orange and Yellow, but it's not too bad. :D

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/BlueBuellFool/ceead664.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/BlueBuellFool/BurntOrangeMyFoot.jpg

Wow !!! :D

That seat looks like it's fiberglass, not carbon. You can tell by sitting in it. Carbon is as stiff as granite, while fiberglass gives a little bit. Fiberglass also weighs about twice as much, although that'd be hard to tell unless you had one of each! From the pics, it looks like you would have a straighter chainline if you routed the return side under the cross member. Overall, it looks pretty nice! Of course, we'll need some ride reports. :)

Cool colours. Shame about the busted seat, though. Are you going to try to get a replacement for it? It looks like the damage is *mostly* aesthetic, a few layers of industrial-strength epoxy might be enough to fix it.

I'm looking forward to hearing how they ride. :D

That seat looks like it's fiberglass, not carbon.
it looks like you would have a straighter chainline if you routed the return side under the cross member. :)

You might be right about the fiberglass, I'm not too familiar with CF.. It is surprisingly light, though. As for the chain.. If I ran the return side under the axle it would come in contact with the tie-rod and rub any time you steered the trike. It would also not only put the bottom of the chain awfully darn close to the ground, but it would require the chain to exit the rear guid tube at a very steep angle. I going to have to trim and adjust those black chain guide tubes a little bit more.

It's a work in progress. :p


Jeff.. Yes, I'm going to send the broken seat back to Randy at Actionbent and get a replacement. It's only a minor setback.

Well, I hope you get the replacement seat soon. Did you already email him about it?

it looks like you would have a straighter chainline if you routed the return side under the cross member. :)

Well you got me thinking about the chainline, afterall, so I decided to experiment with the second trike by routing the return side under the axle and see what happens.

I'll let you know how it goes.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/BlueBuellFool/Tubeexp2.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/BlueBuellFool/Tubeexp1.jpg

It looks like the tie-rod is connected on the top of the steerer. could you move it to the underside, so that the chain tube can pass over top of the chain tube?

The other thing you could do is, simply not use a chain tube for the bottom half of the chain.

It looks like the tie-rod is connected on the top of the steerer. could you move it to the underside, so that the chain tube can pass over top of the chain tube?

The other thing you could do is, simply not use a chain tube for the bottom half of the chain.

Without a better pic, my guess is that no matter what he changes, using no chain tube would have the chain dragging over either the tie rod, or under the bottom of the front frame piece.

I'm pretty sure that without the chain tube things would be a lot worse. I'm heading out right now to see if I can find a higher quality chain to replace what I hope is simply a crappily designed unit. They can't all be this bad, can they? :(

For what it's worth, the chain that comes on the trike is called a Z9000KMC

-T

Get two 9 speed SRAM chains and put them together.

Nah, I still don't think he's doing it right. Look at the pictures on the AB Tadpole review on www.bentrideronline.com it looks like both tubes are on top of the cross-tube.

Yes! You can clearly see here (http://www.actionbent.com/Images/Trike/twtfromtop760x850LR22.jpg), on ActionBent's own website, that both chain tubes are on top of the cross-tube.

Nah, I still don't think he's doing it right. it looks like both tubes are on top of the cross-tube..

Thanks, Jeff.. I'm fully aware of the fact that they're SUPPOSED to both be on top of the frame, I'm just trying something different to see if I can free up some of the drag on the chain. The over-under system seems to be working quite well on the orange trike.

I would also like to say that the chain is in fact not a "flimsy piece of crap" as I stated earlier, it's actually a perfectly normal bicycle chain... I know, I just got back from my LBS where I had it looked at by the staff. That said, I *will* say this. The chain tool is major pile of crap, and that statement I will not take back later.

Since a picture's worth a thousand words, take a look at these.

The new ($15.00) tool I just bought today.
See how the tool tightly supports the link?
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/BlueBuellFool/Good.jpg

The tool that came with the trike.
If you look closely you'll see that the jaws of the tool are too wide and push the links apart. :eek:
It's also just an all-around looser fit.
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/BlueBuellFool/Goodnesssakes.jpg

The chain tool on the bottom is simple, cheap, but reliable. They're probably sold under many names, but I think mine was a "Cyclo" or something like that. I've had the same one in my toolbox for over ten years and taken apart many a chain with it. The one on top looks nice, though.

Good luck with that chain routing. I agree; it doesn't look very good on either side of the cross beam. The designer put the cross beam and the chain in the same space. Maybe there's a way you can rig a pulley? I know, you shouldn't have to engineer a commercial offering to make it work right.

The chain tool on the bottom is simple, cheap, but reliable.

The designer put the cross beam and the chain in the same space. Maybe there's a way you can rig a pulley?.

Relaible?? Not really. :rolleyes: I've used chain tools before, and this one's really poorly designed. The jaws are angled such that as the link seats in the tool, they actually pull the link apart and make it damn hard to line up the pin through the hole of the link. It's also very loose and the chain tends to bend in the dirrection the screw puts on it... This only makes aligning the pin that much harder. With the new tool the chain went together no problem, like it's supposed to. ;)

As for where the chain runs... It seems to work quite well with one side over and one side under the axle. I may switch the other trike to this system, too. :)

Now if I can just track down my derailer woes. :p

Derailleur woes? As in, adjusting the derailleur?

If I may make a suggestion, for other than breaking down a chain that chain tool or any chain tool for that matter is a pain in the A##. Go to your LBS and purchase a Sram Power link, they also make one for shimano and Wippermann. It makes adjustments sooo simple.

These people make semi-decent bike tools.

http://www.parktool.com/

They also have a site that gives directions on how to adjust components.

http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=64

Derailleur woes? As in, adjusting the derailleur?

OK, once again I have lived up to my screen name :p. It's not a derailer issue, but a chain length issue. I know the chain on the orange trike is too short, and that the chain on the green trike looks too long, but I tried removing a few links from the green one and it didn't seem to help much... That or helped too much, I can't remember now.

Anyway, here's what it's doing...

Large rear, large front sprocket.
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/BlueBuellFool/largeandlargegreen.jpg

Small rear, small front sprocket.
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/BlueBuellFool/smallandsmallgreen.jpg

The orange one.
Large rear, small front sprocket.
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/BlueBuellFool/largeandsmallorange.jpg

Large rear and anything larger than the smallest front sprocket.
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/BlueBuellFool/largeandanything.jpg

It would be great if I could just remove some of the links from the green one and put them on the orange trike, but I doubt I'll get that lucky. :D As mentioned earlier I did try removing about 10 links from the green one before, but it seemed to only make things worse.

-T

You're right, it does look like you have too much chain on the green one, and not enough on the orange one. Adjusting the chain can be fiddly, only one or two links will make a difference. And yeah, just take some links from the green bike and put them on the orange one. You have a nice fancy chain breaker, you can do it!


BTW, it's a good thing you got two different colours, it would be a pain to say, "Black trike 1, black trike 2." ;)

You really think one or two links is going to be enough?

I guess we'll find out. :p

Take one of the trikes to a shop and have them show you how to get the right chain length. When you go in, tell them you want to pay to have the chain done right, but ask if you can be instructed in how to do it, in case something happens on a trip. Tell them other riders might use your trike.

According to the Park Tool repair help site, the top pic of the orange trike is how the derailleur cage should be on the large chainring and large sprocket, for both bikes. There must be a bend in the chain as it goes around the pulleys in the cage. Try reading this site.

http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=26

Remember, one "link" of chain actually spans three rivets. It's what many people think is two links. It should be one inch long. You shouldn't take out half a link.

You really think one or two links is going to be enough?

I guess we'll find out. :p

In your case, maybe four or five. But what I meant was, two links can mean the difference between a properly sized chain and an improper one.

I agree with Jeff-O. The pic of the orange one shows the chain is already too tight on the middle/big combination. Actually, the small chainring/big cassette gear looks about what you want when you're in the big/big combination; namely the derailleur still has a little bit of movement left to accomodate shifting back to a smaller cog. So you may need to add as many as 6 links (12 teeth) to the existing chain. One link being an inner plate and an outer plate. If that means you can't take up enough chain slack when you're in your small/small combination, then that's the breaks - it's better to have a gear or two that don't work well rather than have a gear or two that will ruin your frame and/or derailleur if you accidently use them.

Thanks, guys... Shortly after writing my earlier post I removed 8 links from the green trike, and it did the trick. ;) Unfortunately 8 links wasn't enough to fix the orange trike. I need about another 4-6 to get it done right.

Too bad my LBS only sells chain in pre-sized kits of 116 links for $25.00), and can't (or won't) sell me just a few from a past job/adjustment. :(

Anybody got a few "Z9000KMZ" links I can have?

-T

If that means you can't take up enough chain slack when you're in your small/small combination, then that's the breaks - it's better to have a gear or two that don't work well rather than have a gear or two that will ruin your frame and/or derailleur if you accidently use them.
Too right! Get the big-big combo right, then use trial and error to see which small-small (and small-medium) combos don't work: just don't use them (the noise will remind you....) Also check with a gear range calculator to identify the gear overlaps - you won't actually be missing much.
Final thoughts: check that the 'B'-screw (SRAM, can't remember what Shimano call it) that adjusts the fore/aft angle of the deraillieur is set correctly before too much faffing, and SRAM power links are wonderful :)

check that the 'B'-screw (SRAM, can't remember what Shimano call it) that adjusts the fore/aft angle of the deraillieur is set correctly before too much faffing, and SRAM power links are wonderful :)

The B screw was turned pretty much all the way out, so I turned it in a few turns to pull the derailer back a little... What's Faffing?

After removing eight links, the green one goes into all its gears (seemingly) fine. :o

BP.. What will ruin the frame if I run certain combinations of sprockets???

If you shift into a gear combination that doesn't have enough chain, it'll twist your derailleur into a pretzel, and sometimes it'll take your dropout with it. Not pretty.

That 'B' screw... You use that to adjust the upper jockey pulley to follow the cassette. With the chain on the largest cassette gear, adjust so the upper pulley is as close to the cassette as you can get it without causing extra noise. (I hope I said that right.) Getting it close makes the shifting more accurate, but too close and the pulley rides on the cogs, which makes noise and wears out the pulley. It's not a real picky adjustment, IME, so don't agonize over it - get it in the ballpark and go for a ride. If it shifts, you're golden.

The B screw was turned pretty much all the way out, so I turned it in a few turns to pull the derailer back a little... What's Faffing?
SRAM reckon 6mm (1/4") gap between the tip of the largest sprocket and the tip of the upper derailleur wheel when they are in line, Shimano says "How to use the B-tension adjustment screw - Mount the chain on the smallest chainring and the largest sprocket, and turn the crank arm backward. Then turn the B-tension adjustment screw to adjust the guide pulley as close to the sprocket as possible but not so close that it touches. Next, set the chain to the smallest sprocket and repeat the above to make sure that the pulley does not touch the sprocket". Both companies publish their set-up stuff on-line, bless 'em.

Faffing about? "to spend your time doing a lot of unimportant things instead of the thing that you should be doing" (from
http://www.freesearch.co.uk/dictionary/faffing) ;)

Check out sheldon's site for chain length.

http://sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment.html#chain

I'm just on the verge of ordering an Actionbent trike and have been watching this thread with great interest. For some reason the pictures wouldn't come up today. I hope they aren't gone for good. I'll watch for more of your progress reports and am surely interested in your experience as you get to riding your trikes. Thanks for initiating this thread.

Mike

For some reason the pictures wouldn't come up today. I hope they aren't gone for good.

Hey you're right! :eek: I can't see them either!

Well, we'll just have to do something about that, won't we? :D

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/BlueBuellFool/Greenbydoor.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/BlueBuellFool/BigGreen2.jpg

No, that's not me, that's my friend, Bob who owns some very expensive road-bikes and I figured would know how the trikes felt... He said they were very smooth.... Smoother than his road-bikes. :rolleyes:
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/BlueBuellFool/Bob2.jpg

I'm still waiting for my replacement seat to arrive, so I haven't had much of a chance to ride the orange one yet. I also need to add a few links to the chain before I do.

After looking at your head position on the trike, will you be getting the head rest?

After looking at your head position on the trike, will you be getting the head rest?

Well, that's not my head :p, but yes, I will be attaching the head rest, I just haven't yet.. (they're in the box).

-T