Recumbent - FINALLY.. The second AB Tadpole is done.

What's it been now, two weeks? After a half dozen pains in the arse, the "Burnt Orange" ABT is complete (almost) The only thing left to do is attach a water bottle bracket, safety flag, grip tape, and try to find a cyclometer that will work on the trike.

The only real "issues" were lousy instructions, cheap hardware, the TWO flat tires I got, the chain length and the fact not only did they not ship the replacement seat when they said they did (not 'till I called them a week later and asked where it was), and when it did arrive, it had no fricken holes drilled in it!

Granted, the latter wasn't a huge deal, but it would have been nice if it was ready to mount.

Anyway... ............................................. Here's the orange one.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/BlueBuellFool/AB2.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/BlueBuellFool/AB1.jpg

Sweet, looks good. So what's this about grip tape? It didn't come with it? Or you just haven't installed it?

I haven't installed tape in something like 20 years and I'm a little out of practice. :p It came with tape, but it's this strange looking stuff that thicker in the middle and has a tiny little strip of adhesive running down the center. I guess I'm just not sure how/if it's going to stay in place.

Hey Stupid, thanks for the update and the pictures. This makes me feel better about deciding not to go with ActionBent, though I'm definitely sorry for your frustrating experience...

That's definitely not what I would have thought when told "Burnt Orange". My wife was like, "with a name like that, is it possible to go wrong?" It's no wonder he's never responded to my request for a picture showing the color... (and a bunch of other questions as well for that matter). Not that the color is bad (glad you like it), but it's yellow with orange accents at best...

I haven't installed tape in something like 20 years and I'm a little out of practice. :p It came with tape, but it's this strange looking stuff that thicker in the middle and has a tiny little strip of adhesive running down the center. I guess I'm just not sure how/if it's going to stay in place.

I bought this strange tape too a while ago. All I can tell you is this: it holds very well provided you prevent it from unraveling by making sure the first loop overlaps the first end, and by installing a large-ish zip tie around the other end, over the provided bit of sticky tape, to prevent it from unraveling. If you chose a black zip tie, it doesn't look too bad really. I don't like the feel of it though.

Here's what it looks like:

Oh by the way, is it just me or there is no rear brake, and apparently no way of installing one?

What do you need a rear brake for? It has two disc brakes in the front.

What do you need a rear brake for? It has two disc brakes in the front.

I don't know, I'm just asking :) I was under the impression that most trikes had 2 brakes in the front controlled by one lever, and 1 brake in the rear controlled by the other. With this one, it seems one has to learn to balance the two front brakes manually to avoid fishtailing. It seems odd and somewhat dangerous to me, this is why I'm asking.

[B]Hey Stupid[]

That's definitely not what I would have thought when told "Burnt Orange". Not that the color is bad (glad you like it), but it's yellow with orange accents at best...

Well it's about damn time somebody replied to my screen name the way it was inteded!!! :p I didn't choose it because I *am* stupid, I thought it would be funny for people to say "hey stupid" or "look stupid" or "listen stupid" or "boy you sure are stupid, aren't you?" or any of a thousand other posibilities. ;)

Anyway... I too was hoping for a pure orange trike and was a little disapointed when I first saw it.. I'm used to it now, but would have perfered just one color or the other. Good thing my reasons for buying it didn't include its color, huh? :rolleyes:

As for brake-steer, the ABT doesn't suffer from it and your weight is positioned so far back a rear brake isn't needed either.

-T

Anyway... I too was hoping for a pure orange trike and was a little disapointed when I first saw it.. I'm used to it now, but would have perfered just one color or the other. Good thing my reasons for buying it didn't include its color, huh? :rolleyes:

As for brake-steer, the ABT doesn't suffer from it and your weight is positioned so far back a rear brake isn't needed either.

-T

Actually, I like the color. So how do they ride? Were they worth it?

Well it's about damn time somebody replied to my screen name the way it was inteded!!! :p I didn't choose it because I *am* stupid, I thought it would be funny for people to say "hey stupid" or "look stupid" or "listen stupid" or "boy you sure are stupid, aren't you?" or any of a thousand other posibilities. ;)

Anyway... I too was hoping for a pure orange trike and was a little disapointed when I first saw it.. I'm used to it now, but would have perfered just one color or the other. Good thing my reasons for buying it didn't include its color, huh? :rolleyes:

As for brake-steer, the ABT doesn't suffer from it and your weight is positioned so far back a rear brake isn't needed either.

-T

Funny guy !!!! :D There's actually someone on my mail route with the last name "Schmuck". Imagine going through school with that name. :eek:

For a computer, measure the distance from one of your front wheels, along the cross frame then up the boom, to the front derailleur post. Go on the Cateye website and see how long the wires are in the mounting kits for different computers. Buy one that fits. I'm pretty sure the Cateye Astrale 8 has a longer wire. Actionbent sells a mounting bracket for the front derailleur post for lights and computers. It looks very handy.

For a computer, measure the distance from one of your front wheels, along the cross frame then up the boom, to the front derailleur post. Go on the Cateye website and see how long the wires are in the mounting kits for different computers. Buy one that fits.

Splicing works with any old computer too. It takes 5 minutes and creates the best possible route for the wire.

I second Megaman's reaction. I like the color! Kind of a dark yellow. Nice looking bike, er, I mean trike! Now that it's together & everything is where it belongs, think about cutting the front derailleur housing so you don't have quite so much hanging.

Well it's about damn time somebody replied to my screen name the way it was inteded!!! :p I didn't choose it because I *am* stupid, I thought it would be funny for people to say "hey stupid" or "look stupid" or "listen stupid" or "boy you sure are stupid, aren't you?" or any of a thousand other posibilities. ;)

Anyway... I too was hoping for a pure orange trike and was a little disapointed when I first saw it.. I'm used to it now, but would have perfered just one color or the other. Good thing my reasons for buying it didn't include its color, huh? :rolleyes:

As for brake-steer, the ABT doesn't suffer from it and your weight is positioned so far back a rear brake isn't needed either.

-T

So Stupid,
Now that the trikes are up and running, are you happy with your choice? Or would you have bought something different if you had it to do over again?
I'm ready to buy...something, and the AB trike can't be beat on price, but is it worth all the hassles (no response to questions, crummy assembly instructions)?

I bought this strange tape too a while ago. All I can tell you is this: it holds very well provided you prevent it from unraveling by making sure the first loop overlaps the first end, and by installing a large-ish zip tie around the other end, over the provided bit of sticky tape, to prevent it from unraveling. If you chose a black zip tie, it doesn't look too bad really. I don't like the feel of it though.


I'd avoid the use of the zip tie. In days of old, we used bar tape that didn't have any adhesive and it worked fine. We would wrap it over itself at the stem end and secure it in the handlebar with a plug at the other. Indeed, this is the case with my vintage Bianchi racing bike. It would stay tight forever as long as the bar plugs stayed in. I put a set of bar end shifters on an upright once and they secured the tape as would a set of plugs. Is there sufficient space between the bar end shifters and the inside of the handles to permit the tape to be tucked in? I am making the assumption that the shifters are loose in the tubes until tightened.

BTW that tape in the photo is called 'cork wrap' and is very popular these days for it affords cushioning of the hands when used on a DF bike. On a trike, you don't really need it as there is no weight carried on your upper body. Straight cotton tape will work just as well. Don't use electrical friction tape as the adhesive will leak out from under the tape on hot days and will make a mess. That's why the adhesive is limited to the centreline of the cork wrap.

Splicing works with any old computer too. It takes 5 minutes and creates the best possible route for the wire.

As an old amateur radio operator, I would advise splicing with the same wire gauge as the original equipment provides and keep your run as short as possible. The signal is weak and you don't want to introduce any more stray resistance than is necessary. Be aware that the conductors will be very fine and hard to solder. Be conscious of short circuits and insulate with shrink wrap tubing. That will leave a nice neat appearance when done. Use a torch (at a safe distance from the wiring) to shrink the tubing. Buy shring wrap tubing that is only slightly larger in diameter than the splice at its widest. I put an old Cateye on my EVOX 140 and the cord was just barely long enough to do the job. The EVOX is an ASS setup and the tiller is pretty long. Have you considered using a wireless computer? :)

Sorry I haven't gotten back sooner, but I've been busy (at least that's my story) :p To be honest, I only rode the trikes for the first time yesterday with a friend of mine, and I have to say that I wasn't very impressed with the event. :(
Of course you have to keep in mind that I haven't ridden any kind of bike/trike in over 10 years, so maybe they ride great and I simply don't know what it's supposed to feel like.

I was going to write a separate "Ride Results" thread, but I'll give you the short version here, and maybe you can tell me if what I experienced is to be expected or not..

I found the trikes to be very "springy".. That is, there was a lot of flex in the frame. I also thought the steering was a bit twitchy. I think one of the problems with the steering is that there's no caster... ZERO. This means the trike tries to to turn much harder/farther than you might like it to.. In fact, if you turn it too far it pins you leg between the steering and seat. :eek:
I think a little bit of caster and some camber would be a big help. Also tie-rod ends with right and left hand threads would be nice and would make on-trail toe-in experiments easier.

I also found that they're a lot slower than I expeced them to be.. This may be in part because I'm out of practice/shape for riding bicycles, but then again my friend who rides regularly said the same thing. Though they do pick up speed on any grade of downhill path, they slow down equally fast as soon as you start on an uphill, and you/I find yourself spinning the pedals like an egg-beater trying to keep moving. Uphill rides were painfully slow, regardless of the gearing.

I *did* find them very usefull for tooling around school grounds where you weren't trying to break speed records.. Slow/mellow cruising seems to be what they are best at IMO.. On a flat trail it was OK, but I wasn't going to have to worry about breaking the posted speed limit. I also fear that I'll have to extend the boom dangerously far to accomodate my extreme height.

In short, I found them to be a lot of work with few rewards (coasting downhills was the best part).

I'll be riding them again tomorrow with my wife, and will let you know how it goes then.. If she doesn't like 'em, they're getting sold and I'm buying something else!

-T

It definitely sounds like you have to work up those muscles a bit. Even your friend, who I assume rides DF bikes, should notice that recumbents will take a bit of training to ride at the same exertion levels as a regular bike. This is because recumbents require you to use a different set of muscles (surely you're heard this tune before...) so your first trip will surely be a tiring one. The same thing happened to me when I first tried one. I had been riding a regular bike for years, but when I stepped off a Catrike I had rented and ridden for a few km, it felt like my legs would collapse beneath me. Give those trikes a chance, and let your legs adjust. Don't push too hard at first either...

As for the steering, you'll probably get used to that too. Do not try to hold the handles really hard, that will make them seem twitchy. Use a light touch, and allow the left-right vibration in the handles to happen.

Hope that helps...