Alt Bike Culture - Building me a trike. Pics etc

Hey fellas just thought I'd show you my latest project. I posted this in the recumbent section but they don't seem interested judging by the poor showing :( . Oh well, I'm just gonna condense all my "updates" into one post and then expect small updates from now on

It's a mild steel spaceframe construction with aluminium seat, indirect USS and generally uncompromised in terms of its practicality.

Here's a list of my parts for this build.

Chainline
-110bcd Tiagra crank and external BB
-65t Egg chainring
-Wipperman 908 chain x 3
-Midcage Deore LX derailiur (may change to long cage due to idle pully issues)

Rear wheel
-32 hole Velocity Aeroheat rim (406)
-Deore MTB hub
-9 speed 105 cluster
-Used Tioga Comp-Pool tyre

Front Wheels
-32 hole Velocity Sim rim x2 (349's)
-Sturmy Archer drum brakes x 2
-Primo Comet tyres

Other
-Custom Mild steel steering handles
-9 speed indexed thumb shifter
-2nd hand aluminium brake levers
-Aluminium solid tie rods

----------------------------------------------------
Here's a snapshot of the build so far;

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/3091/mb2007076es2.jpg
The crossmember before being tacked to the kingpin mounts. Put together in a jig with all angles etc. doesn't look much now....

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/7831/mb2007079qg2.jpg
....but eventually the rest of the crossmember and boom is tacked together and all is well :) . The chainline passes through the middle of the crossmember.

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/420/mb2007081ow2.jpg
The dropouts, chain stays (if you'd call them that) and rails are tacked together. Starting to look like it's worth it at this stage.

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/7444/53227469wp4.jpg
Roller/idle pully cage is tacked and so the chainline can be mounted. Dummy chain etc all carefully fitted out. I then took some measurements to guage the height of my seat, with a bit extra added to insure chainslap doesn't annoy me everytime I ride. I'm quite happy with the path the chain follows- very tidy and flat for what it is

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/5528/recumbent002ob4.jpg
Seat is on! Took a little work. I should've built a jig to get it within a bee's dick of perfect, yet was too lazy at the time. I regreted it later when I found my bum rest was 5mm lower on one side to the other. Had to cut and shut which too many hours. Even then I'm still not happy, yet I want to move on. I will cut this seat off in the distant future and redo it. At the moment though as far as I know it's just an aesthetic thing. Doesn't matter.

Also of note is that the frame is fully zipped up in this pic. Thanx to Jason for lending me his time and his MIG.

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/7881/recumbent001vr5.jpg
Steering handle mounts are....mounted, to the frame. Frame was painted using an epoxy based pressure pack. Seat is aluminium sheet. I bashed it around the seat frame with a sculpting hammer, resulting in a scalloped seat. Very stiff and, from "test sits", it's going to be a very comfy seat!


I have the chainline on!

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/1538/recumbentui2.jpg

Doesn't seem to work well as I need to fiddle with the derailiur to produce the right tension off the return idle-pully. The chain just doesn't wanna sit in it :( . I will get on to it tonight. Steering handles are mountable now, but still need work to make fully functional. That's it for now.

looks like a winner.

It's fascinating to see it come together like that...

East Hill

I wish I had the talent to match to match my vision. Great job. All I can do is paint stuff and add things with zip ties and barbed wire. I need to learn to weld.

Aaron

I wish I had the talent to match to match my vision. Great job. All I can do is paint stuff and add things with zip ties and barbed wire. I need to learn to weld.

Aaron

I'm with you. I'm still using zip ties but I have moved away from barbed wire. I have progressively moved through bailing wire, coat hangers and stainless safety wire with one of those fancy wire twisters so that I can wire things together faster. Lets not forget duct tape although it is temporary here because of the heat.
When I see things like this trike it almost inspires me to go back to school and learn to weld. I ambitiously sent my wife to welding school but she dropped out so I can't use her. I haven't been able to impress her with my pressing need for a in house welder. :D

I am in Kingston, Ont, and went to School for welding at a night couse. It was very easy to learn, and once you get the hang of it, its a great feeling to have a nice looking weld... Even for starters, you can buy a cheap flux core welder at ??? (I go to Canadian Tire or Princess auto here) and some even come with a video.

The only thing the Vid dosent do is tell you how you are screwing up (if you do).

Then just simply upgrade your welder. and have fun.. I think every household should have at least one. Or maybe not. I might not have as many "friends" if I didnt have one.. haha

looks good....cant wait to see it finished

I'm with you. I'm still using zip ties but I have moved away from barbed wire. I have progressively moved through bailing wire, coat hangers and stainless safety wire with one of those fancy wire twisters so that I can wire things together faster. Lets not forget duct tape although it is temporary here because of the heat.
When I see things like this trike it almost inspires me to go back to school and learn to weld. I ambitiously sent my wife to welding school but she dropped out so I can't use her. I haven't been able to impress her with my pressing need for a in house welder. :D

:roflmao:

Zip ties are a great invention! It's how I make my mudguards stay on my bikes--forget lugnuts!

East Hill

:roflmao:

Zip ties are a great invention! It's how I make my mudguards stay on my bikes--forget lugnuts!

East Hill

Oh yeah, I have them in all sizes. I use to hold brake and shifter cables, to hold mud guards, to attach fenders (especially ones that aren't made for the bike and don't fit quite right), attach saddle bags, hold the flatbed on my trailer, attach a tool kit, hold various parts on my 20 year old car, bundle wiring, keep my pants (in winter) out of the chain, emergency dog collar, hinges, emergency heel strap for your flip flops (for those high class establishments that require it for entrance) and more. Because of their durability some of the temporary fixes have become permanent. I have a special little screwdriver that I use to release them so that they can be reused. They have them with thumb releases now. I don't have any yet but be assured I will have. They became seriously legitimate to me when I found the best mechanic I have ever known using them on airplanes.:)

... Even for starters, you can buy a cheap flux core welder at ??? (I go to Canadian Tire or Princess auto here) and some even come with a video.

The only thing the Vid dosent do is tell you how you are screwing up (if you do).

Then just simply upgrade your welder. and have fun.. I think every household should have at least one. Or maybe not. I might not have as many "friends" if I didnt have one.. haha

I've thought of that but it has to be cheap. I've also been discouraged by advice givers. You know, the "you can't do it that way " ones.:)

Brilliant work there Wheelchairman. Seeing your jig has been really informative too. :)

well done mate an ambitous project. I have thought about building an upright racing trike but I have fortunatly found a company that makes a conversion kit for converting your racing lightweight .
I couldn't get down that far with my back problem

I have a special little screwdriver that I use to release them so that they can be reused. They have them with thumb releases now. I don't have any yet but be assured I will have. They became seriously legitimate to me when I found the best mechanic I have ever known using them on airplanes.:)


I never thought about reusing them :eek: ! And they come with thumb releases as well? Dang! I think I will be visiting my local hardware shop soon to check that out.

Back on topic:

Wheelchairman, I think we will all be greatly interested in the end result!

East Hill

I wish I had the talent to match to match my vision. Great job. All I can do is paint stuff and add things with zip ties and barbed wire. I need to learn to weld.I've known how to ARC weld since I was 16, yet I invested in a nightschool course last year and have futhered my skills significantly! I'd highly recommend doing a course. Skills for life!


Zip ties are a great invention! It's how I make my mudguards stay on my bikes--forget lugnuts!Zip ties are great. Up there with frabic/duct/race tape for handy. I once race-taped my rear brake calipers to the frame and rode (with my friends) a 24hr race with them with no failures! I'm sure many other people have similar stories. Best invention ever :love:


Brilliant work there Wheelchairman. Seeing your jig has been really informative too. Thanks Sianelle. Glad you got something out of it :)


well done mate an ambitous project. I have thought about building an upright racing trike but I have fortunatly found a company that makes a conversion kit for converting your racing lightweight .
I couldn't get down that far with my back problem Thanx earleybird. Could you post a link for that conversion kit? Just curious to see what they look like! So you mean convert a wedgie to a bent trike?
And yes it is quite low :o . You'll all see why in due time ;)


Back on topic:

Wheelchairman, I think we will all be greatly interested in the end result!

I think that calls for a small update!

Progress has been slow the last week. I took my front rims and hubs to the bikeshop to get them laced and trued, only to find my hubs were 32 hole, and my rims were 36! :mad: . I sent the rims back to Greenspeed on Thursday and hopefully I'll get the 32holes I wanted by Monday or Tuesday.

Meanwhile with nothing better to do I decided to work on my kingpins. Thanks to "Crowey" for the use of his amazing kingpin jig. It contained all the right angles and all I had to do was set the material up and zipp it all together.
Here's a pic of the steering setup. It's indirect (as in, the steering handles are not directly connected to the kingpin) and thus looks pretty complicated. I drew the orange and green lines in to the picture so you can visualise how the steering ties together.
http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/1073/recumbent0qa5.jpg
The orange is the "tie rod" which attaches to the "ackerman arm". This arm ties the two sides together, meaning any input from even one steering handle will turn both wheels.
The green is the "steering rod". It connects the steering handles to the steering arm on the kingpin, via a linkage. It's a push pull design. That is, to change direction you pull one handle back and the other one forward. The linkages, when they're complete, will be male rod-ends going into aluminium solid.

I also realised that I didn't have a cable guide for my rear derailiur, so I welded that on and repainted the area. I cut it out of an old bike, ground it back, taped it on and melted the tape off whilst welding the area. Crisis over :cool:
http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/8692/recumbent003wn6.jpg

Anyways, that's it for now. Thanx for all the replies and encouragement! Good to know people find this interesting :)

Michael.

PS. Can someone confirm that some of the pics from my initial post arn't working? Sometimes my modem plays up, so it may just be me :o

Um..... just checked your original posting, - it all looks Ok, but only two of the pictures are showing up. Perhaps the missing pictures need to be reloaded to the hosting site again.

Um..... just checked your original posting, - it all looks Ok, but only two of the pictures are showing up. Perhaps the missing pictures need to be reloaded to the hosting site again.

Same here. I seem to remember more but my memory is none to reliable.

I like it, also, where did you get the 65 tooth chainring?

I like it, also, where did you get the 65 tooth chainring?

Yes that's the sort of chainring you definitely call 'Sir'. ;)

Um..... just checked your original posting, - it all looks Ok, but only two of the pictures are showing up. Perhaps the missing pictures need to be reloaded to the hosting site again.Hmmm....weird. The pics loaded earlier today, yet now they're gone again! I'm guessing Imageshack is to blame.


I like it, also, where did you get the 65 tooth chainring? I bought it a couple of years ago at a Greenspeed parts stand at a race. It's an "EGGring". Beautiful chainring; When I showed my friend, who makes parts for Australian defence force machinery, he freaked out and demanded he be able to take the ring to work to show his collegues the workmanship :eek: .
Here's the site; http://www.highpath.net/cycles/eggs/01.html

This is awesome work - makes me realise how badly I need to go on a welding course. Can you imagine how frustrating it is to own a Mig, but be atrocious at welding?

Hmmm....weird. The pics loaded earlier today, yet now they're gone again! I'm guessing Imageshack is to blame.

I bought it a couple of years ago at a Greenspeed parts stand at a race. It's an "EGGring". Beautiful chainring; When I showed my friend, who makes parts for Australian defence force machinery, he freaked out and demanded he be able to take the ring to work to show his collegues the workmanship :eek: .
Here's the site; http://www.highpath.net/cycles/eggs/01.html

Oh, they will make custom chainrings...I could have one for my mixtes with 'Ms Mixte' :D .

Now I have to figure out how to fit in a visit to their shop next time I visit the rellies in Wales...the shop is about 40 miles from Clynderwen.

East Hill

Can you imagine how frustrating it is to own a Mig, but be atrocious at welding?

Yes. Yes I can.

I bought it a couple of years ago at a Greenspeed parts stand at a race. It's an "EGGring". Beautiful chainring; When I showed my friend, who makes parts for Australian defence force machinery, he freaked out and demanded he be able to take the ring to work to show his collegues the workmanship :eek: .
Here's the site; http://www.highpath.net/cycles/eggs/01.html

WOW. there is a 336 dollar price difference between 58-67 and 68-110.

i need a 110 tooth chain ring. for what i do not knw but i really want one

i need a 110 tooth chain ring. for what i do not knw but i really want one

For only $540 odd, you can get a 110 tooth chain ring that has 'yellowjeep' custom cutouts.

Art...and the satisfaction of knowing that you have the only one in existence.

East Hill

Hmmm....weird. The pics loaded earlier today, yet now they're gone again! I'm guessing Imageshack is to blame.

I bought it a couple of years ago at a Greenspeed parts stand at a race. It's an "EGGring". Beautiful chainring; When I showed my friend, who makes parts for Australian defence force machinery, he freaked out and demanded he be able to take the ring to work to show his collegues the workmanship :eek: .
Here's the site; http://www.highpath.net/cycles/eggs/01.html

$164!!!!
I'd just use a schwinn exerciser chainring it I had to buy it new at that price.

$164!!!!
I'd just use a schwinn exerciser chainring it I had to buy it new at that price.$180 in Aussie dollars ;) . Wasn't alot 2 years ago- I was doing OK at the time, but now I'm investing in education so I'm just a typical bum about now :( . I know some of my friends are talented enough and have the facilities to build their own chainrings, and they do a very good job of it :) ..... but not me, I can't use a lathe or other effectively to save my life :lol:

UPDATE:

Well the last week has been a drag, waiting for my rims to come through the mail and then get them spoked has been agonisingly slow :( . On the plus side I've been able to basically complete every other aspect of the trike while I wait for said wheels.
The 9 speed indexed thumbshifter has been mounted and all gears are tuned and ready to go. And that completes the rear of the trike. The front end is where all the action is at;

http://img50.imageshack.us/img50/7097/recumbent006rw8.jpg
As you can see the linkages have been built and mounted on the kingpins. I don't have access to a lathe so, equipped with a half-arsed mindset, I simply put the aluminium solid in the bench vice and preceded to punch a hole into each end with my trusty power drill :lol: . It worked fantasticly! I then tapped each hole to suit a 6mm thread.
Also in the above you can see my steering handles are painted and cut to fit. The nut was tightened up fully and then I cut the leftover bolt off. I've done similar things to all my bolts, in an effort to cut measly grams......hey! a gram's a gram, and many grams = MANY grams ;)

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/6493/recumbent005jm4.jpg
Altough I can't hook my front brakes up til I get my wheels I decided to save some time and get them started. The way I'd like the setup is that the pair of wheels brake together via the one brake lever. To do this I've used quite an established "home build" method. The cavity that the lugs (found on each cable) sit in inside the lever hood now has a steel rod running through it. On each side is a hole for each cable to go through. Now moving on to the adjuster barrel. The ring mounted between the hood and the barrel has been discarded and replaced with a flat bar of metal, also with 2 holes for cables. The outer cable will sit below the flat bar. I'll make sure to take a follow up photo of the brake lever when the cables are on.

That's it for now. I'm pretty much ready to put the wheels on and mount brakes. Then it's a matter of tidying and fine tuning everything else.

Chow.

Michael

How many hours does it take you to do something like this--up to this point, say?

East Hill

I wonder if it would be possible to see a photo of the kingpin jig?

I've seen this design of kingpin-stubaxle used in several 'how-to' descriptions and I was curious to know how durable it is and whether there is an adequate margin of safety in the design.

How many hours does it take you to do something like this--up to this point, say?

East HillIt's hard to say. I've been working on this for close to 4 months, yet I've hardly been rushing it. I might build for 30minutes a weeknight, or 5 hours on a saturday- depends on what part I'm up to, mood etc. It can be surprisenbly quick if you want it to; In the past my friends have built up to 3 in a weekend :eek: . Logistics are a nightmare though. You need a bunch of parts, tools and materials. When it's all together you simply assign a job to each person (one person builds kingpins all day, one cuts material 4 frame, one machines parts all day, one welds frame etc) and watch it all come together. If I was gonna have a wild stab I might say I've spent 300 odd hours on this project. If I had proper facilities it'd be much less.


I wonder if it would be possible to see a photo of the kingpin jig?

I've seen this design of kingpin-stubaxle used in several 'how-to' descriptions and I was curious to know how durable it is and whether there is an adequate margin of safety in the design.Afraid I can't help you with the kingpin jig. I don't have it anymore. Even if I did I dought I'd post it. It wasn't my creation and I'm sure the person I borrowed it off wouldn't be happy with "his baby" making an appearence online :D .
I've never used a jig til this project. Usually I'd build a jig for my bolts, containing the camber angle the wheels sit at, zapp the bolts together, then build ackerman arms onto the bolts in another jig containing the ackerman angle. Dodgy and time consuming, yet as accurate as the jigs you built.

As for this design, I've never seen a properly welded setup fail, EVER. However, I'm sure a poorly setup or poorly designed kingpin could break, but even then it's a remote chance.

If I was gonna have a wild stab I might say I've spent 300 odd hours on this project. If I had proper facilities it'd be much less.


Even at half the hours, it would still be a labour of love, then!

It really is fascinating to watch people build the AltBikes.

East Hill

I'd just use a schwinn exerciser chainring it I had to buy it new at that price.

Yeah, but no one would address your chainring as Sir! :D

Even at half the hours, it would still be a labour of love, then!

Sort of like this trike...an absolutely amazing amount of machining involed in this unit. And there are NO welds!

It's also not very "user friendly", being rear steer and all. But it DOES have Posi-Traction. (BOTH rear wheels drive)

Keep up the good work WheelChairman!

Sort of like this trike...an absolutely amazing amount of machining involed in this unit. And there are NO welds!

It's also not very "user friendly", being rear steer and all. But it DOES have Posi-Traction. (BOTH rear wheels drive)

Keep up the good work WheelChairman!

What is this machine?

East Hill

What is this machine?

East Hill

The Brand name is Thebis, made in Canada. From what I've heard, they were made from '90-'93 and about 20 or 30 were made. The main tubes are magnesium and the rest is machined aluminum. Everything clamps together using custom machined clamps. It's only a guesstimate, but there HAS to be hundreds of hours devoted to all the machine work. And having been a machinist, I am in awe of the amount of work involved in making this machine. I think it sold new for about $3,500. And even in early '90's dollars, that seems CHEAP, considering the work involved.

I actually got it for free, though. :D

I checked my email at about 8:30 one evening and found a post from the Sacramento recumbent club saying the owner no longer wanted it. He was willing to pass it on to another recumbent enthusiast if anyone was interested.
So by 9 pm, I was on the road North, for a 3 1/2 hour drive to go get it!

The story is still a source of amusement for my wife & me. I went upstairs at 8:40 and my wife thought "Oh, you're off the computer early and coming to bed". "No, sorry honey. I'm off to Sacramento to get another trike!" "Of course you are! Why did I think otherwise?" :roflmao:

That might have caused a riff in most marriages, but my wife has known me since she was 12 & I was 13.
So she knows things like that come with the territory. :rolleyes:
We were "engaged" for 22 years before we actually GOT married, so we make it work. Including a midnight drive to get another trike for free. She knows I don't pass up a good deal when I see one. ;)

Sorry, I've gone off topic...

Currently the ThePiss* is being reworked. When I got it, the seat had been mounted upside down and the driveline had been altered. I got the seat switched back around, but the drive line still needs some work.
Someday, after you're riding your custom mixte, I'll get back to THAT project. :p


*It was nicknamed ThePiss due to the fact that when I got it, it was covered in bobcat pee! :eek:
YES, the previous owner has a "pet" bobcat!
When I arrived around 1 am and we went in the house to see the rig, he warned me that I may get jumped by his "cat". Being a "cat person" I wasn't too concerned. Then I see that I'm being sized up by an actual BOBCAT! He didn't take too kindly to my "Here kitty, kitty, kitty". He took a swipe at my outstretched hand! :eek:
Good thing he had been declawed! But still a solid strike to my hand. :p

So,...that's the story. Thanks for letting me share. Sorry to derail WCM's thread. :)

^^^^
An excellent story, too. I especially enjoyed the bobcat bit :) . I don't think WCM will mind too much, this is after all an AltBike forum, and it does tie in with the theme!

East Hill

@Dr Deltron LMAO :lol: Great story about the bobcat! I knew you spent time cleaning the seat of "cat piss" but I didn't realise it was a BOBcat :eek: .

UPDATE:

Here's the finished product!
http://img49.imageshack.us/img49/2155/trike001af4.jpg

I'll run through what I had to do in this last week to get to this stage.

I realised after some calculations that my ackerman arm came out too far and would interfere with my wheels. I couldn't move the rod-end points back, because this would put the tie-rod in the path of the chain. I made the decision to cut the ackermans off and remount them on the rear of the kingpins. It was quite a fiddley exercise, but they came together quite well in the end. I was confident it was gonna work because there is a clear area above the chain and below the seat for my tie rod to go. No probs in the end, and happy to report it steers quite well. It's funny how things can just work out the way you (don't) plan them to :lol: . Here's a pick of the "revised" setup, plus the business end of the brakes, described below;
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/7707/trike002ci5.jpg

With the kingpins sorted I could work on my wheels. I finally got my wheels on Wednesday last week. I mounted my tyres (Primo Champ 2's) but wern't satisfied with the wall thickness, plus the fact that they were stopping me from getting the proper contact patch set up (not enough kingpin inclination to throw the wheels away from the frame accordenly). I decided to order some Primo Comets, which had a larger wall. I got them on Thursday. They went on without a hitch. I spaced my wheels out to align with the contact patch, welded the spacer to the kingpin, then welded brake mounts to each spacer. The brakes then screw onto the brake mounts and I kinda have brakes for the 1st time! Here's a pic of the drum brakes;
http://img49.imageshack.us/img49/864/trike003tm9.jpg

I spent a whole Sunday afternoon tuning my brakes. I've never tuned such brakes before, but it turned out that after some hit and miss attempts, it was actually quite easy. I also eliminated some noises coming from various spots on the trike and discovered that it corners so well that I slide off the seat quite easily :o . I layed some foam down (contact bonded to the seat) and now I'm using a lot less energy trying to stay on the seat.

You can pretty much call this trike finished, yet I want to keep improving it. Don't be surprised if you see more tiny updates in the future.

Chow.

Michael

What tires are those?

What tires are those?Rear is a Tioga Comp-Pool. Bullet proof tyre with great rolling resistance. The fronts are Primo Comets. I got them from Greenspeed, who I believe are the only guys in Australia to stock them.

Are you still with Kingswood? How's the EBT looking for them this year? Gonna be an awesome race! Can't wait!

Those front hubs are soooooooo sexy. :D

\ I also eliminated some noises coming from various spots on the trike and discovered that it corners so well that I slide off the seat quite easily :o . I layed some foam down (contact bonded to the seat) and now I'm using a lot less energy trying to stay on the seat.[

Chow.

Michael

Looks great! It probably turns right or left "RIGHT NOW!!" I had that problem with mine- but now I have an excellent excuse for having a seat belt! I also used 2-inch open cell foam; but that seat belt sure helps.

About the noise; can not help. I just turn up the volume

countersTrike

Its looking great, its been a couple of weeks....how are things going?

Those front hubs are soooooooo sexyYes, I get that all the time from various people :D


Looks great! It probably turns right or left "RIGHT NOW!!" I had that problem with mine- but now I have an excellent excuse for having a seat belt! I also used 2-inch open cell foam; but that seat belt sure helps.Yes it is an agile little beast. The foam has taken 90% of the effort out of it, yet I'd hate to see how far I slide off when it's smothered in sweat :o . Regarding the seatbelt. Be careful. I don't know how stable your trike is, but I know that in a rollover I'd rather roll out of the trike then be stuck in the seat. The road makes for a wonderful cheese grater :eek:


About the noise; can not help. I just turn up the volume:roflmao: Ignorance is bliss!
I sorted most of it. Chainring bolts were to long, so I spaced them with modified washers. Right hand rim had started unlacing itself after some heavy cornering, resulting in some horrible creaking. Spokes were tightened and hey presto! Also discovered that chain slaps a support bar closest to drop out when in lowest gear. A strip of electrical tape has deadened the sound. I'd hardly use the gear anyway. It's now as quiet as a......quiet....thing......or something.....'sigh' :crash:


Its looking great, its been a couple of weeks....how are things going?I havent experienced any failiers of any sort, which is surpriseing. Much of the work has been in eliminating noises (as explained above). The performance of the trike has been consistant from day one. It was refined, but now it sounds refined :D . One thing I'm missing is a drink bottle holder. Might put one on in the next couple of days.

Very nice. I appreciate the talent it took to do this. I have none of it But I can dream.

hey that's pretty cool

I appreciate your posting all this. I would love a tadpole, but I neither have money nor weld. So I get to look at the nifty rides guys like you build. Beautiful machine.

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/9977/bfsv2.jpg
Merry Christmas Y'all!

Merry Christmas to you!

What a nice photo, we get to see both you AND the finished trike :D .

East Hill

Yes it's great being able to put a face to this thread at last. Though seeing you beside your trike, - wow, - talk about flying low :eek: Piloting your trike must be an absolute thrill, - only if it was me I'd be scared of getting run over and squashed flat by an SUV or something.

Ooooo I almost forgot, - Merry Christmas! :D

Merry Christmas to you!

What a nice photo, we get to see both you AND the finished trike :D .

East Hill


Yes it's great being able to put a face to this thread at last. Though seeing you beside your trike, - wow, - talk about flying low Piloting your trike must be an absolute thrill, - only if it was me I'd be scared of getting run over and squashed flat by an SUV or something.

Ooooo I almost forgot, - Merry Christmas!I figured my last pic of the complete trike didn't do it justice so I decided to take another with a reference point (me) and a better angle so you can see just how low it is. I ride it about 3 hours per week at this stage, mostly on walking tracks and 1 hour a week on the local velodrome :D .

Hope everyone had a merry christmas :)