Utility Cycling - Workman Bikes & Trikes

I have just been looking over the Worksman Bicycles web site. A search indicated they have not been discussed here.

In both their industrial bikes and trikes and recreational bikes and trikes they have a number of very practical looking units with cargo hauling accessories.

The "Classic American Cruiser" is available with single speed, 3 speed or 7 speed gear hub as well as with a drum front brake and multiple sizes of front and rear baskets. Most of their bikes claim to be made in the USA!!!!! They also state that they have been in business since 1898.

Three sizes of frames including one step through are offered along with numerous other options and accessories. Wheels are listed as using 11 gauge spokes too so should be ultra strong, stainless spokes on the upgrade wheels. Base prices seem to be very reasonable too. Check out the web site for yourself. One more option for those who want a practical, if probably heavy, utility bike.

http://worksmancycles.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/cruisers.html

Misspelled Worksman in the title. Probably why my search before posting turned up nothing.:o

Yes, I've ridden Worksman for 40 yrs where I worked. As a retirement present to myself
I bought a Worksman PAV and pimped it out with many useful changes. Worksman are
not fast but they are VERY reliable and durable to the point of being bulletproof in
everyday utility use.

I ride a Worksman bike, and yes, it has been discussed here a good bit. Most recently, I rode the "Duval Delta" with information posted in the Texas forum.

The misspelling of Worksman is not that uncommon. In fact, "Worksman" is a very unusual name, and you can do searches on Ebay or Craigslist using that name alone, and that's usually sufficient to limit it to mostly bikes. But if you search for workman+bicycle, you'll turn up some extra hits.

And now, I think I'll go ride my Worksman some more. :)

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z172/stephenhazelton/MiscBikePhotos/Turkey1.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z172/stephenhazelton/MiscBikePhotos/WRL3.jpg

I've been toying with the idea of buying a worksman frontloader and making it my farmers market "booth". The tandem also looks sweet, but an upright/recumbent hybrid might be required to ensure riding tranquility.

The Worksman frontloaders show up on Craigslist and Ebay periodically. There is low demand and low supply, and that means pricing can be rather erratic. Usually, they are "Local Pickup Only", which limits demand for them. You may have one for $100 with no bids, while the next one sells for $300. I think I paid $175 for mine. I was probably the only interested buyer (in all of Dallas/ Ft Worth). I think right now, there are two different front loaders on Ebay, not sure where they are located. There is also an ice-cream-trike, but it's priced to be a moneymaker, not a hobby rider. For public roads, I would avoid the solid-tire models.

Also keep an eye out for Husky/ Mercurio cargo tricycles, which are even more rare, but would probably work as well or better. They are imported by Husky in Houston, TX. Grainger handles the Husky line, but I don't think Grainger lists the cargo cycles in their website. They could perhaps special-order them.

I don't know how flat Walla Walla is, but if you have serious hills, keep in mind that either trike has a coaster brake for stopping. Works fine for around town or a factory, but not what you want when you're haulling 500 lbs of potatoes down Loveland Pass.

I have just been looking over the Worksman Bicycles web site. A search indicated they have not been discussed here. ...[/URL]
Maybe not in this forum, but they certainly have been discussed on this site.

As someone who has bought one new, let me just say that the Worksmans have advantages and disadvantages. I have related the details elsewhere here already.
~

I have no personal experience with them, but they look like good machines; my only problem with them is that they seem to have inadiquate gears and brakes for the hilly terrain around here. But in relatively flat areas they should do well.

I have no personal experience with them, but they look like good machines; my only problem with them is that they seem to have inadiquate gears and brakes for the hilly terrain around here. But in relatively flat areas they should do well.

No, Worksman do not have brake problems at all. A Worksman bike is the ONLY bike allowed
to decend the steep trail of the Hawaiian mountain.

To wit........
"A Worksman model was formerly sold as the Urban Assault Cycle, the Hum Vee of bikes. A similar style of bike is used in Hawaii for a downhill ride at one of the islands valcanos. The ride is 27 miles long, and the drum brakes are the only brakes that can handle that job."

No, Worksman do not have brake problems at all. A Worksman bike is the ONLY bike allowed
to decend the steep trail of the Hawaiian mountain.

To wit........
"A Worksman model was formerly sold as the Urban Assault Cycle, the Hum Vee of bikes. A similar style of bike is used in Hawaii for a downhill ride at one of the islands valcanos. The ride is 27 miles long, and the drum brakes are the only brakes that can handle that job."

Per the Worksman web site the drum brakes are extra cost options, not standard. Personally I consider any bike with only a rear coaster brake, as standard on the Worksman bikes, to be inadequately braked.

I would think that current disc brakes for bikes would be equally as effective as drum brakes.

No, Worksman do not have brake problems at all. A Worksman bike is the ONLY bike allowed
to decend the steep trail of the Hawaiian mountain."

I do not know Hawai'i. I know West Virginia, nicknamed "the Mountain State." I would not trust anything other than disc brakes on some of our mountainsides.

Lets not be picking on Worksman drum brakes here! :notamused: Worksman doesn't sell to the weight weenie
market where disk brakes are, they sell to the industrial market where reliablity is most important of all.

Lets not be picking on Worksman drum brakes here! :notamused: Worksman doesn't sell to the weight weenie
market where disk brakes are, they sell to the industrial market where reliablity is most important of all.

And where one generally deals with flat landscapes, or at most rather gentle ramps. I'm not saying that they're not good machines for what they are.

I've not compared the brakes. But as far as I know, the volcano rides are just long continuous moderate slopes, where any brake that didn't overheat would work. I would think rim brakes or disk brakes would work there as well.

Worksman's primary market is industrial bikes. Generally, factories, chemical plants, and refineries tend to be fairly flat. Under those conditions, you can get a good load on a 100 lb tricycle with a 260# rider, and still stop just fine with a coaster brake (it helps that you're only going 8-10 mph in the first place.)

Coaster brakes are generally fine for how they're used. Most people don't ride single-speeds through major hills due to the uphill problem, and that avoids the downhill issues. Most people riding coaster brake bikes aren't zigzagging through traffic at 20 mph or riding in pace lines, and braking isn't quite as critical for them as it is for some other riders. If you think coaster brakes are inadequate brakes, they probably are inadequate for you, but that doesn't hold true for everyone.

As far as the work bikes in the mountains go, I'm not aware of that many options. The major hub of European workbikes just happens to be a flat country, too. Some of the Pashley and other brand work bikes are available with multi-speed hubs. There was a recent post on the long-john bike that used a mountain bike for the rear end, and that would give you more gearing. I'd be concerned about any normal bike brake if you're using it for double or triple the weight it's intended for on a long downhill.

And where one generally deals with flat landscapes, or at most rather gentle ramps. I'm not saying that they're not good machines for what they are.
The one I bought, has the front drum brake.
It don't work that well.
My other two bikes have cable-operated disk brakes: 160mm BB5's on one, and 200mm BB7's on the other. Either of the 160mm BB5's give several times the stopping power that the Worksman drum does.

I have tried a few things, and nothing really helped. The pads don't develop much friction, and the brake cable holder and the brake arm are both rather flexy if you squeeze the brake lever even moderately hard. The way I use this bike, emergency stops are not very common; I basically only ride rural roads with low traffic. If I had expected to ride it in urban/suburban traffic much, there's no way I'd have used the drum/coaster brake setup the bike came with.

It'd be very interesting to hear how that Hawaii tour company sets their brakes up. As for resistance to heat damage I don't know nuts about that--but I'd be amazed if they got their brakes to even come close to the stopping power that a "typical" properly adjusted rim V-brake with Kool-stops could give.
~

No, Worksman do not have brake problems at all. A Worksman bike is the ONLY bike allowed
to decend the steep trail of the Hawaiian mountain.

To wit........
"A Worksman model was formerly sold as the Urban Assault Cycle, the Hum Vee of bikes. A similar style of bike is used in Hawaii for a downhill ride at one of the islands valcanos. The ride is 27 miles long, and the drum brakes are the only brakes that can handle that job."

I would like to see your source. I did a bit of digging. I found a National Park Service study at http://www.cruiserphil.com/Pdf/NPS-safety-analysis.pdf that is a risk-assessment of bicycle tour operations involving commercially guided bicycle tours within Haleakalä National Park. There is no mention in the PDF of any limitation to a given brand of bike, nor to a given type of brake.

The text you quote above looks to me to be marketing-copy, possibly written by a bicycle tour operator with an eye towards making themselves look good over their choice of equipment. It's one thing for a tour company to decide on one brand of bike, but that does not support your claim that only the one brand is permitted.

I would like to see your source. I did a bit of digging. I found a National Park Service study at http://www.cruiserphil.com/Pdf/NPS-safety-analysis.pdf that is a risk-assessment of bicycle tour operations involving commercially guided bicycle tours within Haleakalä National Park. There is no mention in the PDF of any limitation to a given brand of bike, nor to a given type of brake.

The text you quote above looks to me to be marketing-copy, possibly written by a bicycle tour operator with an eye towards making themselves look good over their choice of equipment. It's one thing for a tour company to decide on one brand of bike, but that does not support your claim that only the one brand is permitted.

Since we're talking about bike does it really matter enough to you to ask for this? Worksman
seldom gets a fair shake when bikes are talked about since the weight weenies don't like it.

Since you choose not to believe it then so be it. I'm to damn tired to do the leg work you ask
for but I do know what I read.

As a matter of fact why start a p!ssing contest over a link?

Since we're talking about bike does it really matter enough to you to ask for this?

You made a highly unusual and interesting assertion. I do think it was fair to ask you to back it up. What you said was intriguing enough that I did, in fact, spend some time googling for a source myself. And I did skim through that 35-page PDF as well.


Worksman
seldom gets a fair shake when bikes are talked about since the weight weenies don't like it.

Worksman makes some interesting bikes. Only a couple of days ago I was on their site pricing out one of them. I noticed their use of drum brakes. I don't hear of those much in the states, though I understand they are reasonably common in Europe. Your mention of Hawaii got me to thinking about the problem of riding a bike downhill for a long period of time. You'd need good brakes that didn't fade, and that would hold up over the distance. I'm picturing a tourist riding the brake the entire way down. Would drum brakes be better than disc in that situation? Or is Worksman's use of drum brakes more in the interest of lower maintenance?

My own interest in Worksman stems from my interest in a good, solid, utility bike. I want something with a good rack and fender system, that I can use for errands around town. Worksman is appealing from that perspective, though I'm probably going to end up going in a different direction.

My own interest in Worksman stems from my interest in a good, solid, utility bike. I want something with a good rack and fender system, that I can use for errands around town. Worksman is appealing from that perspective, though I'm probably going to end up going in a different direction.

If it's dependable long lasting simple transportation that's human powered then you'll have to
go far to best a Worksman. These bikes are in use around the world doing some of the toughest
day to day grind type riding for everyone from the military to the Mexican post office.

The are that overbuilt. :thumb:

I recently had some private correspondence from someone at the company, and they have some interesting things in the pipeline. I can't be more specific right now, but I think you'll see some interesting products from them in the next year or so.

I don't know to what extent they stay on top of the bicycling business, but it seems to me that they might be in a good position to bring out a bakfiets, a long john bike, or a low-tech version of the Big Dummy. The demand is not enough for the major bike manufacturers, the imported ones are super-expensive, and it would fit their business pretty well.

They don't currently show pedicabs in their offerings, but a few months ago, there were several used Worksman pedicabs for sale in Arizona. They appeared to be the front-loader trike with a pedicab instead of a platform.

I don't know to what extent they stay on top of the bicycling business, but it seems to me that they might be in a good position to bring out a bakfiets, a long john bike, or a low-tech version of the Big Dummy. The demand is not enough for the major bike manufacturers, the imported ones are super-expensive, and it would fit their business pretty well.

They don't currently show pedicabs in their offerings, but a few months ago, there were several used Worksman pedicabs for sale in Arizona. They appeared to be the front-loader trike with a pedicab instead of a platform.

I have seen those before:thumb: FWIW Worksman will custom build anything you want in a utility bike for the right price.

I have ridden many a mile on their bikes in an industrial setting. The last plant I was at had bikes dating from 1978 when the plant opened, these bikes/trikes are left out in the weather year round, the atmosphere at this particular plant is fairly corrosive. I was told by one of the maintenance guys that around 95% of the original fleet was still in use. The 5% missing was due to theft or catastrophic failure (getting run over by an 40 ton piece of equipment) The older ones have better coaster brakes than the new ones appear to. FWIW I had a Huffy POS that I picked up at WM to use on the plant site, it was rusting within less than 2 weeks. The first one only lasted 3 days before the rear brake self destructed. Worksman builds a good, durable bike that with minimal care will last a life time.

Aaron:)

I recently had some private correspondence from someone at the company, and they have some interesting things in the pipeline. I can't be more specific right now, but I think you'll see some interesting products from them in the next year or so.

Intriguing!

Most of the volcano rides have closed down, as people keep getting hit by cars. So the point is moot now anyways.

In case anyone in the Northeast Ohio area is interested, there is someone selling used (pretty beat up but salvageable) Worksman trikes (rear load), single speed and front drum brakes for $50 or less.

I bought 2 of them with some vague future plan. If anyone is interested I will try to hunt up the ad or the phone number.

LOL! We did that volcano ride on our honeymoon, almost 24 years ago, and yes, our bikes did have drum brakes. I don't know if they were Worksmans, but they probably were. We rode with "Cruiser Bob" who was the original Maui Downhill vendor. Unfortunately, he went out of business soon after.

For the record, I definitely felt better with the drum brakes on the bike. No way would I have wanted to come down that grade with traditional brakes.

They can be ordered with drum brakes. Its the only American-made cruiser that has that option available. Which is rather cool. And alloy wheels make a tank of a beast ride faster and safer.

Drum brakes are used in autos. They haven't see much use in bikes because of weight and are found principally on roadsters. If you live in mountainous country, a bike with good drum or disk brakes is essential for safety. I agree with your observation on disk brakes but the advantage of drum brakes is they can be built into the wheel - obviating the need for disc brake braze-ons on the frame.

You do trust your car right? Well drum brakes are reliable and completely weather-sealed. Mine haven't failed yet. And they do work on bicycles!

I'm picturing a tourist riding the brake the entire way down. Would drum brakes be better than disc in that situation? Or is Worksman's use of drum brakes more in the interest of lower maintenance?


There is different types of drum brakes and different types of disk brakes, so this is not an easy answer ti give. Vhat CAN be said is that I am sure good discbrakes that is well maintained are good, but how many can say that is always the situation with theyr bike?

Drumbrakes is "almost maintenance free", work well and is built in and therefor protected from dirt and sand.

For sure drum brakes that is not well looked after is better than disk brakes of same.

If you look innside a drum brake you`ll see that the surface of the brake shoes is much larger than the surface of any brakepads known to me (disk or other). That should count. Also it is about how the force from the brake levers is transfered to the shoes/drums. If this force can be compared then surface of shoes is important. If force is less, then that bigger surface is needed just to keep up.

I realise I like drum brakes more and more. I do not like heavy bikes since I lack energy due to health problems. I often lift my bikes to transport them on my car. On the other hand I more and more like the bikes you can just grab and ride without being reminded of brakepads rubbing or other similar problems. Therefor 2 of my bikes is going to keep the drum brake. Also I am going to put a drom brake front wheel on my winter ride MTB.

I've been thinking of getting one of these with the curved top tube, I keep meaning to email to see if i can get just the frame, but i have yet to get around to it

I think you can buy just the frame- check on their parts list. It might be simpler to find an old cruiser frame rather than buying a new one, though.

FWIW, I recently purchased a Worksman adaptable trike (has the platform in the back) in pieces from a local guy who services them for $40. It wasn't too hard to figure out, given my lack of bike building knowledge, although the 2 chains thing threw me for a loop.

So far, I can attest to the fact that it's one heck of a durable bike. According to the serial number, my frame was built in 1979. As for the rest of it, who knows... Does anyone know if a LBS could possibly straighten the front tube of the frame? (head tube? - where the quill stem slides into) Forgive my lack of knowledge of the right terms, but I'm still learning. When I assembled the bike, I realized that the front part of the frame is off kilter. I'm pretty sure it's not the fork - it's the second fork I've had for it since the first fork I had was also bent badly.

If I should open a new thread, let me know - I don't mean to hijack this one. Either way, thanks in advance, and Worksman bikes are TUFF!! :)

FWIW, I re. Does anyone know if a LBS could possibly straighten the front tube of the frame? (head tube? - where the quill stem slides into) Forgive my lack of knowledge of the right terms, but I'm still learning.

They might or they might not. It depends. Show them and ask. Local shops vary.

When I assembled the bike, I realized that the front part of the frame is off kilter. I'm pretty sure it's not the fork - it's the second fork I've had for it since the first fork I had was also bent badly.



All Worksman trike headpieces are welded on with about a 2>4 deg. cant so that the trike will drive
itself off the road should the rider become disabled.

If the cant is more noticable than that there is a problem. That said, I doubt , knowing Worksman
as I do, there is any problems with that superheavy duty frame.

No kidding!? That's crazy! I would have never guessed that. I guess it sort of makes sense given the nature of the original usage intent of it's owners (most likely a factory or plant of some sort).

I think I'll call a local LBS that does lots of industrial work and see if they can correct it. I have a fairly simple way of thinking about things (gets me in trouble most of the time) but I would think a properly trained person could heat up the front end of the frame and 'twist' it back into straight.

Opinions anyone? Am I nuts in addition to being ignorant?

I can't imagine that it was built with an intentional twist in it- I would bet it got overloaded or run into at some point. I doubt a bike shop can correct that, more like a welding shop or machine shop.

My first thought would be to pull the fork, put a long pry bar through the head tube, clamp the back down somehow, and go at it.

I'm kind of with you on this one, StephenH. I can't see how a bike manufacturer would willingly do this, even though it kind of makes sense. I've got an email in to a LBS who works on industrial stuff, so we'll see what they say. If not, I may have to try what you suggest...thanks for the input!

No kidding!? That's crazy! I would have never guessed that. I guess it sort of makes sense given the nature of the original usage intent of it's owners (most likely a factory or plant of some sort).

I think I'll call a local LBS that does lots of industrial work and see if they can correct it. I have a fairly simple way of thinking about things (gets me in trouble most of the time) but I would think a properly trained person could heat up the front end of the frame and 'twist' it back into straight.



The tubing used by Worksman is mild steel and torch can easily heat the front down tube up to
reset the cant to 0 deg. Just make sure that you have measuring equipment on hand to rezero
the tube.

Thanks you guys! I got a really nice email reply from what may become my new LBS (my old one recently closed forever :( ) and they were more than happy to take a look at it. I'm taking it in tomorrow, so I'll post again after I get the skinny from them...

I posted a pic below in case anyone's interested in the old beast... :)

http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh362/roadie412/IMG_0161.jpg

Nice trike! Actually, that is a fairly simple fix. You clamp down the frame put a bar in the head tube and twist it back into alignment. No heat needed. Since you say the original fork was bent too, I would suspect that someone backed a car or truck into the front of it. They do not usually get bent like that just from riding them. Or maybe, it rolled down a big parking lot and hit the fence.

Thanks! The fork you see on the trike was definitely also bent, so the guy I bought it from 'made' me a new fork from a MTB fork. It seems fine, and I bet you're right. Someone probably backed into it with a car or truck. I'm taking it to my new LBS today to see what they say. If he can bend it back into place, I'm all set!

Welp, I took the trike to my NEW LBS - if you live in the South Houston, Clear Lake, Seabrook area, go see Dennis at 3rd Coast Bikes - he's awesome!

The good news is, it's fixed! We took a 6 foot piece of 3" rigid pipe and stuck it between the 2 down tubes and twisted back lightly against the frame. A couple of tries and it's good as new! We didn't even pop the lugs at all in the frame, although I may run it by a welder and see if they can run a fresh bead around each of the two neck lugs. Otherwise, my 30 year old trike in tracking straight again!

I just got an e-mail from Rolhoff to the effect that their hub would work on a tricycle as well as a bike.

We didn't even pop the lugs at all in the frame, although I may run it by a welder and see if they can run a fresh bead around each of the two neck lugs. !

One of the advantages of mild steel tubing. :thumb:

I just got an e-mail from Rolhoff to the effect that their hub would work on a tricycle as well as a bike.
They're wrong; it depends on the trike.

Many delta trikes use a semi-custom rear hub setup--where the chain from the pedals runs around an intermediate hub that has a normal (coaster brake) cog on the right hand side, no spokes, and another cog fixed to the left-hand side, where the left-side spoke flanges would normally be--and then a second shorter chain runs around that cog, to another cog on one of the back axles.

On these types you can't put just any hub in there, because normal hubs don't have any way to attach a cog to the left-side flange.

Here is one picture, on a cruiser-style rear end.
http://www.bicycledesigner.com/CruiserTrike/24trike-3.jpg
I may have mentioned before how I would like to get a delta-trike kit for my LWB recumbent, except that (as far as I've seen) none of the delta kits allow anything other than a single-speed coaster brake hub.
~

They're wrong; it depends on the trike. .
~

I would think that a manufacturer would know its own product.



Hello Bruce,

we only actually build one typ of gear unit for the SPEEDHUB. The gear system itself utilises a modular system whereby all other components are interchangeable, allowing the SPEEDHUB to be fitted in almost every type of bicycle frame.

The SPEEDHUB must be mounted as an intermediate transmission whereby an extra sprocket (mounted to the disc brake mount of the DB versions) transfers the output drive to the rear wheels via a differential. The disc brake mount of the Rohloff SPEEDHUB is almost the same mounting as that of the smallest chainring which is mounted to four arm triple crankset from "Shimano", and therefore easy to locate at every local bicycle dealer.

The company HASE build the SPEEDHUB in a similar way so that they are able to drive two rear wheels (in tricycles) from the intermediate SPEEDHUB transmission. They utilize a special sprocket mount that has been custom built and is bolted through the flange of the hub. There is a picture of how they achieve this on their website.


It is important to remember that the ingoing torque from the primary transmission is limited just as on a regular bicycle and that the chainring/sprocket ratios are not undercut. The outgoing sprocket transmissions (in your case to the two drive wheels) is independent and can be tailored for the terrain that you plan to cover.

Basically, if you can mount the SPEEDHUB as an intermidiate transmission, then it will certainly withstand anything that you need it to.


I hope that this information helps.


Best Wishes from Fuldatal, Germany.

Stewart Stabik,
Technical Support Manager
Rohloff AG, Germany
__o
_`\<,_
(*)/ (*)
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------------------------------------------------------------------<
* contact:
* Rohloff AG, Stewart Stabik,
* Mönchswiese 11, D-34233 Fuldatal
* phone: +49 561 510 80 0, fax: +49 561 510 80 15
* http://www.rohloff.de, mailto:stewart.stabik@rohloff.de
------------------------------------------------------------------<

I would think that a manufacturer would know its own product.
So it can, then.

Still costs too much though.
~

http://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/bik/993334466.html

New vendor in DC. Sorry I didn't get his face in the picture. This is the first ice cream bike I've seen in DC since the rollerblade dude rode for Ben and Jerrys when they opened the store in Adams Morgan, 1980's?
http://i478.photobucket.com/albums/rr147/Rod_Smith/IMG_2282.jpg