So my friend Bill calls and says he has a bike, can I fix it up for him? Sure, no problem, bring it over, sez me...


He said he thought it was someones shop project, and needs help with the headset -

And can I add a Chain tensioner or maybe multiple gears -

I guess it needs a better way to stop, too. Any Ideas on what to do with this thing?

Who says american craftsmanship is dead!

And this is a friend?

This is why I do not talk about bikes to people. They see me riding them, and I acknowledge that and that only. When they ask advice about new ones, I advise that all mine are decades old, so I cannot do that either.

maybe get some ideas from racing trikes
https://pedal-trikes.blogspot.com/sea...&by-date=false

if you can weld that is

Smart man.

The camper is pretty cool, but all he really wants it for is to ride around his yard and tend to his gardens, maybe a dump body would be it. I've seen some Bob Jackson racing trikes, and indeed maybe good inspiration, but at the end of the day the only thing in common is three wheels, I think. He does sometimes bring me bikes and parts he finds at flea markets, etc., so maybe this is a sort of penance

Looks like a nightmare. I would help him install a new chain and pump up the tires and adjust the brakes and that's it. Anything past that and you're wasting your time.

EDIT: nevermind on the chain! Just leave it.

^^ this is what I am thinking, but I will mess with it this weekend. Thanks

I currently have two clapped out Motiv mountain/comfort bikes from Costco in my garage. They're about ten years old, left out in the rain, cheap components.
My daughter and son in law asked if I could fix them. The reality is that they could be replaced for what it would cost to repair them with new parts.
I put an old chain I had on one of them, spayed some WD-40 in the shifters and aired the tires. adjusted a few things. It's rideable. That's about it, though.

Maybe you could put an american to euro bottom bracket adapter in there. That would allow you to use an E-type front derailleur with a triple crank. Put a couple of new chains together. Get a chain tensioner for a motorized bike and bolt it on there. I've also seen an adapter that slides over the axle, is held in place with a set screw, and is threaded to accept a freewheel. I can't remember where I saw that, but it was probably when I was researching motorized bikes. If you run a single gear in back, that would give you a simple 3 speed setup with no welding required. You're a better man than I, good luck.

that thing looks like it weighs a ton.. forget multiple gears, gear that thing as low as possible if it's going to be off roading and pulling loads

a different fork with canti/vbrake or ubrake mounts would be a lot more effective with stopping.. but if the gearing is super low it's not going to go very fast anyways

The tricycle reminds me very much of a bike Dawesman posted recently. It is an ancient Japanese machine that is still used to haul timber around a lumber yard in Tokyo. I found it fascinating. Say a carpenter comes in and wants some 6x6; you send the kid out on the trike to fetch it. In five minutes it's on the truck-bed and paid for. Every boat yard should have one. I sure could have used one when I was sailing back in the Cretaceous ... lugging sails and gear from the parking lot to the jetty. Cool and useful.

I am more than happy doing bike work for others, as long as it is something I know how to work on. I always barter for work, I usually ask for bike stuff in return. But I have traded for other stuff too. One neighbor is notorious for taking advantage of others. So I fixed her kid's bike, no big deal. I just told her to find me an adult racing bike, in decent shape in return and don't spend much on it (she hits the garage sale circuit hard). Two years later, in my driveway was a Cannondale racing bike. Nice. Win/win.