Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Recumbent
Reload this Page >

new homebuilt lowracer

Search
Notices
Recumbent What IS that thing?! Recumbents may be odd looking, but they have many advantages over a "wedgie" bicycle. Discuss the in's and out's recumbent lifestyle in the recumbent forum.

new homebuilt lowracer

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 09-13-09, 11:49 AM
  #1  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
gavtatu's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: the original jersey
Posts: 285

Bikes: lowracer, highracer, moving bottom bracket, 2 tall bikesl

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
new homebuilt lowracer

hi all, here it is, still warm from welding!
cut down racing forks to 20", muffler pipe bent to shape.
lets see how it carries on!
Attached Images
File Type: jpg
bb 019.jpg (100.6 KB, 199 views)
gavtatu is offline  
Old 09-14-09, 04:50 AM
  #2  
BrooklynRocks
 
globalrider's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Posts: 95

Bikes: BikeE AT,Worksman Trike w/kidseating, Cannondale Mt bike, Counterpoint presto project, vintage Columbia Trike project, projects galore

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Looks like a nice job. Will the boom length be adjustable? Good Luck
globalrider is offline  
Old 09-14-09, 10:04 AM
  #3  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
gavtatu's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: the original jersey
Posts: 285

Bikes: lowracer, highracer, moving bottom bracket, 2 tall bikesl

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by globalrider
Looks like a nice job. Will the boom length be adjustable? Good Luck
no, its only for me, once bolted on, thats it!
can see already i`m gonna have some chain-line issues!
but it`ll all come together in the end!!!
gavtatu is offline  
Old 09-15-09, 09:55 AM
  #4  
Hey let's ride.
 
pathdoc's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Allen, TX
Posts: 2,002

Bikes: Torelli road bike, Tsunami tandem

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Looking good. Please keep us updated on progress.
pathdoc is offline  
Old 09-19-09, 07:27 AM
  #5  
el padre
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: South East Kansas
Posts: 1,490

Bikes: Rans Stratus, ICE TRike, other assorted

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Yep, looks like you are on your way to a comfy fast ride.
Floyd is offline  
Old 09-19-09, 11:38 AM
  #6  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
gavtatu's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: the original jersey
Posts: 285

Bikes: lowracer, highracer, moving bottom bracket, 2 tall bikesl

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
here we go, one rolling chassis, chain line not too bad, managed to get bottom seat fixing and idler in one bracket.
finished temp hamster bars today, filled ali bars with sand, plugged and bent in vice by hand! do for now.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg
rolling.jpg (50.4 KB, 137 views)
gavtatu is offline  
Old 09-19-09, 11:41 AM
  #7  
370H-SSV-0773H
 
linux_author's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Penniless Park, Fla.
Posts: 2,750

Bikes: Merlin Fortius, Specialized Crossroads & Rockhopper, Serotta Fierte, Pedal Force RS2

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
fuggalicious!
linux_author is offline  
Old 09-27-09, 07:52 AM
  #8  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
gavtatu's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: the original jersey
Posts: 285

Bikes: lowracer, highracer, moving bottom bracket, 2 tall bikesl

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
huzzah!
1 ridable chassis! just did 6 miles on this beautiful sunny morning!

all welding done, ali welding for hamster bars done, idlers and chain tubes done!
all runs reasonably quiet, gotta tinker with the gears a little.

so far, so good!
Attached Images
File Type: jpg
smaller.jpg (89.7 KB, 158 views)
gavtatu is offline  
Old 10-10-09, 10:08 AM
  #9  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
gavtatu's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: the original jersey
Posts: 285

Bikes: lowracer, highracer, moving bottom bracket, 2 tall bikesl

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
all derailleurs running nice now.
did my usual 10 mile mile circuit, 1 hill, 1 fast descent. hill, no prob, downhill, 38mph, so faster than my highracer.
on flat, 26 mph, def faster than my highracer, i`m very happy with that!
gavtatu is offline  
Old 10-10-09, 02:16 PM
  #10  
BrooklynRocks
 
globalrider's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Posts: 95

Bikes: BikeE AT,Worksman Trike w/kidseating, Cannondale Mt bike, Counterpoint presto project, vintage Columbia Trike project, projects galore

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Congrats

Nicely done, ride safe
globalrider is offline  
Old 10-10-09, 04:52 PM
  #11  
Senior Member
 
charly17201's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Tulsa
Posts: 582

Bikes: RANS Formula LE, Giant Escape 1

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Nice.

I'm not criticising, but curious for myself..... but that chain line looks mean. How's it do in cornering? I'm by no means an expert - and can't even say 'well versed', but what I've read I'd think you would have a lot of stress on the power side idlers. Any problem there? I want to eventually try building a bent from scratch (okay, almost scratch) myself.
charly17201 is offline  
Old 10-10-09, 06:34 PM
  #12  
Senior Member
 
BlazingPedals's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Middle of da Mitten
Posts: 12,485

Bikes: Trek 7500, RANS V-Rex, Optima Baron, Velokraft NoCom, M-5 Carbon Highracer, Catrike Speed

Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1513 Post(s)
Liked 734 Times in 455 Posts
Regarding the chainline, I'll throw my two cents in.

$0.01 - I think you are going to have some chain rub against the chainstay when you're in your higher gears. You could eliminate it by angling the chainstays up a bit from the old bottom bracket shell.

$0.02 - You're using a chain tube anyway, so you can get rid of the power idle on the boom and run the chain straight past the fork. But, if you do that, you'll probably have to bend or re-weld the shift tube back to give it the proper angle with respect to the new chain line.

You must have pretty long legs, considering the boom length. Maybe your *next* recumbent can be a dual-26 semi-lowracer!
BlazingPedals is offline  
Old 10-11-09, 09:20 AM
  #13  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
gavtatu's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: the original jersey
Posts: 285

Bikes: lowracer, highracer, moving bottom bracket, 2 tall bikesl

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
cheers for the comments guys.
chainstays; no problen, under tension the chain lifts off the stay, so no problem there!
chainline; as with many other lowracers i`ve looked at, chain runs past tyre, so there is a little rubbing on tighter corners, but i`m learning how much, so not a prob either!
front idler; tried it without, but having both power and return chain hitting the wheel, and turning, didnt work so well.
circuit racing i can drop it, less of a prob there. on the road, this seems to be the best configuration.
i`m 6` 2", so i need a little length there, lol!
gavtatu is offline  
Old 10-18-09, 06:15 AM
  #14  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
gavtatu's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: the original jersey
Posts: 285

Bikes: lowracer, highracer, moving bottom bracket, 2 tall bikesl

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rtsO7lTPrg

me on a test ride this morning. really gonna have to stop test riding and get down to strip and paint!
gavtatu is offline  
Old 10-18-09, 05:28 PM
  #15  
Senior Member
 
charly17201's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Tulsa
Posts: 582

Bikes: RANS Formula LE, Giant Escape 1

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Looks like you were having a good ride. Congrats To windy to hear most of your comments though.

Question though, I though in video it looked like you had a single-ring crank, but the pics looked like at least a double-ring crank. Tell me you didn't do all that and give it a single.
charly17201 is offline  
Old 10-19-09, 01:37 AM
  #16  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
gavtatu's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: the original jersey
Posts: 285

Bikes: lowracer, highracer, moving bottom bracket, 2 tall bikesl

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Question though, I though in video it looked like you had a single-ring crank, but the pics looked like at least a double-ring crank. Tell me you didn't do all that and give it a single. [/QUOTE]

noooo, its a double, too many hills round here for anything else!
gavtatu is offline  
Old 11-15-09, 02:31 PM
  #17  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
gavtatu's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: the original jersey
Posts: 285

Bikes: lowracer, highracer, moving bottom bracket, 2 tall bikesl

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
just a little update.
frame painted now, gotta add decals, treat myself to a few new componants, get it built up again and i`m good to go!
Attached Images
File Type: jpg
019.JPG (61.1 KB, 39 views)
gavtatu is offline  
Old 11-19-09, 08:39 AM
  #18  
Senior Member
 
LWB_guy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 296
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Awesome looking low-racer ! That's cool that you built it out of muffler pipe. Is there anything you'd do different if you were going to make another one ?
Is your bike comfortable? If you wanted, you could make it even faster by putting a mast into the front derailler post, bending it over your head, and covering it with something lightweight and transparent, like corrugated corruflute and polyethylene sheeting. Foul weather enclosure. That would force the air out of your way.
LWB_guy is offline  
Old 11-19-09, 02:23 PM
  #19  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
gavtatu's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: the original jersey
Posts: 285

Bikes: lowracer, highracer, moving bottom bracket, 2 tall bikesl

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by LWB_guy
Awesome looking low-racer ! That's cool that you built it out of muffler pipe. Is there anything you'd do different if you were going to make another one ?
Is your bike comfortable? If you wanted, you could make it even faster by putting a mast into the front derailler post, bending it over your head, and covering it with something lightweight and transparent, like corrugated corruflute and polyethylene sheeting. Foul weather enclosure. That would force the air out of your way.
no, built and works just how i want it too.
comfortable, yeah
i have some wheel discs to put on, and i will prob make a tail box
thanks for the compliments!
gavtatu is offline  
Old 11-23-09, 03:00 AM
  #20  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
gavtatu's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: the original jersey
Posts: 285

Bikes: lowracer, highracer, moving bottom bracket, 2 tall bikesl

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
just a quick pic, till i can get out and
do some nice shots!
Attached Images
File Type: jpg
low paint.jpg (99.4 KB, 40 views)
gavtatu is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.