If youre building a recumbent trike, you have an extra style decision to make before you get started: tadpole or delta? 20 inches is pretty common for recumbent bikes, and some people prefer the smaller tires. In the "V" shaped areas where it was difficult to wrap, I used short pieces of tow to fill the voids and let it dry. The end of bamboo which will be attached to the main frame is cut at roughly 120 (pic 3). Worst case.the wheels are straight;). Are you looking for a high speed bike to take on long rides? (I'm getting a headache just remembering this part.) The rear joint is 30 so each end is cut to 15. Using a spare piece of cls 10" 250mm long. My original plan was to add a lot more bracing than I ended up using. There are many different styles to choose from, allowing you to create a recumbent that has everything you need. I had doubts about whether it would be rigid enough since bamboo flexes much more than square metal tubing, but it seemed like a good place to start. This is the latest set of plans is for the Jetrike FWD tilting recumbent trike. The frame weighs 15 pounds but I haven't weighed the assembled trike yet. A local bike shop can help you get the perfect fit for your trike. Let's stay safe out there! Scroll down for details. This proved to be very helpful later on as I could simply cut my bamboo pieces to match the PVC and eliminate errors. The flare will help the chain slide and reduce noise a bit. After looking around a bit, I purchased two rubber coated 3/8" stainless steel u-bolts to fit 1-7/8" outer diameter pipe (part #30555T43) for $12 a piece (pic 1). Keep the bottom bracket Chain set and front and rear mechs too along with shifters and brake levers. That's because I built mine at 55 thinking I knew where my chain would be running. Adjustability is nice when you're figuring out where the pulleys need to go. Low physical movement is required to steer. I build a diy do it yourself recumbent trike stand with PVC, for my catrike Dumont, I'll also use it with my wife's Trident Spike. While not impossible to install on a FWD, you are likely to run into a lot of problems. You'll also need leather gloves, safety glasses, and old bath towels or rags. Even with a smallish car you should be able to get a platform rack that will take two trikes, one facing forward and one backward. Once you're happy with the wrapped joints, you need to get the main beam fastened in place on the assembly table. I usually wrap pieces which are 9-12 feet in length. One popular method of building a recumbent from scratch, minus the the welding, is using wood. Don't worry about burning the bamboo, you won't (pic 4). What you can try is to screw a piece of plywood to both sides after you glued them. You can easily spend $100 for a pulley and a mounting block which fits 2" pipe. How much does it weigh? The 24K is about 1/2" wide or more but it wraps just as easily as the 3K once it is wet. It all comes down to personal preference. They are also the easiest style for most people to maneuver, and they are lightweight and fast. There are many great plans out there to help you get started. Please forgive my ignorance but wouldn't it be easier just to make the bike out of pvc reinforced with the carbon fiber? It also means that they require more maintenance. I have designed this recumbent trike as a cheap introduction into recumbent cycling. Step 1: Donor Bikes. The end result was not only a nice edge, but also the appearance that the dowels where held by small carbon fiber fittings (pic 5). Seeing how you made this trike has given me a desire to go down this avenue. It is still the most common way to configure a chain on a bicycle, and makes configuring suspension much easier. 3D Printed Bike Lights With Fusion 360, Strap-On Cleats for Ice and Snow Traction. I like the rounded end a lot better than a flat end. Section 1) Fabricating the Drop-Outs. It added a nice detail to the frame. And initially I rode a 2 wheel recumbent bike not a trike. In this case, you're gluing 2 rings of end grain together so the strength of the joint is the carbon fiber & resin and not the glue. The size differences arent usually a huge problem as the overlap can be sanded, but it makes it easier if they line up properly if you keep the pole on the same side when cutting. Since I knew so little about carbon fiber, epoxy resins, etc, I went with Bamboobiker's suggestions and was very happy. Using a 5/16" auger bit I drilled a hole all the way through and drove a steel pin into the joint (pic 8). Before you buy one, ride a couple of different trikes. These will be replaced with Alu L section in future. You can use the rear triangle brake to get you started. Since this frame is 3 dimensional, I struggled to come up with a jig and just fit my pieces to the wheels as I put it together. So I build a couple out of 1/8" aluminum using the drawing in pic 2. Then stack the third (smallest) trike on top of the rear-facing trike. In some areas, wood remains the de facto bike building material. The Easy to Build Meridian DIY Recumbent Bike. The difference with these joints however, is that the pins also were drilled through the 3/4" tubing. The foam doesn't have a lot of structural strength but in such a small enclosed space I think it will be fine (pic 3). They are super comfortable. HERE is a website about construction of an electric motor powered pedal assist tadpole trike. Pictures 2-5 show the progress of the bracing under the seat. Whether you are an avid biker or . 5" box + 3/4" plywood + 1/4" wrap = roughly 6" of ground clearance. If you do not break the nodes, there is no place for the trapped air to expand to and the bamboo will explode. Even more so than road bikes, recumbents are highly customizable, making them a treat to build. Whether this was overkill or not, I would still recommend stiffening these arms in some way. I ended up making an "X" so I could terminate the bottom ends against the bamboo on each side instead of on center. For this frame I purchased 24K tow which essentially means I'm wrapping 8x the strands of 3K (pic 3). For safety, more upright bikes do give you a bit more visibility, and make turning your head to see behind you much easier. The carbon fiber bands are strong enough to keep the tubes bound together, but less strong front to back. (lots of good information here about trike construction) HERE is a video about how to make the direct steering handlebars. But I am here to tell you that when it comes to building a tadpole trike you intend to ride (or provide for someone else to ride) human life is at stake. To make my bracing rods I took two 36" poplar 1/2" diameter dowels and wrapped them with 3" woven carbon fiber tape. Using PC-7 I epoxied (pic 7) and shaped the two beams together, sanded and then wrapped with tow and woven tape in a similar fashion as the ends. Front wheel drive (FWD) and Rear wheel drive (RWD) arent just terms for cars. So I sacrificed some frame weight and stiffened the 2' diameter bamboo with a large poplar dowel wrapped in carbon fiber (pic 1). Plastic cutting boards are a great way to buy colored plastic cheaply for projects. My gearing range is 17 to 87 inches. 16 pound expanding foam is very dense compared to the more typical 2 pound foam (pic 2). Beyond the cost, there is the problem that my bamboo frame isn't exactly 2" diameter so I started "figurin" again. All of the force is on the upper chain while the bottom chain is simply returning to the rear wheel and not doing work. Step 6: Mounting the Front Cross Member. This recumbent trike was built using parts from three salvaged bikes and without welding. All of the other parts can usually be collected relatively inexpensively, and then you can get to work putting together a recumbent bike or trike to fit your preferences. I almost made the mistake of cutting them the same after I had them wrapped and sanded. The main reason was I was really tired of sanding and wrapping and wanted to see how little I could get away with doing. The length of the arms and the angle of the center cuts will vary depending on the set up of your front axles. To use a double or triple you will need a tube above the chain set on which to mount the front mech. Are you looking for a comfortable, efficient way to commute around town? An old 10 speed can go for practically nothing. Electric recumbent trikes are lightweight 3 wheeled pedal/electric vehicles that offer some car like features. Kent, can you please send me all of the dimensions for each frame piece that you used to build this bamboo trike and include all angles used too. Depending on the style you choose to build, your wheels will range anywhere in size from 16 inches to 26 inches. So, when you buy a frame kit, pay attention to what exactly you are getting. I also used the same resin as "Bamboobiker" -- Max CLR hp (pic 2) -- which you can buy here -- http://myworld.ebay.com/polymerproducts/. One or both pieces of pipe is always slightly rotated which changes the joined angle. This really helps when you are trying repeatedly to achieve the right length or when you've got one end correct and screw up the other. Oddly enough, the only skills you do need for this project are those involving heavy duty tools: a hacksaw, electric drill, rotary tool, and a few bicycle tools. It also taught me that I needed a method for maintaining the plane in which the PVC was cut. When it comes to steering style, two options exist: Above Seat Steering (ASS) and Under Seat Steering (USS). I then used my heat gun to remove the center block from the bamboo beam and replaced it with a piece approximately 30" long for attaching to the long box (pic 2). It also can provide for a more stable ride, although, they are more likely to understeer. You will be able to shade the bamboo darker or lighter as you go along. All he used for his bike was two donor bikes, two crescent wrenches, a hacksaw, drill and bits, allen wrenches, and hammers. A few adjustments are a normal part of the process. 4 x 4ft long sticks of 1in X 1in box steel. This process gets very messy and I've learned you don't want to get tape next to your wrapping because it is hard to get the tape off later. This trick saves a lot of time recutting and also a lot of wasted PVC. On bikes, the higher crankset makes them harder to balance as well, and arent conducive to rides with lots of starts and stops. I had purchased the bamboo in 1 1/2" and 2" diameters so I used the same size PVC. As I use up tow, I wet another 12" or so until I've used up the strand. Just like before, you want to sand the bamboo well with 60-80 grit paper before applying the epoxy. All four pieces of bamboo attached to the dropouts were pinned with 1/4" steel pins after the initial carbon fiber wraps as previously described. One such enthusiast is A.D. Carson at Recycled Recumbents, whose work was even featured on NPR. On a 2" diameter piece of bamboo, the diameter may vary 1/8". The pieces are oriented 90 to each other and the horizontal lines help you get as close to90 as possible. Carbon fiber's strength is only along it's length so you want to wrap pieces which are as long as you can manage. Once again I used hot glue to hold it once I got it in the correct place and then double checked everything. The rest of the glue is removed during sanding. When it comes to building a recumbent bike or trike, there are a few different routes you can take. If you dont know anything about welding, you can take a class at a local community college, get a friend to help you out, or hire a professional welder to do it for you. Have traveled from San Antonio Tx to Austin Tx and vice- versa several times. 1. It's possible the frame may need more bracing after I've riden it more, but right now it is very rigid in my opinion. Some people use helmets with lights on them, lighted flagpoles, and other similar things to keep themselves safe. This is an absolutely fantastic trike. An added advantage to this was that the fender washers prevent the tow from sliding off the edge which helped build-up (pics 8-10). Part 5 Selecting and Building the Steering System. I wonder if I could substitute PVC pipes for Bamboo canes. It requires fewer tools than steel construction, and the finished product is lightweight and durable. Since you'll be sanding the outer layer off it's best to go a little darker than you want your final color to be. You can ride an electric trike like a regular tricycle with more stability and less pain than a bicycle, but any time . You could probably even find multiple bikes to use for close to zero cost. To get the wheels to stay in the wooden slots you just deflate the tire a bit and then reinflate it inside the channel. It may take a bit of getting used to, but isnt all that much different from ASS once you get the hang of it. October 24, 2019. I typically heat the bamboo until the waxy outer layer becomes shiny (pic 2) and wipe off the wax. Due to the extra weight and design, Recumbent trikes (and bikes) are an excellent choice for electric conversion. I love it and I want a go. This instructable will focus on the design and construction of the recumbent trike frame. Group rides are great. Really nice and a good set of instructions. This YouTube video gives a good overview of what is involved in building a CF recumbent. I found the cross member needed to be under ones knees when the pedals were at 12/6 o'clock. If you flip or rotate the bamboo, the pieces won't be oriented the same. The tadpole is a popular style, as it offers better braking and handling, but it is also more complicated to build. In addition to a welder, youll need a good hacksaw, a bench vise, a conduit bender, clamps, and several other tools to get the job done. I did not walk to spend $1000 on a commercial trike. The distance between the front tires is 30" on center and the distance between the front and rear tires is 48" from where they contact the ground. The 20" wheel brakes can be kept for the front brakes. Rather than waste bamboo figuring out angles and lengths, I build a full-scale trike out of PVC pipe. I used a flat handlebar for the steering which works well. Was able to purchase a 3' section and flare the ends with a heat gun. You will need to drill them out again after bending to accommodate the zip ties. Puncturing the nodes allows air to escape when you are heat treating the bamboo. I cut the arms out of a scrap 10"/250mm 3x2. A 3" wide piece of tape will go around a 1/2" dowel almost twice so this worked out pretty well. This is entirely a matter of preference. Read and educate yourself as much as you can and I look forward to getting your comments on how to improve my techniques. I bought 3" wide 12K tape from Fiberglass Supply (pic 4). And they are a lot of fun to ride. Looking at pictures of the Catrike Expedition I noticed they only use a support under the seat on their aluminum trikes. When using donor bikes, you can use a fork with the suspension from a donor bike. Same after I had purchased the bamboo well with 60-80 grit paper before applying the epoxy but any time on. Choose from, allowing you to create a recumbent from scratch, minus the the welding is. 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